First Look at the New “Anchor for the Soul”

In early 2011 Moody Publishers will release the new edition of An Anchor for the Soul, the short “gospel book” that was first released in 2000. The front cover of the new edition includes a label that reads “Over 500,000 in print,” a number that includes the more than 400,000 copies that we have donated to ministries across America.

This new edition is not really a revision. Most of the text has been left intact, with only a few minor changes here and there. But there is one huge difference. The new edition contains a built-in study guide. That may seem small, but to us it’s a very welcome addition. In most books with study guides, the questions are placed at the back of the book. We decided to include them at the end of each chapter to encourage readers to go deeper as they are reading the book.

There is one other change. The first edition intentionally contained almost no Scripture references because we were aiming at an “unchurched” audience that might not want to read hundreds of verses. Little did we know that God intended us to partner with Prison Fellowship and Good News Jail and Prison Ministries to distribute hundreds of thousands of copies to inmates in virtually every prison in America. God also opened the door to donate thousands of copies to the men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces, especially those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We gave copies away at Ground Zero and after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Later we began to partner with crisis pregnancy centers and rescue missions. Recently we donated copies for pastors in the Philippines and in Zambia. 

All of these readers need Scripture references. For some it will be the first Christian book they’ve ever read. Some prisoners tell us that Anchor is the first book of any kind they’ve read all the way through. The built-in study guide and the Scripture references will lead the readers back to the Bible to see what God actually says about how to go to heaven.

The picture comes from a postcard Moody prepared to help us publicize the new edition. We plan to order 75,000-100,000 copies so we can continue reaching people for Christ in the military, in prisons, through crisis pregnancy outreach, and through other doors God may open for us. 

We’ll keep you posted as the release date draws near, but we expect the new edition of An Anchor for the Soul to be available in January or early February. 

Since 2000 we’ve received over 10,000 letters from prisoners saying they read the book. Many write to say that they trusted Christ as a result of reading An Anchor for the Soul. Would you join us in praying that God will “blow open the doors” for a greater harvest in the years to come?