It has been noted that Kindle best sellers are often ebooks with a price of 0.00.  See for example this New York Times article:

The argument in the article is that the publishers drum up interest in an unknown author and future sales by making the book available for free.  It caught my interest that many of the publishers that follow this strategy are Christian booksellers with a mission that appears to go beyond maximizing profits.

Here are the top 10 Kindle Best Seller from February 10, 2010

The Apothecary’s Daughter, Julie Klassen, Bethany House Publishers, price 0.00
More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea, Tom Reynolds, The Friday Project, price 0.00
The Equivoque Principle, Darren Craske, The Friday Project, price 0.00
Talk of the Town, Lisa Wingate, Bethany House, price 0.00
Daisy Chain: A Novel, Mary E. DeMuth, Zondervan, price 0.00
Icy Heat: A Heat series story, Leigh Wyndield, Samhain Publishing, price 0.00
Dear John, Nicholas Sparks, Grand Central Publishing, price 4.39
Kindle Shortcuts, Hidden Features, Kindle-Friendly Websites, Free eBooks & Email from Kindle: Concise User Guide for Kindle 2, MobileReference, price 0.25
The Help, Kathryn Stockett, Putnam Adult, price $8.55,
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Public Domain Books, price 0.00

Of the free (or nearly free) offerings, 3 out of 8, or 38% are published by either Bethany House or Zondervan, both Christian booksellers.  The missions of these booksellers (from their web pages) seem to go beyond profit maximizing, which made me wonder if they are providing books for free on the Kindle to drum up future sales or if the availability of free books with a Christian message is a (somewhat) subtle form of evangelism.  Judge for yourself — the books are free!

Bethany House
Mission
The purpose of Bethany House is to help Christians apply biblical truth in all areas of life—whether through a well-told story, a challenging devotional, or the message of an illustrated children’s book. We are diligently committed to offering the best in editing, design and marketing to make each book as inspiring, challenging, enjoyable and attractive as it can be

Zondervan (a division of Harper Collins):

Our Mission & Values
The Reason We’re Here
Zondervan is a mission-driven and value-based company. Our organizational culture is uniquely centered on biblical principles. All our employees—from entry-level to leadership—are focused on and passionate about upholding the mission and shared values of this company.
OUR MISSION
To be the leader in Christian communications meeting the needs of people with resources that glorify Jesus Christ and promote biblical principles.