On Tuesday morning, I found Christ. Actually, smiling, suited men with very nice ties handed Christ right to me ... four times. Did they hand Christ to you? And more importantly, did you take him?
While walking around campus on Tuesday, many of you may have noticed the strategically placed Gideons handing out portable, green versions of the New Testament. The Gideons International is an association of Christian business and professional men whose purpose is to spread the Gospel of Christ to all people.
As the introduction to the miniature version of the scripture details, Gideons distribute over one billion Bibles and New Testaments to hotels, penal institutions, members of the armed forces, public nurses and of course, students.
I was first handed Christ near Structure 7. While I walked with my fellow students on the journey to early morning perils of academic study, I was promptly greeted near the intersection of Lemon and Sixth streets by three wise men, all dressed for church.
Many of my fellow students disregarded the men and avoided the gifts that they were distributing. But I'm never one to discriminate against a free item, so I reached out my hand to one of the men and he gave me the gift without any discourse, just a nod of the head.
Upon inspection, I noticed I was the proud owner of a New Testament -- complete with Psalms and Proverbs. I was thrilled with my new gift, mainly because I didn't have to pay for it, but apparently many of peers were not, as I saw multiple little green books sitting atop the State Press kiosks.
Just before I reached my communication class at Neeb Hall, I was handed Christ again. I wasn't sure if I should take Christ for a second time in the day, but I didn't seem to have much choice in the manner.
The Gideon who placed Christ in my hands this time was a bit more aggressive than the three wise men from before, and he desperately wanted me to take the donation. As I said, I'm not one to discriminate against anything free, so I gladly accepted the gift with a nod of the head.
After I participated in the communion of class, I went to Memorial Union to grab a bagel. I ordered grape juice with the bagel and sat down with a friend to have lunch. I broke him off a piece of my bagel and let him have a sip of my juice.
After lunch, two more Gideons greeted us in front of the MU. My friend wanted a piece of the action because he had not yet received his own New Testament, so together we accepted Christ; in my case, for the third time that day.
My friend and I parted ways, and since my academic schedule for the day was complete, I headed back toward my car at Structure 7. On the walk, I was, of course, met once again by a Gideon. "I already have one," I explained when he tried to hand me the green book.
"But you can never have too many," he said as he gave me Christ for the fourth time.
Whether or not you believe in the scripture is irrelevant. The presence of the Gideons on campus and their little green gifts evermore reminded me of the heavy Christian influence merging into mainstream society.
In politics and social settings, Christ seems to be more visible than he has in the recent past. The question is: Could he be handed to you?
Tyler Thompson is a journalism sophomore. For a miniature green copy of the New Testament, reach him at tyler.w.thompson@asu.edu.
