Christian bookstores are the next gay-marriage battleground

[Celeste Chalfonte]

There isn't any place in the Religion forum for matters that fit neither in Believers nor in Atheists/Agnostics, so I'm putting this here.

Howard Books is a Christian imprint of Simon and Schuster that also publishes the Duck Dynasty brand and many conservative evangelical authors.

Howard is not a member of NRB, but the publisher is a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). Mark Kuyper, president and CEO of the ECPA, says no members have attempted to challenge Howard or Waterbrook Multnomah's membership. Publishing books affirming same-sex relationships would not be grounds for removal, according to Kuyper, because it would not violate the ECPA's statement of faith.

Kuyper agreed with my hunch that we're at the beginning of this trend. He told me that he expects to see more titles from Christian publishers released on both sides of the issue in the coming months and years.

"Part of what is so wonderful about publishing is that it is the marketplace of ideas," Kuyper says. "Christianity has gotten to the point where it is brave enough to publish two sides of a hot-button issue from a biblical perspective, and that's really impressive. I can't recall a time when I've ever seen this happen before, and I think it is a positive development."

We can assume that many of Kuyper's conservative Christian colleagues don't share his optimism about this trend in Christian publishing. Of course, what matters is not what the religious talking heads think, but whether the masses of pew-sitting, church-going, vote-casting Christians will be persuaded.

The rest of the story.

[Lanie]

As long as the courts don't get involved, I don't see a problem with business owners allowing it or not allowing it.

[scott]

I'm noticing a complete lack of support by the LGBT community for being professional and not advocating either way.

We've come so far from the days just 6 years ago when being not as anti-gay as the next guy was considered a great thing. Now it seems that the LGBT community is looking for any whiff of the appearance of intolerance and is even employing guilt by association.


Thanks a lot folks!

[Celeste Chalfonte]

I'm noticing a complete lack of support by the LGBT community for being professional and not advocating either way.

We've come so far from the days just 6 years ago when being not as anti-gay as the next guy was considered a great thing. Now it seems that the LGBT community is looking for any whiff of the appearance of intolerance and is even employing guilt by association.


Thanks a lot folks!

Did you read the article? Because I'm really not seeing the relevance of your post to the story at all.

[Michele]

As long as the courts don't get involved, I don't see a problem with business owners allowing it or not allowing it.

Agree. I really don't see it as "the next gay-marriage battleground", as if there's a list somewhere that's being checked off. The marketplace will decide which books get bought and which don't.

[scott]

Did you read the article? Because I'm really not seeing the relevance of your post to the story at all.

The purpose of the article is to smear those who are associated with the next target, the ECPA. You have to understand the publishing world to get the nuance I suppose. The Week is the barometer of the political debate. Now that the founder is dead, the editorial board is free to become activists and this is part of that.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

Agree. I really don't see it as "the next gay-marriage battleground", as if there's a list somewhere that's being checked off. The marketplace will decide which books get bought and which don't.

I think that's what the title references, the "battleground" of ideas. I don't really see it as an issue likely to be litigated.

I think I'll probably read Facing the Music. When we attended the Metropolitan Community Church for several years, there was a Gospel singer, Marsha Stevens, who would sing with our choir when she was in town. The story of her journey to self-acceptance is fascinating, whether one is a Christian or not. I think this is probably similar, although I've only heard Marsha's story verbally, so there's probably more depth to this.

Another good read is Troy Perry's The Lord Is My shepherd and He Knows I'm Gay. Troy is a lovely person and a spell-binding preacher. I think that comes through in the book, although I already knew him when I read it, so that may have colored my impression.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

The purpose of the article is to smear those who are associated with the next target, the ECPA. You have to understand the publishing world to get the nuance I suppose. The Week is the barometer of the political debate. Now that the founder is dead, the editorial board is free to become activists and this is part of that.

I think you're confused. It was an entirely different organization that kicked out one publisher and forbade any of its other members to have any association, however tenuous, with that publisher. Regarding the organization you've identified as "the next target," I don't see your problem:

Howard is not a member of NRB, but the publisher is a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). Mark Kuyper, president and CEO of the ECPA, says no members have attempted to challenge Howard or Waterbrook Multnomah's membership. Publishing books affirming same-sex relationships would not be grounds for removal, according to Kuyper, because it would not violate the ECPA's statement of faith.