Religious pamphlets get publishing boost after attacks

With images of a burning World Trade Center and firefighters raising an American flag in the midst of rubble in Manhattan, religious tracts are using current events as an opportunity to answer questions about the Gospel.

Five new tracts are being offered to businesses in Cape Girardeau by the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship. The tracts are printed by the American Tract Society, which is the nation's largest tract publisher and has been publishing Christian literature for 176 years.

The current series, with titles like "America Under Attack" and "America in Crisis," was printed within 36 hours of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Each pamphlet, written in 600 to 1,000 words, offers information about how to find salvation through Jesus Christ.

The tracts are part of a quick-response program by the Tract Society. As employees watched the news of the attacks, they felt strongly that some tracts needed to be published, said Mark Brown, director of marketing for the Garland, Texas-based company.

"We want people to be able to respond in a spiritual way," he said.

A few minutes to read

The pamphlets let someone spend a few minutes reading and the covers are designed so that a person seeing one "will stop in their path and want to reach down and pick it up," Brown said.

To date, more than 3.5 million copies have been distributed, primarily in New York, Washington, D.C., and the East Coast.

Bob Nations, a member of the Cape Girardeau businessmen's club, said his wife took several of the tracts to the school where she works and people were interested. The tracts "can be a comfort so people know there is literature that they can read," he said.

Several area businesses already have the tracts on display. But the crisis series isn't the only popular series published. Halloween tracts are some of the most popular every year, particularly for children.

Children's literature are a large part of the business for the society, Brown said. Nearly 4 million Halloween tracts are printed and sold each year.

"Most times the children will look at the image, that's what grabs them most," he said. And with children, the message has to be presented simply enough so they understand. Some tell jokes or short stories before moving into the plan of salvation.

One of the crisis tracts was written especially for children and reassures them about safety. Writer Peter Batzing's based it on a conversation with his own 3-year-old son.

"They are seeing images or watching adults react in ways they've never seen before," Brown said of the attacks. The pamphlets are meant to offer reassurance and meaning.

There are NASCAR tracts, football tracts and even one that looks like a baseball trading card and features Mickey Mantle. Many of the sports-themed tracts are popular with men, Brown said.

Traditional holiday and seasonal tracts remain strong sellers, as do those used by evangelists Billy Graham and Luis Palau.

Short and sweet

Brown said the Tract Society knows that being relevant is important. In the past, tracts have been considered "preachy" or intimidating with the Gospel.

"We have to keep it short and sweet. We only get about two minutes of their time and we want to reach them where they're at," he said. "We aren't preaching church or religion but a spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ."

To find out more about the tracts, call Nations at 334-2632 or visit the American Tract Society's Web site at www.atstracts.org.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126