That is the question I am left with after a recent visit to Borders Books on Oxford Street. I had about 10 minutes to kill before a meeting so thought I'd browse the top sellers section (paperback). Picked up Dawkins' 'The God Delusion' and had a quick flick in the section on miracles. If the rest of the book is of the same standard then it is going to take a lot more than this book to convince me that God is dead! But that's not what got me going - after all Dawkins is free to write what he likes - and God is big enough to look after Himself. Standing back and viewing the whole section I noticed another area given over to 'The God Delusion', but this one a special Borders edition with a sticker on the cover advertising a free Christmas card inside. The card has across the front, 'O come all ye faithless'.
Since then I have been trying to decide what an appropriate response would be. Is this 'just a bit of harmless fun' or something that as a Christian I should take more seriously? A search of the internet has not revealed this particular marketing ploy being used by any other book seller. I can't imagine Borders mocking a major event in the Islamic calendar - they would be only too aware of what happens when you do that kind of thing. Yet Dawkins' book is targeting the idea of 'god' and religion, not specifically the Christian faith.
Some of you will already know that I emailed some friends to gauge reaction. I was surprised by how many responses I got. Some responses were short. Others were longer. Some were theological and backed with Bible verses. Yet these responses varied widely in what kind of response we should have as Christians. There were those who saw it as a bit of harmless fun. Others thought it might be offensive but to react would just lead to greater publicity - the very thing the publisher and seller want! Others recognised that we continue to see subtle attacks on the Christian faith, at the same time that other faiths and secularism are being 'promoted' in the name of a tolerant and multi-cultural society - but there was no clear strategy on how to deal with this. Should we simply accept this as inevitable and something that Jesus warned would happen to those who genuinely seek to follow him? Or should we think that the reason Christianity seems to be an easy target is because Christians never stand up to be heard? Or should we be concerned but recognise that there are more important things to protest about - injustice, poverty ...? Should I simply write a letter to register my concerns? Should we see ourselves as in a spiritual battle and not look to fight with the world's weapons?
As a result of the variety of responses I'm not really any further forward in knowing what to do. I guess my concern is that at some point there is going to come a time when as Christians we need to stand up and be counted - and if we're not careful that might be when it is already too late. Why wait until it is illegal to proclaim that 'Jesus is the only way to God'? Why not start making our opposition to the erosion we see of the Christian faith heard now?
One of my initial thoughts was to write to Borders telling them of my concerns and informing them that I would no longer be shopping with them - hitting them where it hurts (although my individual contribution would not hurt them very much!) But then I thought - what if the company that owns Borders owns Smiths, Waterstones and Amazon - where am I going to buy my books (other than Wesley Owen)? And then what about other retailers with unacceptable advertising campaigns or unethical practises? Could it ever get to the point where I can't buy anything from anyone!
It would have been a lot easier if the tube had been 10 minutes later and instead of having 10 minutes to kill I was rushing to make it on time. Where was I going? The annual conference of 'Christian Solidarity Worldwide'. Tomorrow (18 November) is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church ...
... and I'm worried about a 'Christmas card'.
