Christian Behavior in the Public Arena

[It’s been a few days now since I took down this post, and while I did not get it back up quite as quickly as I thought I would, here it is now! I have decided to change it just a little bit…to focus more on one main theme rather than many, and to present the issue of propriety in a more prudent manner. If you have read the post before, you’ll notice the difference right away, if you have not read it, then I hope that you will enjoy it. As always, I am more than willing to discuss this with anyone who is interested, all three of my regular readers! (ha ha)]

I don't know how well I've titled this post, but I'll let my reader make the ultimate decision on that one!

On Monday the 10th, the Board of Directors of the library where I work held a public meeting to discuss whether to remove two books on sexuality, “The New Joy of Sex” and “The Joy of Gay Sex.”

This was the second time since 2006 that the books have been challenged, both times by the same person, though this time under different circumstances. The local news have alluded to three different challenges but in 2006 it was actually a challenge and an appeal after the request to remove the books was turned down. So, really, I consider this latest one only the second challenge in the last two years. At any rate, the meeting began at 4pm and it lasted till just after 6:30pm. After the normal business of the Board was concluded, the gentleman who brought up the challenge to the books was asked to address the Board and the assembled audience (there were about 50-75 people…one news report said over 100 but I think they must have counted somebody twice!). Following his presentation the general public was invited to address the Board also, each person being allowed 3 minutes, the audience being asked to maintain civility and a respectful atmosphere, applause and shouted comments being frowned upon.

Of the people present, I believe that it was equally divided between supporters of keeping the books in the general collection and opponents who wanted the books removed or at least sequestered in an area where the public has to ask to look at or check out the books. It was no surprise, at least to me, that the Board would vote to remove the books, thought I was definitely surprised when they instead voted to remove the books from the shelves but to keep them temporarily in the Director’s office. Although I knew this was a possibility, I did not expect it. This is a first step, I believe, towards completely removing the books from the collection, since the Board announced that they would soon be meeting to determine whether they should and in what way they would amend the policies that address collection development. The final vote, by the way, was 3-2 in favor of removing the books.

As a staff member of the library, I was interested in how the Board would decide, but as a Christian, I was far more interested in how people would present themselves, especially those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. My reaction? Well, I was pleased and displeased at the same time. What do I mean by this? Well, certainly I will shed no tears over the removal of these books. What does concern me is the manner in which they have been removed. You see, I strongly believe that the Board should have followed established procedure by FIRST changing the policy and THEN moving to remove the books that did not feet the criteria that they set. In removing the books as they have done, the door has been left wide open for challenges on all the books in the collection, a dangerous precedent to set in a public library.

For example, will we now have a challenge to Christian books because their presence in a tax supported library implies support of the Christian religion? It is certainly possible, though I hope it does not happen. [Note: FYI, we've already received warnings that those very books will soon be challenged to test the precedent set by the Board!] Will we defend their presence on the idea of a public library representing all ideas? Certainly we will, though this ideal that librarians subscribe to has lost its moral strength in our library! And just so the reader is aware, our library, I am told, was the first to begin collecting Christian Fiction and also has the largest collection of such books in the entire Treasure Valley! We have books from such notables as Henry Morris and John MacArthur.

I wish that the Board had met to change policies instead of creating this public spectacle and allowing some members of the public to demonize the staff at our library, staff members who do not deserve such treatment (more on this later). Why should the Board have done this? Because it would have been the right thing to do, and for those members of faith who sit on the Board, it would have allowed them to act on their faith in a more Christ honoring manner. Permit me to pause right here and say that I have nothing but respect for all of the members of the Board, and cherish my brethren among them in a special way, so this is not so much an attack upon them as a desire to express to them how I feel and, yes, to admonish them in love. Getting back to the discussion though, it is well within the powers of the Board to change/set policy, and had they first done this, these books could have been addressed in an appropriate manner. As a Christian library associate I believe that books in the collection should not be removed in a lightly or cavalier manner, simply because, as alluded to above, the precedent which this sets for challenges to other books. The public library is not a church library, and trust me, it holds books that I do not endorse. But it also has books that I love and cherish, and it provides a unique service to the community. So, no, I do not support taking books out of the library unless there is a clear reason to do so (like, for example, a Board amending policies). This, I hope everyone understands, does not mean I support those books in question. I would never have selected the books for inclusion in our collection, and I definitely believe that a library must consider its community when selecting books. Not that we should never select books that would challenge a community, but there is a difference between a challenge and thumbing our noses at that community!

What, however, displeases me about the situation? The manner in which all of this was handled…as indicated in my title to this post, I was very disappointed in the behavior and attitudes that I observed from my fellow Believers. Does this mean that the other side did not exhibit bad behavior? Not at all. But it is a shame upon us that the Christians were the ones who misbehaved the most. And quite frankly, why be surprised when those outside the faith act badly? Christians, on the other hand, make a mockery of their faith when they act badly. Look, if you have a moment, at the following video:



http://www.ktvb.com/video/index.html?nvid=226067&she=1



Did you hear those shouts of “Sit down!”? That came from people who identified themselves as Believers. You see, brothers and sisters, when we as Believers engage our culture we should do so in a manner that brings Him the glory. And we should NEVER engage in tactics that are unwholesome and that are better fitted to secular politics! We must bear in mind Paul’s admonition in Romans 3:8, wherein he rhetorically says, “And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?…“ Later on he also says “Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?” His answer? “Certainly not!” In some translations, “God forbid!” (Romans 6:1-2) In other words, two wrongs do not make a right.

The worst disruptions I observed on this day came from those who wanted the books removed. Indeed I was right in front of some people who would bellow out some hearty “amen’s” when someone they supported spoke, and while there is nothing wrong with this, for I heartily endorse their zeal, these same people behaved quite rudely when people who supported keeping the books in the library, at one point I heard a couple of them loudly utter “jerk” and other such comments after one gentleman spoke. And this, my brethren, is what makes me so sad.

As I mentioned above, when we as Christians engage our culture, we need to do it in a manner that clearly reflects a loving attitude, primarily because we represent our Lord and Savior! You who know me are aware that I am not suggesting some “let’s just love everyone” theology…far from it! Just that in all things we give Him the glory and are ever mindful of His honor.

I also believe that people portrayed a false front during this engagement. Take the following into consideration:

From the 03.11.08 edition of the Idaho Press-Tribune:

"All three members of the board appointed by Mayor Tom Dale and approved by the city council since the controversy began voted to take the books off the shelves.

They are Kim Keller, Sandi Levi and Bruce Skaug.

Dale has previously spoken for taking the books out of the library. But he said he did not select board members based on their opinions of the book.

“Absolutely not,” Dale said. “I think that’s an inappropriate question. I try to select based on recommendations made to me from citizens, and I don’t ask any screening questions like that whatsoever.”

Delgadillo Reilly would not comment on whether she thought Dale stacked the board with members opposed to having the books in the library. “I would hope that credentials were reviewed and the selection of candidates for the board was viewed in a larger sense,” Delgadillo Reilly said. “Choosing someone with a particular agenda does not reflect the community.”

City Council member Steven Kren said the sex books issue was not a factor in the mayor and council’s selection of board members.“I think they were just people in the community that had a desire to serve, and he chose individuals with that desire,” Kren said.

Keller said Dale did not ask him how he felt about the books before selecting him. And he said he has mixed feelings about how the library should deal with the books."

What bothers me about this is that it is quite obvious from what occurred that Mayor Dale did indeed appoint members who would vote in favor of removing the book. Why not admit it? There is nothing wrong with him doing this since it is his prerogative to appoint members to the Board, and if he felt that he had a mandate from the community to appoint people for this reason then he should have admitted it. Both he and the recent appointees of the Board should have been upfront about this (there is one member who has been quite clear from the beginning as to his intentions, and he deserves credit for this). My other concern was how the gentleman who challenged the books was presented. From his own words, I know that bringing this challenge again was not completely his idea, at least not the timing of it, and this is, in my view, at best a mistaken way to have handled the situation and at worst an underhanded move.

To desire to change things is not bad, but how we do so is very important. You see, in our desire to change the world around us, we as Christians so often engage in political activism under the mistaken belief that this will make the world a more moral place. Guess what? If we truly believe what the Bible says then we know that things will not improve but get worst…so it’s not like God has failed and we must fix the world. No, the moral fiber of our world will continue to deteriorate until the return of Christ! Should we then fill up our time with bailing the water out of a sinking ship…or should we begin working for our Lord in picking up the people and placing them in the lifeboat? In other words, let us preach the Word and evangelize our friends, our neighbors, and our coworkers, thereby doing the only thing that will have any eternal value! Because, again, guess what? Political activism, regardless of victories, will only whitewash the tomb without addressing the dead corpses within…only God can address that, and He has told us to tell the world His gospel, and He will use that to quicken those rotting corpses! Through His Word!

On a more personal level, as one who loves libraries, it bothered me that the majority of those who opposed the books were people who rarely set foot in our library. They are not familiar with all the good that our library represents, and they do not know the staff members who work there. I know every one of my coworkers, and while on a political and spiritual level there are a handful with whom I see eye to eye, they are all wonderful people. To demonize them out of hand is wrong, especially when a Believer does this. On the Idaho Values Alliance website (http://www.idahovaluesalliance.com/news.asp?id=737 ), Mr. Bryan Fischer presented a completely false picture of our library and of our Director, who is a wonderful woman doing a tough job. Is she perfect? Far from it, but she is not the person whom Fischer describes. Shame on him for his personal attacks against her.

People who do not come to our library are so quick to attack it when something bad comes up, but where are they when the library needs support? Where are the letters of appreciation for all the wonderful Christian books in the collection? Where the offers of support for the wonderful programs an overworked and understaffed library provide? Will my brethren step up and fill the void that has been left there by those who are disappointed in the decision of the Board? They should. But unfortunately what will happen is that they will walk away from it all, having won their temporal victory, leaving the pieces for the staff to pick up. The library has lost support from people who donated money and materials…people who are not Christians. I hope and pray the Believers will step up.

Finally, I do have to say that while the library is indeed a wonderful place ( I would not work here if I did not think so ‘cause the money certainly is not the main attraction!), it is not a completely safe place. People are drawn to libraries by the love of books…but also, most unfortunately, it attracts those who are attracted to young people, the perverts! So there is a lot of truth to the charge that parents need to take responsibility for their children. If you think a public library is a place where you can just drop off your kids, you are wrong. There are not enough staff members to properly supervise the entire building, trust me I know, so anyone who enters the library with their child should NEVER leave their child alone! Yet this is a common thing. Again, the library is a wonderful place, but not a wholly safe place. And, it must be said, It is also not a church library. So yes there are books that make my blood boil in our collection (though they are not the human sexuality books so much as the spiritually defunct ones). Brothers and sisters, this is why I teach my children where they can and cannot go in the library. My younger son is only allowed in the children’s section unless accompanied by his older brothers or myself. And my teens? Well I know that we have brought them up in the admonition and the fear of the Lord, and they know where in the library the books on human sexuality are (upstairs in the adult non fiction). So I have to trust that they will avoid those books, and if they should see them laying about, that they will either take them to a reshelf area or leave them where they are at. As a worker in the library, I can tell you that children in the adult non fiction section are usually there accompanied by their parents or are there because their parents are not fulfilling their parental duties (using the computers while their children wander the library). And even this is not common.

So, yes, I agree that parents need to take responsibility for their children, and I certainly think that a library should assist and not hinder the parents in their attempts to supervise their children. I would welcome, for example, a Board decision to permit parents to restrict “R” or “PG-13” movies from their minor children; I would welcome a policy from the Board that permits Circulation staff to deny checking out books on human sexuality (“how to’s” and not general health books) to minors unless a parent specifically asks that their child be permitted to check them out (a note could easily be added to their account indicating this); I would welcome a clear policy from the Board on what images we can ask people to refrain from viewing on the internet computers (the current policy is very vague). And, ultimately, I hope that before permanently removing books from the collection, that the Board will step up and give the staff the needed policies to address how we select books in the future. You see, regardless of what one might think, the staff do not want to place these human sexuality books in the hands of young children. Such ad hominem attacks should be beneath the Christian, but unfortunately it is clear that they are not.


Again, a public library will hold all kinds of things that we as Believers will not want to view. No surprise there except to those unfamiliar with public libraries. I believe all citizens have the right to challenge books, but in the future, let us remember that we as Christians have a higher obligation when we do so, an obligation to reflect Christ as Lord to the best of our abilities. This means that our conduct in the public arena must be above reproach. If the world will hate us for our Lord, so be it. Let it not hate us for being hateful.


I’ve written enough for now. I only pray that my readers understand my heart in this. I may revisit this issue again in another post after I’ve read my notes, we’ll see. As always, anyone who has questions should feel free to ask them.

In Christ,

Enoch-Elijah