The world’s self-proclaimed largest bookstore has one less book on its shelf following a nationwide protest launched by Charles Colson, a noted evangelical author and founder of Prison Fellowship.
Amazon.com will no longer sell or stock a book that promotes pedophilia, called, “Varieties of Man/Boy Love: Modern Western Contexts.” Amazon.com’s spokesman told Baptist Press the company was originally not aware of the book’s content.
“When we physically examined the book, we were offended by the pictures on the cover,” said spokesman Bill Curry. “It was so close to kiddie porn that we removed the book from our catalog.”
Colson told Baptist Press he was pleased with the company’s response. “I’m glad we blew the whistle on that. It’s a good example of how Christians can make their case. We didn’t make the case that what they were doing was a sin. We made the case that it was illegal, and that’s what did it.”
Colson’s campaign against Amazon.com began in October 1999 when he told listeners of his “BreakPoint” radio commentary that he was discontinuing his partnership with the online business.
The partnership enabled visitors to BreakPoint’s Internet site to purchase books that were recommended in the broadcasts. Colson said the partnership was broken because Amazon.com refused to stop selling books on the subject of pedophilia, which happens to be a crime in all 50 states.
Colson’s efforts brought national attention to the issue when radio talk show host Laura Schlessinger discussed the subject during a broadcast and expressed her outrage over a company that supported illegal behavior.
Shortly after that November 1999 broadcast, Amazon.com stopped selling the book.
Amazon.com continues to sell a number of other books deemed pornographic, including pedophilia fiction.
Baptist Press learned that Amazon.com sells the same books that brought misdemeanor charges against Barnes and Noble in Tennessee and Alabama. In 1998, the chain was charged with breaking state obscenity laws in two Tennessee cities, and two Alabama grand juries indicted the chain for breaking child pornography laws.
Settlements were later reached in all four cases. (BP)
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