Due to an official complaint from a secular humanist, all bibles in the rooms of Scandic Hotels (affiliated to Hilton Hotels) are to be removed as they "obviously" flag an inapropriately intolerant wiev towards guests that are not "christian" (Jews, moslems, secular humanists etc). This has already started a debate in Sweden, and many christians have, in various ways, responded to this action. Most of the stuff i´ve seen seem to have at least some root in a fear of loosing what you might call "a witness of the christian faith" in the Scandic Hotels, or you might say a fear of loosing even more foothold in an increasingly secular society.
Mr Olle Nordahl, Swedish head of the Gideonites who provide Scandic (and other) hotels with the bibles says; (from an independent translation) "We distribute Bibles because we know people are helped by it. People find comfort and support by reading the Bible... It's the spontaneous reading of the Bible in one's darkest hour that helps the most"
Just a thought; What if the distinct "witness of christian faith" needed in a post-christian society has a more practical nature than just reading, and a slightly less inwardly therapeutic nature than finding comfort?
What if the gideonites (or by all means any christian group) would just pull up their sleeves, march on up to their nearest Scandic hotel and make an offer to clean each and every toilet seat in the facilities... for free? If people then ask why they do this they might invite them to borrow one of the bibles available in the reception desk (they will be allowed there!) and look up the story of Jesus and his disciples... or just share how that story connects to the story of the gideonites (or any christan group) who clean up filthy toilet seats for free.
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1 comment:
Amen, but would I?
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