Religion Update: Religion and Self-help
By Lynn Garrett -- Publishers Weekly, 7/2/2001
They're not newlyweds--religion and self-help have long been a happy publishing couple, at least as far back as Norman
Vincent Peale and Charlie Shedd. The marriage reflects a uniquely American approach to religion and spirituality--faith 
should work, it should achieve results (witness the current success of The Prayer of Jabez, which offers a model or technique that promises a response from God). Such pragmatism extends well beyond traditional spiritual practices into the everyday realm of work, family life, relationships, even the interior world of emotional struggle and strife.
In this issue of Update, we examine the major subgenres in this large segment of religion publishing, looking at books on popular psychology, lifecycle issues and relationships, both at home and at work. These topics have become bread and butter for many religion houses, as readers head to bookstores in search of comfort, practical advice and encouragement that meets them where they live.
What’s Inside
Confronting the Inevitable
As the population gets older, books on sickness, aging and death will become staples
Relatively Speaking
Sales are hot for books on interpersonal connections
Ministry to the Mind
Popular psychology titles with a spiritual slant are exploding on the retail front
Books in Brief
Examining spirituality and relationships
In Profile
Finding the inspiration to help
All Faiths Calendar
Selected observances for July and August
