Following the recent Mission Fest here in Toronto, we couldn’t account for some of our books when we were doing inventory. Apparently someone walked off with a few of our books without paying.
Rather than being upset, my own reaction was one of indifference. Personally, if someone wants one of our books so badly that they would steal it, I’m just happy that they have it. Maybe God will speak to them through it and help put them on the right path.
The same would be my feeling towards pew Bibles at church. If I were a pastor, I probably wouldn’t be too upset if someone walked off with one after a Sunday morning service, especially if he or she were not a Christian. My prayer would be that God would use the stolen scripture to lead them to repentance and faith in Christ. I suspect many pastors would feel that way.
Now, contrast this with the recent report out of Abuja, Nigeria where a middle-aged Christian man was sentenced to 60 days imprisonment or a fine of $16.00 for trespassing and attempting to steal a copy of the Qur’an from a mosque in late April.
If this fellow was sincerely interested in reading the Qur’an, I would have thought that the local Muslim leaders would be glad to let him have a copy. Guess not. I only wish that all Muslims made showing an interest in Islam so difficult!
this blog seems very interested in supplying Bibles to those who need one through various outreach programs. Why not put a note in the pew Bibles saying that this or other church bible can be loaned like library books and/or start a program to give away or sell cheaply Bibles to those who need one. That way the church can better serve the great commision...tom
ReplyDeleteGood idea, Tom. I hope some pastors will read this and take it up.
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