Separation of Books and State
What does it profit an industry to exchange for its own soul?
Last week Penguin Random House announced its new publishing arm, Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group.
As a fellow podcaster and book person reminded me on Blue Sky, book publishing is a business. It’s not the savior of democracy.
YMMV regarding the comment. As I pointed out to my colleague, I get it. One of my longheld beliefs is that publishing is not an arts collective. It’s an industry. It might be an industry where the profits are flat, but there are still profits. Book publishers go where the money is.
Unfortunately, in our current political climate, where the money is ties closely to where our government is heading. Christian nationalism, which has very little to do with true religious faith or spirituality, has strong ties to the Republican party. For “strong ties,” read: A lot of money and influence. NB: One of the authors tied to the new group is conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, whose family has “strong ties” to money.
Considering how often the Republicans and Christian Nationalists invoke the words “Founding Fathers,” it’s uncanny how they’ve forgotten the words “separation of church and state.”
Our government is not supposed to be entangled with any specific religion.
When it is, of course, business will pursue the money-making connections available.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t ethical concerns to be addressed. That doesn’t mean it’s totally okay for a publishing house with so much money and influence to slide right into the arms of a populace committed to hatred and violence.
True Christianity, you might say, has little to do with hatred and violence; it’s all about peace, justice, and mercy. That’s true of Judaism and Islam, too, as well as almost all major world religions: At their foundations, these religious traditions counsel love and charity. Taken to their extremes–which we are seeing–they inspire war, misogyny, and cruelty.
Penguin Random House will make a lot of money from Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group. It’s their right to conduct business as they see fit. However, in a time when people of color, trans people, gay people, people with different abilities, and other groups are hated for their very identities, for their very selves, fat profit margins look like slim pickings, to me.
It could be that the titles they publish will not reflect the rising tide but something expansive and loving? The cynic in me laughs, the optimist refuses to assume. Interesting development, thanks for sharing, Bethanne.