The Day I Defaced a Book
The story that shook me to my core.
I don’t usually dogear a book.
I’ll deface it in a multitude of other ways… tab it, underline it, write notes to myself in the margin, crack the spine (sorry!)… but not a dogear.
Yet, here I am, sharing a picture of a book I dogeared.
Why?
I write because I love it but I rely on paid subscribers to help me make it happen.
Would you consider becoming a subscriber?
Whether paid or free, I’d love to have you here.
Because the story shared by Rev. Joash P. Thomas1 embodied so much of what I’m trying to say in my context.
And because I want to be able to flip to this page as often as possible so I can share this story over, and over, and over again.
A quick recap:
Rev. Joash shares about developing a relationship with the owner of a chai tea cafe in Toronto. The owner comes to him with a moral dilemma because he’s “a priest or something.” He goes on to share that they have a stack of Bibles because every week a woman leaves one in the washroom.
That’s not what struck me though. It was the owner’s response. He tells Rev. Joash,
“Here’s what my staff is struggling with. We are all Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh, and we want to be respectful to a religion that isn’t ours. In my Muslim tradition, we can only dispose of a copy of the Holy Quran by burying it after washing all of its ink away. How do you recommend we dispose of these Bibles?”
“We want to be respectful to a religion that isn’t ours.”
I have no words.
Well… I actually have many words, I just don’t know how to express them but I’ll try.
What a powerful lesson in humility.
Can we (Western White) Christians embody humility like that?
Can we be respectful to a religion (or belief) that isn’t ours?
Can we learn the stories of others, develop relationships with no agenda to convert someone, and be a place where someone feels safe enough to ask a question like that?
Can we?
Joash P. Thomas. 2025. The Justice of Jesus: Reimagining Your Church’s Life Together to Pursue Liberation and Wholeness. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, p. 121-122.