I still get feedback today on Losing the American Bible Society, a story I wrote over a year and a half ago. People continue to find it and tell me that they agree about how sad it is that this great American Christian institution, one that was founded on providing the Bible to people "without doctrinal note or comment," has spent the past few years turning itself into a standard fundamentalist, other-doctrines-are-wrong religious group. A choice quote:

ABS is now publishing Bible-like books that reinterpret the Bible to fit a target audience, with no indication of what doctrine that might be supporting. It can't be any other way for Testament, a graphic novel ("comic book") that "presents stories from the Old Testament with drama, wisdom, wit and social and personal relevance." By definition, there is no way to make a graphic novel out of the Bible without significant editing, reduction, and interpretation. Ten years ago, ABS wouldn't even sell this thing. Now they're publishing it.

But I still get ads from ABS, and tonight's ad, sent very late on Thanksgiving Eve, was even more shocking to me:

The Launch of 877TheBible!

As announced on the Benny Hinn Show, the American Bible Society launched a new Web site (www.877TheBible.com) and toll-free phone number (1-877-THE-BIBLE) to help you learn of our missions around the world and help us fulfill the Great Commission by donating to our causes.

Announced on the Benny Hinn Show?? For those who don't know who Benny Hinn is, try reading the Wikipedia entry on him, because it's one of the few articles not penned by Hinn or his followers that doesn't use words like charlatan, fraud, or parasitic soul-destroying thieving bastard whom God will punish in the last days.

(OK, I admit that last one is actually a phrase, not a word, but you get the idea.)

For the American Bible Society to take pride in announcing anything on that cretin's show should be enough reason for everyone who built that fine institution to fire every last damned one of the directors and executives and start over with people who know what "without doctrinal note or comment" really means.

I'm sure that'll happen right after the Texas Tech game results get overturned.