He went into a Christian bookstore today and asked if they had a copy of Calvin's Institutes because he is going to start the 2009 reading plan. Here is how the conversation went down:
Jay: Do you have Calvin's Institutes?I guess ole' Johnny C. isn't exactly flying off the shelves these days!!!
Lady at the Christian bookstore: What?
Jay: Calvin's Institutes, do you have that in stock?
Lady at the Christian bookstore: Huh?
Jay: You know... Calvin?
Lady at the Christian bookstore: No.
Jay: John Calvin?
Lady at the Christian bookstore: Hold on, let me look him up.
Jay: Uh... don't worry about it. Thanks.
8 comments:
Johnny C. still does well at my local bookstore. Here's their special this month:
http://www.gbibooks.com/Details.aspx?ID=9781567691061
Sadly, this same bookstore probably has a whole wall of Joel Osteen smiling and suggesting that you *can* have your best life now.
I also think the same way Jason does! Today, many believers are palin lazy to read and reflect. They are so lethargic that they are okay with "trash" like what Joel, Joyce et al dish out.
i don't think this is a commentary on Christian book stores as much as it is on an airhead employee. "huh?" "what?" duh! even if she hasn't heard of it, she would have been more polite to say, "oh, I'm not sure, let me see if I can find that for you".
Amy,
I had the same thought. It would be interesting to do an experiment and see what would happen in various bookstores. I would put my money on having a similar experience a majority of the time.
z
I think my experience at a local Family Christian Store was even worse. I asked if they had any Bible study books or guides, as I wanted to study Matthew with a friend. The clerk was puzzled--a Bible study book? I tried to explain the concept. She said, "We do have a study guide for the Left Behind series and maybe for some other popular books." She didn't think they had any of what I was asking for. I left and bought a study at a different bookstore. I have since discovered that that store does carry Bible studies, so in this case, it was just an incompetent clerk. But, how can you work in a Christian bookstore and not know the concept of a Bible study???
personally, until a few years ago, I didn't know who John Calvin was and didn't care. I've been a christian for 30 years. I read the bible and that's just about all I need. I think if someone is working in a christian bookstore they SHOULD know about this kind of stuff, but it would be interesting to go into a Boarders and ask a random employee about where to find a particular author and see what happens there. I suspect the same thing. Ignorance is not limited to one group or another. It's not like this person went in there and asked "can you show me where the King James version of the Bible is" and she didn't know.
Amy,
If all that you truly need, in terms of understanding the Bible (not just the Gospel message but the entire Bible), is the Bible itself, then you must be a near-genius at connecting complex lines of story, argument, and doctrine! Seriously, you don't use commentaries, Bible study notes, or anything else?
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