Why I’m only ordering books online from now on.

When I’m back in the USA, I like to pick up a book here and there. The other day I was in Barnes & Noble for a bit, but I didn’t find anything that interested me other than an 850 page book on the Reformation that it would take me the better part of a decade to read. This morning I decided to head over to one of the major Christian retailers to see if they had any books in their bargain section.

When I go to this store, I usually shop the bargain section because that’s where they put the books that were written more than 10 years ago by guys who weren’t pastors of cool, hip, mega churches. Sadly for me, the selection consisted primarily of Tim LeHaye books, cheesy Christian self-help junk, and Christian romance novels that all seemed to be Amish themed. Saddened, I decided to check out the biography section to see if there was anything I could read over the summer.

Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever been more infuriated by a biography section in my entire life. The thing was only 3 shelves, each about four feet wide, but that wasn’t what got me. What really bothered me were the contents of the section. I was expecting to find biographies of Spurgeon, Augustine, Edwards, Mueller, etc. To be sure, there were some legitimate biographies in the section, but the thing that disturbed me so much was seeing these two books on the same shelf:

I was shocked. I mean, I realize that “technically” these books could both be in a biography section, but I was really just saddened and even a bit ashamed that a Christian store would place a book about Sarah Palin on the same shelf as a book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Bonhoffer was a pastor who dared to use his influence to challenge the Nazis. He was also the author of  a great book on Christian community called Life Together. He was by no means a perfect man, and some of his ideas and choices are certainly open to debate, but he died as a Christian martyr.

And then there’s Sarah Palin. Now, I have no problem with Christians taking political stands, but to have a book about Palin in the same section with the biographies of great men and women from Christian history is just ridiculous. Seriously, what contribution has she made at all to Christian dialog, the church,  or ministry in any way whatsoever?

The answer is simple: nothing. I really can’t express how offended I was by this. I’m sure Mrs. Palin is nice and all, but her biography has no business being mentioned in the same breath with those of Bonhoeffer, Moody, and other tremendous servants of the Lord. This is  simply a ridiculous attempt by the store to capitalize on the fact that many Christians are political conservatives.

It’s sad to me that a Christian retailer would help to feed this idea that being an American Christian is about being patriotic and a good person “don’t ya know.” The great men and women of Christian history have given their lives for the spread of the gospel, not political ideology. As of today, I will no longer purchase from this major Christian retailer. I’m getting all my books online now. It’s cheaper anyway.

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