OK…
This one is particularly near and dear to my heart because the particular publisher in question also decided not to feature my first book because, reportedly, the content and cover was a bit much. (Yeah. OK.)
And while there are some things that go on out here in the world that really are sooooooooo over the top, *this time*, I am with the people who have the “Huh?!?” response to this particular situation. Here’s the gist: After a woman spent a year *literally* (and on so many levels) living out the Bible, she decided to pen her journey. That’s not really (national) news. Oh, but this part is:
“Rachel Held Evans’ upcoming book, A Year of Biblical Womanhood, tracks her yearlong attempt to follow all of the Bible’s instructions for women, from making her own clothes to ‘submitting’ to her husband. (I wrote about the project last year for Slate.) Now one of the biggest Christian bookstore chains in the country, LifeWay, has opted not to carry the book, and Evans is speaking out about the ‘chokehold’ that the Southern Baptist-owned business wields over Christian writers.
The story begins in March, when Evans mentioned on her blog that her editor had suggested she remove the word ‘vagina’ from the book’s manuscript to appease strict Christian bookstore content standards. ‘If Christian bookstores stuck to their own ridiculous standards, they wouldn’t be able carry the freaking Bible,’ she wrote, adding that, despite her annoyance, she had acquiesced to the request because, hey, no author wants to risk losing sales. Her publisher told her they expected 40 percent of her book’s total sales to come from Christian bookstores; LifeWay is one of the biggest sellers, with 160 stores in 26 states and a robust online business, and its standards are considered the strictest.”
Deja vu…DEJA.VU.!!! (LOL)
I guess I’ll have to ask Craig if the Pure Heart series was featured in there, but for now, I just want to say “I hear ya!” sistah on the point that the Bible is actually one of the most graphic books there is *and* besides, being that God created sex (why does it seem like *so many people* overlook this fact?!?) then what possibly could be wrong with mentioning the words that are used for the act? How is that sending a message that we, as Christians, are comfortable with sex and that is is a godly act?
Now, I’m not so sure if I would go so far as to rock a “Team Vagina” shirt as one of her fans made, but that’s mostly because I’m not sure what that means, um, exactly. As a heterosexual woman, it seems like I would be more for the other team (LOL). But either way, as a fellow Tennessee-based author, I wanted to use this story to actually pitch a deeper question because of it:
Is the Church, in general, respectful of sex (and sex body parts) or *scared* of it?
With stories like these, I’m not so sure I know.
Sound off…