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Apostle Paul Sues Publishers for Copyright Infringement

Written by Mark Van Steenwyk : December 18, 2007

apostlepaul.jpgChristianity is big business. Recent films, such as the Passion of the Christ and the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe bring in hundreds of millions of dollars from the faithful. Christian radio stations likewise bring in hundreds of millions of dollars–most notably, Salem Communications earned nearly $200 million in revenue last year. But the largest slice of the $8 billion Christian retail industry belongs to publishing. And where there is money to be made, there are lawsuits to be filed.

In a modern day David-versus-Goliath, one man is challenging the increasingly lucrative Christian publishing industry.

Paul of Tarsus (known to his friends as “the Apostle”) believes he is entitled to significant percentage of all Bible sales (which total about $200 million a year).

“I wrote 13 books of the Bible. And I haven’t seen a single penny for my work. 13 out of 66 books entitles me to about 20% of the royalties,” claims Paul.

Executives at Zondervan (the first on the long list of companies that Paul is suing) disagree. “While Paul certainly wrote 13 books of the Bible, his total writings only account for 7% of the total page count of the Bible. Besides, there were no copyright laws when he wrote his epistles.”

The New International Version (NIV) has been the crown jewel of Zondervan’s growing publishing empire. With 2005 revenues totaled $160 million, Zondervan was a likely candidate for Paul of Tarsus’ first lawsuit.

“Look, I don’t want to be an ass. I just want what’s mine. I have nothing against Zondervan. I appreciate that they’ve been willing to distribute Bibles to people around the world for a healthy profit–I just want my share in that profit.”

Paul on Hard Times

Paul of Tarsus was once a well respected leader in Christendom. In recent years, his popularity has been on the decline. Concerns over his homophobic tendencies and his unJesuslike sentiments have cut into Paul’s primary source of income–public speaking. Living in a small studio apartment in Brooklyn, he is struggling to get by.

Says Paul, “I stand by what I wrote, but I would have worded things differently if I would have known that people were uptight about calling homosexuality a ‘perversion’ or suggesting that women ’submit’ to their husbands.”

Recent trends indicate that Paul has indeed fallen out of favor with Christians. Though still popular with fundamentalists and Calvinists, many Christians–especially young mainline and “emergent” Christians–find him out of fashion.

23 year old Cynthia Halberson agrees: “I don’t care what Paul wrote; I only read the red letters of the Bible–you know the stuff that Jesus said.”

Paul hopes a settlement will help him get back on his feet: “They’ve profited off of me for centuries. Now I just want them to return the favor.”

If he were to win his case with Zondervan, Paul would be awarded $18.2 million dollars. But that is just one of about a dozen publishing companies in his sights.

Publishers Worried

Paul has caused quite a scare in the Christian publishing industry. If Paul is successful, he could end up bankrupting the industry. Retail analyst Simon Anderton suggests that this could only be the begining. “If Paul of Tarsus wins his case, it will open up large, class-action lawsuits. There are many, many, writers who could come forward to follow in Paul’s footsteps. If Moses were to get involved–with his considerable contributions to the scriptures–it could be the end for many Christian publishing companies.”

Ironically, the largest contributor to Christianity–Jesus of Nazareth–isn’t likely to make a dime. Though his life and death are the subject of all of the New Testament writings, he never wrote anything himself.

Mark Van Steenwyk is the general editor of Jesus Manifesto. He is a Mennonite pastor (Missio Dei in Minneapolis), writer, speaker, and grassroots educator. He lives in South Minneapolis with his wife (Amy), son (Jonas) and some of their friends.


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