Micah 6:8

Zondervan is Producing Bibles in China!

I have a friend that just bought a bible for her sister and upon closely examining it she realized that it had been made in China! Chinese factories have a notorious track record for unethical treatment of their employees. Undoubtedly their are questionable practices occurring in the zondervan factories as well because if they really cared about being different then they would certify themselves as being a fair trade company.

Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming on you. Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.—James 5:1–5

Here's my action for you. Mull over the following verses. Consider boycotting Zondervan products and let them know why on the grounds that they are very likely not treating their employees fairly. These verses make it clear that God's judgment falls on those that act unjustly towards their employees. I think that God would see little practical difference if the owner of a field were to hire out the management of employees to someone that was holding back the wages unjustly. The owner would be empowering a manager to hurt others. Now consider the situation we are in in the west. Not many people here have employees but we buy products everyday from companies that do. Essentially our system has put middlemen between us and those that mow our fields and do our other work for us. How then is buying a bible from Zondervan any different then the owner of a field hiring out someone to manage his field employee without knowing if they will be ethically treated?

Another point to consider is what witness this gives to the people who work in the Chinese factories. The non-Christians in the factor are going to come to associate Christianity with unfettered consumerism (maybe rightfully so) and lack of concern for the poor. The Christians that work in the factor would become discouraged by recognizing the fact that their brothers and sisters that have the ability to help them are not.