Christian Bookstores (Part 1): Tolkien, Hagee and Political-Zionism

A week before Christmas I went to a popular Christian bookstore in Richmond BC with a friend. I asked if the owner could point me to the section with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings so I could buy it for myself (though I have read it I have never owned it -- I borrowed my brother's copy). His response was interesting: "We don't carry it!" he said emphatically. "You mean you do not have it in stock?" I replied. "No. We don't carry Tolkien. That is not Christian!" he exclaimed loudly. I kind of stood there for a moment really taken off guard. "Oh because the wizards and goblins and stuff" I tried to reason. "No! It is not Christian!" He repeated. At this point my friend turned to me to see what was happening. He had been flipping through Joel Olsteen's latest book proudly set up at the front of the bookstore. He walked over. "Do you sell The Chronicles of Narnia?" he asked. "Of course" he said. "That is Christian" My friend and I looked at eachother in amazement, less at what he was saying and more about how agressive he was being about this whole discussion -- so matter-of-fact; so black and white.

I said "You do know that Tolkien had a key role in bringing Lewis to Christ right?" He stared at me. "Lord of the Rings is not Christian" he repeated. "So you have made a decision--" he cut me off. "No. The Christian booksellers association of Canada decided not to sell that book in Christian bookstores." "Oh" I said. "It's just that I have seen it in other Christian bookstores". He exclaimed "No you haven't!" I said "Yes I have; they sell it at my school with big cardboard cut-outs and posters." "Which school?" he said. "Regent College." He fired back "Well they shouldn't!" I told him that they do and then said thank you. My friend put Joel Olsteen back on the shelf and we walked past the table full of useless Christian consumer goods (doilies, "Testa-mints", and bumper stickers that say "My boss is a Jewish carpenter") and we left. I arrived in Toront and the next day went to Michell's -- A Christian bookstore in Ontario. I walked in and asked them if they sell LOTR thaey also said no. I didn't even ask why. And then I looked around and got more and more discouraged as I walked around. I felt as if I had walked into a political convention for Zionism.

Everywhere I looked were books about the "end times", and mostly about how Israel are the true chosen nation/people/country of God and that we (meaning Christians and America) should support them at all costs. The book that this Christian bookstore had on display that day for sale was the latest John Hagee book In Defense of Israel. As I looked at the book the irony of it all struck me. The Christian bookstores were protecting people from the evils of Hobitts and a Christian writer (Tolkien) who was used of God to mentor, disciple and lead to Christ, arguably the most influential Christian writer of the twentieth century (C.S. Lewis), and yet they were promoting an author who spends his life arguing in support of the American foreign policy to support the country of Israel at all costs (even in their illegitmate wars), and who, in his recent book, seems to deny the Messiahship of Jesus (see below).

I was baffled. I was transported back to footage of Hagee, which I saw recently, in which my jaw hit the floor. He was leading a massive coalition of Christians in Washington called Christian Zionists or something, he stood up in front of these people and called for a pre-emptive strike on Iran before they attack the country of Israel. Hagee's Comments on video. I said: "Wow. A Christian pastor of a church of 20,000 people just called for a pre-emptive strike on a country. How far we have strayed." In his most recent book Hagee seems to deny an essential Christian doctrine:

If there is not one verse of Scripture in the New Testament that says Jesus came to be the Messiah … And if Jesus refused by his words or actions to claim the be the Messiah to the Jews, then how can the Jews be blamed for rejecting what was never offered?” (page 136)

Now imagine how quickly people would be up in arms if one of the so-called liberal "Emerging" pastors made a comment such as this. People would be writing books saying "Oh those liberal pastors denying the essentials of Jesus!" but a key pastor in America says these things and the major Christian publishers/bookstores don't blink an eye. It sells because it is popular Christian writing (easy to consume, and thus easy to sell) -- the fact that it is heresy is no big deal I guess.

My fear is this: the bookstores / publishers are being driven by two things: the first is obvious and legitimate: sales -- people buy these books. Fine. But the second is what is scary -- these industries are driven by political and theological agenda's and that is wrong. I don't have a problem having this view point in book stores, the problem I have is that other theological/political viewpoints were not in the store! I will speak more about this next time (especially in relation to book publishers). For now: think on these things.