Costco has apologized for labeling some Bibles as “fiction”. Amidst the uproar in the community and Christians in general, and threats to boycott Costco, the company assured the public that it was a mistake made by the distributor, and that it would be corrected, according to L.A. Times.
The pastor who found the Bibles was invited to appear on Fox News for a talk with Elizabeth Hasselback, which led Costco to scramble and release a statement.
“We deeply regret the mislabeling of the Bible and meant no offense to anyone,” the company wrote in an email received by several customers. “The buyer has let us know that this was an error and the books are being pulled off the shelves to be re-marked.”
“However, we take responsibility and should have caught the mistake. We are correcting this with them for future distribution,” Costco said.
Caleb Kaltenbach, the pastor who found the bibles, tweeted this picture that started it all, only after he couldn’t get an employee to assist him with his inquiry, according to Fox News.
Costco has Bibles for sale under the genre of FICTION
Hmmmm…… pic.twitter.com/mLZVogkSfd
— Caleb Kaltenbach (@calebwilds) November 15, 2013
As for the outcry and threats to boycott Costco, Kaltenbach doesn’t think that is the answer, and he is appreciating the talk that the snafu has encouraged, in his community and around the country.
I believe Costco when they said it was an error. Hopefully God uses this topic to spark conversations on faith & His Word. I'm sure He will
— Caleb Kaltenbach (@calebwilds) November 21, 2013
“On the one hand Christians should not yell out ‘persecution’,” he said. “We aren’t living in Iraq or Iran. But on the other hand, I believe that we do need to stand up for our faith and we need to be vocal about our concerns.” said Kaltenbach.
Author Robert Jeffress agrees with Kaltenbach’s sentiment, “Christians need to call out organizations like Costco whose actions undermine Christianity – regardless of whether those actions are accidental or intentional.”
Costco has assured the public that it is correcting the mistake, and relabeling the “small percentage” of Bibles that were labelled “fiction”, but is it enough to satisfy a Christian public that may hopefully be fairly forgiving? Time will tell.
Image via Twitter