Comments on: Church Bookstores

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:04:36 +0000

Oh, right, I forgot about the bookstores! The church I grew up in had a bookstore in it’s own little nook right next to the secretary’s office. I do remember an assortment of KJV bibles, covers, CD’s, bookmarks, etc. It was run by whichever ladies volunteered that week. And the tape ministry, LOL! I forgot about that, but my church did it too. I honestly can’t recall anybody buying those, but they were offered.

By: Richard Sullivan

Richard Sullivan — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:44:05 +0000

How’s the sales tax issue treated? Because it’s in a tax-exempt building, sales tax need not apply? If you go to your average “christian” bookstore, you’ll pay sales tax. I bring this up because many fundies hide behind the cross to avoid paying taxes on their “ministries”. Hmmm… I remember a story in the NT about a fish, a coin, and taxes.

By: RJW

RJW — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:12:12 +0000

Nowadays, as mentioned, church bookstores aren’t just a fundy thing. However, I find them irrelevent in our current culture. If I really wanted something, I could order it online (and at a less-expensive price).

I did have a laugh a couple of years ago when I visited my uncle’s super-fundy church and they mentioned the “tape ministry”. TAPE ministry?? Who even owns cassettes these days . . .or cassette players for that matter.

By: Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:33:11 +0000

@Amanda: Such is the death sentence associated with watching movies on TV and attending an IFB christian school. I can remember the sketchy looks I received from my best friend’s parents after watching the movies I’d recommended…

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 05:41:07 +0000

@Camille, there are also dangers to watching those “edited” films, such as later forgetting that what you’d seen was the edited version and recommending it to someone with “high standards.” Oops.

By: RWales

RWales — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:47:47 +0000

The fundy church I grew up in had a small bookstore in the basement (that my mother ran). The pastor had a sly way of making sure that the church was not becoming a “den of thieves” or a store by saying that if you could not afford any of the materials, but felt that you needed it for your spiritual growth, you could take what you wanted and the church would cover it; the same rule went for the merchandise sold by traveling evangelists and musical groups.
In spite of that rule, the church did not have to compensate for much- the majority of the materials for sale were outdated SOTL books about the evils of alcohol and women working outside of the home (not sure if there is a different category of SOTL materials).

By: Camille

Camille — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:27:34 +0000

You all remember Bob Harrison’s movies? It was sometime between 1992-1996 in Greenville, SC. You could rent recently released videos with the “bad stuff” taken out. EASY BREEZY MORALITY!!

Everyone was talking about it, so we rented _Schindler’s List_ to watch with our BOJO friends. We had already seen it on the big screen. Shhh! Don’t tell.

But so . . . we watch. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed harder — at Schindler’s List!! All the skin above the knee and below the shoulders was blocked out completely. But all the murder and death and shooting was shown unedited. What? Sex is evil, but cold-blooded maniacal and senseless murder is not gratuitous?

And the bad words were only blocked on the front speakers. My geek hubby’s surround sound system completely picked up the bad words on the back speakers, so it just highlighted the thing we weren’t supposed to hear.

Like those TV Guardians. Remember those?

So much stuff fundies like . . . .

By: Nathan

Nathan — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:48:52 +0000

I wouldn’t say it’s truly a fundy sign…just out of my own experience. Although it is true to a large degree!
One case of fundy bookstore would be the last IFB church I attended for a short time. They have quite a large number of random books (fundy or not?), and a grand ol’ selection of the 1611! KJV upon KJV, anyone could get whatever type of KJV he or she wanted! Although, they did have some music cd. What’s mind-boggling is that they have the screamo/hardcore band, Emery’s, cd…Yeah. They’re not quite typical…
Where I go now, non-denom Calv, they have a nice bookstore that they recently opened actually. They do have a nice selection of commentaries, theological books, some Bibles, and whatnot. But apparently they don’t have fiction because it’s “too hard to discern.” And yet they have Pilgrim’s Progress…Good times.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:05:31 +0000

Hilarious. I am familiar with these types of places. They don’t always have the soundtrack you want to sing though.

By: Ministry Addict

Ministry Addict — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:41:44 +0000

“Selling coffee at church is a sure sign of liberalism.”

Drinking coffee in the church fellowship hall and smoking cigarettes in the church parking lot is a sure sign of intolerably bad breath.