Tennessee Pastors Network: Harper Collins Should Move to a Nation Without Freedom of the Press

by christiannewsjournal
religious freedom

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Pastor Dale Walker, president of the Tennessee Pastors Network, is admonishing the book publisher, Harper Collins, and he is making Tennesseans, and all in the Bible Belt and around the nation aware of the insidiousness of the publishing company to refuse to publish the “God Bless the USA Bible.” 
 

The new Bible, expected to ship in September 2021 for the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, includes the full texts in the public domain of the U.S. Constitution, the United States Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance. The “God Bless the USA Bible” was inspired by Lee Greenwood’s hit song and the most patriotic anthem in America, “God Bless the USA.”

“What in the world is going on in the Bible Belt?” asks Walker. “Most Tennesseans love the song ‘God Bless the USA,’ love the United States Constitution, cherish The Bill of Rights and proudly say the Pledge of Allegiance. It is astounding that we have a publisher refusing to print the Holy Writ with our founding documents of our nation. It is apparent Harper Collins doesn’t need the business of freedom-loving Christians who seek for God to bless the USA and would love having a Bible printed with these precious founding documents of a nation ‘Under God’.

“If Harper Collins doesn’t like our founding documents and freedoms we cherish, they should move their publishing house to a nation that is not built upon Judeo-Christian principles—a communist nation—where there is no Freedom of Press.  Their despicable action is further disrespectful to all veterans and veterans’ families in Tennessee and America who fought for The United States Constitution.  May God bless the USA and wake up Tennesseans and all Americans to what is going on in the Bible Belt!”   

Sam Rohrer, president of the American Pastors Network (APN, www.AmericanPastorsNetwork.net), of which the Tennessee Pastors Network is a state chapter, commented, “The ‘woke’ decision by Harper Collins to not honor an agreement to print a Bible with some historical documents including The US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence—both based fully on the Bible—is nothing short of an attempt to purge and suppress the truth necessary for freedom in America. What they have intended for harm may in fact result in an expansion of the truth.”

The NIV is the best-selling modern English translation of the Bible and is licensed in North America by HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc, a parent company of Zondervan and Thomas Nelson, evangelical publishers. Zondervan is known for its NIV Bibles, associated Bible study materials and evangelical Christian books, while Thomas Nelson publishes King James and New King James Bibles and evangelical Christian books. 

Bible publishers often produce custom Bibles for special events or groups from Christian sororities to sports teams. Printing the entirety of the NIV Bible text in the U.S. requires a license from HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc. or a manufacturing agreement with them.

In 2009, Thomas Nelson published the American Patriot’s Bible, which uses the New King James Version and is marketed as “the one Bible that shows how ‘a light from above’ shaped our nation.” The Bible does not include U.S. founding documents but includes several articles arguing America’s founding was divinely inspired, commentary like “Seven Principles of the Judeo-Christian Ethic” and quotes about scripture from founding presidents. The patriot’s Bible is edited by Dr. Richard Lee, former president of the Pastors’ Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention. HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc. acquired Thomas Nelson in 2012.  

News Corp, the media conglomerate owned by Rupert Murdoch that includes Fox News, bought the publishing house Collins and merged it with Harper & Row to create HarperCollins in 1989. Since 2012, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan have operated as publishing groups of HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc.


Tennessee Pastors Network is a state chapter of the American Pastors Network, the largest national network dedicated to equipping pastors to be a voice for truth in the public square.

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