"Christian publishers and retailers realize that today's busy consumers are looking for . . . spiritual food that can be consumed in a convenient way," said Bill Anderson, the association's president.
Such books stand to fill a growing spiritual void.
Only about a quarter of Americans attend weekly religious services, a figure that has remained relatively steady over most of the last century, according to sociologists who study religion. Yet many Americans still feel a need to connect regularly with a supreme being.
A recent national survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 71% of people are absolutely certain about their belief in God and that 58% pray daily outside of religious services.
Faith leaders are working hard to capitalize on that spiritual hunger, not just with convenience but with high production values.
"Religion is gradually being remade in the image of mass-consumer capitalism," said Christian Smith, a sociologist of American religion at the University of Notre Dame, who adds that the changes have met mixed reactions.
"What for some people is creative innovation," Smith said, "is pandering to other people."
For the last decade, Sinai Temple in Los Angeles has mined this new religious terrain through its "Friday Night Live" gatherings for young professionals that feature traditional prayers, speakers, music and cocktails.
The temple's rabbi, David Wolpe, also has tapped the Internet for outreach, sending weekly "Off the Pulpit" e-mails to 2,000 people, creating what he calls "a virtual community of modern Torah." And, mindful of time, he keeps the messages to 250 words or less.
At Saddleback Church in Orange County, Associate Pastor Tom Holladay has replaced a Wednesday night Bible study with daily "drive-time devotions."
The Wednesday sessions once attracted 1,000 parishioners, a huge crowd by many church standards. But the 10-minute podcasts, focusing on spiritual growth, now reach as many as 10,000 members a week from the evangelical congregation, one of the largest in the country.
"There have to be ways to take faith into our daily lives," Holladay said. "You learn more 10 minutes a day, five days a week, than coming [to church] one hour on Sunday, when you're nodding off."
Jews and Christians aren't the only ones with their eyes on the clock. The busy Buddhist can take heart in "10-Minute Zen: Easy Tips to Lead You Down the Path of Enlightenment."
As the book's back cover declares: "You don't have to sit under a bodhi tree and meditate as the Buddha did to become enlightened. With this easy, engaging guide . . . you'll find that mastering esoteric Zen practices is as easy as a walk in the woods."
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duke.helfand@latimes.com
