A ‘Bible Tax’ has been avoided. The Scripture is no longer on the list of items to be impacted by the upcoming 10% tariffs being imposed on items coming out of China.
As international trade relations between a China and the U.S. begin to sink even further into a muddy mire of muck, the Bible was one of two items removed from the list. The other is children’s books. These two items are not completely in the clear, just delayed until December. Other items will be hit by the tariffs on September 1st.
LifeWay, the home to Baptist’s printing and curricula, reports that the world’s largest Bible printing company is in China. And furthermore, 75% of all Bibles are printed in China. Wow. 75%!
From a nation that is showing more and more hostility to Christianity and the church’s impact in our world, it is amazing that China even allows such printing. In a nation that is changing great works of literature by removing “God”, “Bible”, and “Christ” from books like Robinson Crusoe, it is remarkable they still print the Bible at all.
LifeWay is investigating alternative publishing houses. But the enigma is real. What if publishing is prohibited? What if China does what it can to extort or make cost untenable? Could they figuratively hold US publishers economically hostage for Bible products?
A few thoughts as I ponder this …
- God’s Word will never be removed from the world … it will remain.
- But, it may become more difficult to obtain, illegal to own, and an object that will bring persecution to its possessors. Already lawsuits are in America to make the Bible illegal to own – I don’t expect the lawsuit to go anywhere, but the battle is real. (Think of the movie The Book of Eli).
- This is not about money, or economics, or politics. It is a spiritual warfare … and it will get worse before it gets better. Our enemy is not China or Washington DC or any one person or group … it is beyond that.
- So, we need to be putting the Word in our hearts. Memorize, apply, and pass it on from generation to generation. I know Lisa is better at this than me … but I need to improve.
Be blessed.
Muddy Shoes by Todd 
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