As we near Holy Week, I know the assertion that every Christian book is about Easter won’t change anything in publishing. The seasonal best-seller lists, bookseller promotions, online keyword searches, and publishers require marketing hooks to advertise. But let’s face it: All Christian books are really about Easter Sunday morning. Christian books all have a key pivot point of their message in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Christmas books, where Jesus joined human history as Emmanuel, are just Easter prequels. But for marketing’s sake, we call them Christmas books.

So, what themes of Easter find their way into every Christian book?

• Deity of Christ
• Christ’s victory over sin and death
• Christ’s transforming power
• Hope that comes from life after death

Of course, Holy Week overall has many more implications. Still, we have enough to fuel a billion-dollar publishing industry from Easter alone. If you are part of a Christian tradition that uses the church calendar as a framework for worship, look at each season and draw a straight line to the Resurrection as its center, reason, and purpose.

For Christian books, here are some additional proofs:

Christian fiction of all kinds: Has conflict, resolution, and restoration. Without restoration, it’s just a story like any other.

Kids’ books: Everything points to Jesus as God’s Son and how he makes all things new and different than before. That newness came at Easter. The living Jesus and the hope we have are encouraging to every child.

Bible commentaries/studies: Always show the cohesive single story of all Scripture and God’s plan of salvation through Christ as the aiming point. Readers begin connecting the dots, which are more than just added information. Lives are transformed when we know the risen Savior.

Christian living: No matter the topic–parenting, marriage, singleness, community life, church life, conflict resolution, overcoming past, present, and future trials, or whatever else–is hinged on the transformative power of the resurrected Christ for every area of life. Nothing is the same after the empty tomb.

Ministry/leadership: Christ’s hope-giving, redemptive power fuels every aspect. No church or ministry can continue without the fact that Christ defeated sin and death. Books for ministry leaders build courage, confidence, faithfulness, hope, and strength fueled by the risen Savior. Without him, these books are just business concepts for a nonprofit social club gathering to sing songs.

Theology: With the Resurrection, theology is a never-ending, exciting pursuit of discovery. Without the Resurrection, books become an academic exercise of personal illumination that puffs up a reader with knowledge simply for knowledge’s sake.

Reference: Just names and approximate dates to memorize until the Resurrection infuses everything with meaning and purpose. Easter answers the “So what?” question.

Comparative religions: This is the easy one. Christianity is the only religion where the founders’ bones aren’t dust. The tomb is empty.

So there you have it. Christian writers are very focused, as everything they write eventually circles back to the first Easter not so long ago; from God’s perspective, it has been only a couple of days.