Back in 2008, Lifeway Christian Bookstores, which is owned by the Southern Baptist Convention, made news when it pulled a magazine from its stores for featuring female pastors on the cover because it was “contrary to what we believe.”
Now Lifeway is making news again for having pulled from its stores pink Bibles that were designed to promote awareness of breast cancer, with proceeds going the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation for breast cancer screenings.
It turns out that some Komen funding had gone to Planned Parenthood for exams and mammograms in the past and that was enough to set off anti-choice activists at Bound For Life and the American Life League, so now Lifeway has pulled the pink Bibles :
To promote breast cancer awareness, supporters buy pink shirts, pink shoes, pink mouse pads and a host of other pink products.
Until Wednesday, there was even a pink version of the Holman Christian Standard Bible on store shelves. That’s no longer the case.
Southern Baptist-owned LifeWay Christian Resources is recalling its pink Bible because it benefited a charity with ties to Planned Parenthood. The “Here’s Hope Breast Cancer Bible” was sold at Walmart stores and other major retailers, with a dollar per copy going to the Dallas-based Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.
LifeWay decided to recall the Bible after receiving complaints that some of the breast cancer charity’s local affiliates donated funds to Planned Parenthood. Thomas Rainer, president of LifeWay, called the project a mistake.
“Though we have assurances that Komen’s funds are used only for breast cancer screening and awareness, it is not in keeping with LifeWay’s core values to have even an indirect relationship with Planned Parenthood,” Rainer said in a statement.
