David Crumm

Curious why most of my reviews are 4 to 5 stars -- and I never pan books?

Here's why: I'm the founder of an online hub, ReadTheSpirit, that connects readers with inspiring spiritual voices. We review books and films to help readers find the very best -- and readers often share their thoughts with us online.

Each month, I look over more than 100 new books and movies, searching for the true gems. I read and view dozens each month then pick the best to recommend. The rest? I see little point in panning bad books and films, most of which will drift into obscurity anyway.

ReadTheSpirit is a network of professionals, including writers, editors, filmmakers, clergy and scholars who are working to highlight the importance of spirituality and religion in the world. We believe that people of all faiths can build cross-cultural bridges to strengthen communities and encourage peace.

You might want to check out 2 books we've published, "Interfaith Heroes" and "Our Lent," on Amazon.

Seventy of our friends gathered for a national conference in Michigan in late 2007 and we posted the following 10 Principles to a Web portal, an echo of the posting of theses in Europe half a millennium ago:

TEN 21st-CENTURY PRINCIPLES OF RELIGIOUS PUBLISHING

Principle 1: It's about the Voice, not the book.

This religious truth cuts across spiritual traditions. In this new century, power lies in the message, not the specific packages, which are constantly evolving.

Principle 2: If we are people of Truth, then we have nothing to fear from creatively, vigorously searching for Truth.

We don't need to answer every question. We only need to truthfully seek and helpfully point people along the journey with us. This gives us an enormous territory in which to work, because we can boldly look for truth anywhere.

Principle 3: We must look for Truth in every stage and condition of life -- and in every corner of our human family -- because our traditions call us to overturn false assumptions about the vulnerable.

The 21st-century truth is that we are all religious minorities. This strategy actually can be Good Business in media.

Principle 4: It's about connection, not competition. Our Voices should call people together, not separate them.

All of our religious traditions call us to connection. In religious publishing, fragmentation and competition has led us only to a confusing torrent of messages and an uncertain future.

Principle 5: The most powerful spiritual stories are in the lives of the ordinary people we meet.

As American media fragments and publishers cut back on budgets, we risk missing out on telling some of the greatest spiritual stories of our age - the stories of real people who may be sitting next to us - or may live in villages half way around the world.

Principle 6: Millions of people are looking for the best path toward a spiritually satisfying Home.

As Americans, we're a restless people searching for Home. Compared with the rest of the world, religion matters deeply to most of us, but our desire for individual choice and self-expression also is very strong.

Principle 7: We are in an era of profound cultural change that raises spiritual questions, across the spectrum, about our relationship to our planet - and the meaning of the place in which we live.

We need to explore what our religious traditions can teach us about the sacred meaning of place.

Principle 8: The Spirit moves in community.

Religious media currently segments and separates spiritual Voices. We need to build new networks as broad as the vast Amazon global bazaar and make room within these networks for vigorous communities to form.

Principle 9: Radical transparency is good business.

From open-source software to crowdsourcing projects like Wikipedia, millions already are flooding the creative process with sunlight.

Principle 10: Peace is possible.

Let’s form a vanguard of Voices, talking to the whole world about Peace.