In praise of . . .

Not all that long ago (1982 to be exact) there was a President who signed a mandate that freed 30 million pounds of processed cheese.

Back then, as part of an $11 billion farm price-support bill, the Government gave away ALL of THAT** surplus cheese to states for distribution to the needy. [!]

Explained President Ronald Wilson Reagan: "At a time when American families are under increasing financial pressure, their Government cannot sit by and watch millions of pounds of food turn to waste."

Well-aged; And sing along here with Keb' Mo'

Giveaways, government and otherwise have long been part of the great American free enterprise/marketing fabric.

Witness the more recent, happy phenomena of Oprah Winfrey and it becomes apparent that altruism clothed in giveaways, great and small, can indeed capture and captivate a MASSIVE NUMBER, however one may care to categorize or describe that.
Elsewhere, less noticeable perhaps, there have been (and remain) ubiquitous examples of such generous marketing of "favorite" (or surplus) things to the public for (even) more evangelical or purported spiritual purposes.

The Gideons (or The Gideons International) founded in 1899 stand as perhaps the quietest and most enduring example of this.

Marking just over 100 years of "freely" distributing Bibles, The Gideons remain a formidable, albeit, often unheralded force for sharing "God's Word" as such "can and does lead people to faith in Christ, and those new Christians then grow by studying their Scriptures and even use them to share their faith with others" in association with the massive, worldwide Presbyterian/Protestant Church community.

As stated among certain frequently asked questions on its website, Gideon membership is open to "Christian businessmen and professional men age 21 and older (or retired businessmen and professional men) who adhere to the core spiritual beliefs held by Gideons. In addition to meeting our professional and spiritual qualifications, potential Gideons must also be recommended by their pastors."

The core spiritual beliefs remain the same distillation of Biblical devotion as ever:

Become . . . a Christian.

May all such enduring devotions, giveaways and quiet crusades, whether utilizing such marketing genius or not, lead the complicated masses of over-brimming humanity to the same conclusion.