Tampa Tribune delivered 56, 500 New Testaments to subscribers during Super Bowl

[madfloridian]

Hat tip to Ybor City Stogie for this tidbit.

I am not sure how I really feel about this, it just seems so odd. It appears they got paid for doing it, which seems even stranger.

From the St. Pete Times blog called The Feed here is more info and a picture the blog posted of the cover with Tony Dungy.



Picture from St. Pete Times blog The Feed

Tampa Tribune delivers 56,500 copies of the New Testament to subscribers for Super Bowl weekend

The Tampa Tribune became the latest newspaper to deliver copies of the New Testament to subscribers as a part of national effort by the International Bible Society, distributing 56,500 copies in its Saturday edition before the Super Bowl.

The effort was spearheaded by a pair of local residents who raised about $127,000 from 15 area chruches and 19 local businesses, including McNichols Co., AnazaoHealth Corp., Ferman Automotive Group, Idlewild Baptist Church, Florida Dental Centers and Bayshore Baptist Church.

The front cover of the 200-plus-page, paperback-sized edition features retired Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy and the Tampa skyline; the Colorado Springs-based IBS has also released "Path to Victory," a football-themed New Testament featuring testimonies from Dungy and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.

Paul Tolleson, director of the CityReachers Bible distribution program in Tampa for the IBS, said two local organizers raised the $2.25 per copy fee to produce and distribute the Bibles in four months -- a fraction of the 12 to 18 months they often spend fundraising for similar projects.

It appears to be part of a nationwide effort to deliver scriptures using a newspaper's circulation.

A local Tampa Bay newspaper distributed a copy of the New Testament along with its Saturday edition this past weekend as part of a national effort to deliver scriptures using a newspaper’s circulation.

..."But their effort has been received with some complaints from not only anti-religious residents but also some Christians who fear the free Bibles would just be thrown in the trash.

"Someone who has got strong beliefs in another religion might not be thrilled with this … but the hope is to reach lost souls who need God," Lamphier said, according to the St. Petersburg Times. "There was no intent to offend anyone."

Within the past year, IBS has distributed 700,000 Bibles using newspaper circulations in major U.S. cities such as Philadelphia, Houston, Fort Worth and Spokane, Washington

It just seems bizarre to pay newspapers to use their circulation to deliver religion to one's door. It seems even more bizarre for the newspapers to take money to go along with it.

[panader0]

1. Contrast this with half minute of porn leaked on TV in Tucson

during the Super Bowl.

[marketcrazy1]

2. I dont see anything wrong with it

they want to give them away thats their business..

[tularetom]

5. And if somebody wants to wipe their ass with the copy they got

That's their business.

[madfloridian]

6. But there's the aspect of sending them into people's homes.

When the people thought they were getting just a newspaper...and well of course the ads.

It could be construed as intrusive.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. Why do you consider this to be more intrusive than any other ads?

:shrug:

[tularetom]

3. Just another reason why they'd never play the SB in Philly

They'd spend half the game picking the things up off the field. Somebody would've bounced on off Kurt Warner's helmet.

[Political Tiger]

4. The Tampa Trib is extremely conservative

I haven't read the Tampa Tribune in years because of it's right-wing conservative stance. Last year it was the only major paper in FL to endorse McCain/Palin.

[marketcrazy1]

10. as long as no one is forcing their riligion on me

I dont really care.. which reminds me of an incident,, happened a long time ago in the seventies, I had joined the navy and was at the airport waiting for my flight to boot camp when this guy came up to me, he was dressed in a long white robe kind of outfit with a shaved head. so he comes up to me and hands me this book ( the Bhagavad Gita / Hindu scripture ) and says, I would like you to have this book, please take it, it is yours. at first I did`nt know what to think and i refused but he insisted saying, all i ask is that you read it, nothing more. so I took it and said are you sure, i dont understand and he answered, yes please take it, it is a gift please read it and if you do not like it then i ask that you pass it on that is all i ask. well i was very young, raised on a farm in the country and had never been to the city or an airport in my life and I thought this is kinda cool, looking at the book ( nice hard cover, fully illustrated ) and decided to do as he asked and keep it. so i said thank you ( sincerely ) and excused myself as it was time to get to my departure gate. as i turned to walk away he lightly grabbed my arm and asked if i would please make a donation for the book! well the truth is I only had about 3 bucks on me! and that was for food ( I had no idea how long it would take to get to boot camp and i was already hungry! ) so I told him that i was sorry but i had no money to spare but that i would read the book as he asked and would pass it on when i finished with it. well he began to insist i give him something, some money for the book and when i insisted i could not he asked for the book back! well i politely refused, he gave it to me and said it was mine and all he asked was that i read it, which i intended to do. I continued to try to walk away but he kept following me insisting that i give some money or the book back! in short order this little drama caught the notice of an airport security guard who came up to us and asked what the problem was. I explained what had happened, how this guy had given me this book and said it was a gift but then wanted it back when i refused to give a donation for it because i had very little money and could not afford to give any away. after hearing my story the officer told me i could keep the book if i wanted to and told the Hindu brother to leave me alone. it was a weird scene! ( I did read the book and kept it for quite awhile ) thing is i never felt bad about not giving him any money and it was a nice book!...... I was young and very naive and dare i say, innocent. and i kept my word..... a little bored tonight hope you dont mind the story.

[Dr.Phool]

7. Great idea! Maybe Larry Flynt can get them to distribute Hustler.

Funny thing is, I get my LTTE's published more, and edited less than in the "liberal" St. Pete Crimes.

[flvegan]

8. No shock from this local, considering.

[chollybocker]

9. Wait. I though it was teh gays who had an agenda.

Tax their photocopying asses off.

[madfloridian]

11. SO...could just any group pay them to deliver stuff?

Where would they draw the line? And how much influence did Tony Dungy have in this effort besides being on the front page?

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. "bizarre for the newspapers to take money to go along with it"

You may be shocked to learn this, but most newspapers are in the business to make money.