Traditionalists say quick-hit spirituality can be useful, but that it's no substitute for true learning or involvement in a religious community. Even some of the die-hard faithful, however, see the prophetic writing on the wall.
Leith Anderson leads a 2,900-member church in suburban Minneapolis and is president of the National Assn. of Evangelicals. He also produces a daily radio segment -- "Faith Minute" -- that is heard throughout the Midwest.
"It's preaching to people who have never been in the choir," Anderson said.
For those who are short on time, alternatives abound. A stroll through the gift shop at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles reveals the options.
That's where Leticia Najera spent a recent lunch break, leafing through a 4-by-6-inch black booklet titled "Bible Day by Day." Its preface declared: "This is a pocket meditation book for busy people."
Najera, 55, was delighted by the brief reflections on quotations from Proverbs, Luke and other biblical books. She bought a copy of the $7.95 devotional to use over dinner with her four grandchildren at home in Whittier, and planned to buy extras for friends.
A devout woman, Najera also bought a copy of "Healing Prayers for Every Day," a companion booklet she hoped would provide spiritual uplift in her busy workday as a therapeutic behavioral specialist for children.
Leafing through it, she landed on Page 67, a reflection for April 27, that read: "We endure many heartaches and pains during our lives because of those we love."
Najera clutched the devotional. "Gosh, this is a message for me," she said, explaining that she was struggling to help her grandson cope with the death of an elderly relative.
Enthusiasts such as Najera account for a loyal, if modest, market niche. Even as traditional worship attendance languishes, an appetite for spirituality has created new opportunities for alternative forms of religious communication, publishers say. Podcasts and other electronic adaptations are leading the way.
"If you know how to reach readers of religious materials, you are onto something, because they are devoted," said Marcia Z. Nelson, religion book reviews editor for Publishers Weekly. "Devotionals and prayer books are perennial sellers."
And they're fueling interest in traditional religious texts, publishers say.
The Christian Booksellers Assn. says that eight to 10 of the nation's 50 top-selling Christian books are devotionals or other texts that provide daily spiritual guidance.
