The principal of an elementary school in Findlay, Ohio declares that the town is “a Christian community.  I’m not saying that everybody is, but that’s where Findlay is.”  So, not everyone there is a Christian, but it’s a Christian community, anyway.  What percentage of believers is necessary for a locale to be declared “Christian?”  And who makes the designation?

This revelation emerged from controversy in Findlay over the Gideons International organization handing out Bibles to school children.  According to one report, fifth graders are dismissed from class during instruction time, marched out to a sidewalk along school grounds, and given Bibles.  Of course, “students are told it is up to them whether they want a Bible.”  I’m sure the 10-year olds are making informed decisions.

The Bibles given to the children are pocket-sized, and contain only the New Testament, Proverbs, and Psalms.  It seems the Gideons decided the children in this Christian community can manage without the bulk of the Old Testament.

The American Civil Liberties Union is threatening legal action if the Bible distribution at schools during class time is not stopped.  The local school board is “reviewing its policies on the distribution of materials from community groups.”  The Gideons have been giving Bibles to students for a number of years.  Religious information can and should be appropriately, and legally, sought elsewhere, according to the ACLU.

Perhaps there are some churches in this “Christian community.”  Those might be places for the children and their families to go for Bibles, to learn how to pray, to develop spiritual disciplines, to grow in tolerance and acceptance of those who are different, and to gain an understanding of how the Christian faith and the dominant culture are not the same. 

Schools are not designed or intended for “one-stop shopping.”  Especially in Christian communities.