Why Was the Bible Being Sold as 'Fiction' at This Major Store?

For millions of people across the globe, the Bible is viewed as the literal word of God. So imagine one Christian preacher's surprise when he found the world's most-sold book in the "fiction" section of a popular store's book department.

That's apparently exactly what Pastor Caleb Kaltenbach discovered when he was shopping at a Costco in Simi Valley, Calif., on Friday, conservative commentator Todd Starnes reported.

"All the Bibles were labeled as fiction. It seemed bizarre to me," said Kaltenbach, the pastor at Discovery Church, a non-denominational house of worship.

While at the store, the pastor said he sifted through the Bibles and found that each had a sticker that read "$14.99 Fiction." He was so stunned by the find that he snapped a picture and tweeted it out to his followers.

Costco has Bibles for sale under the genre of FICTION Hmmmm...... pic.twitter.com/mLZVogkSfd

— Caleb Kaltenbach (@calebwilds) November 15, 2013

"People are pretty shocked and upset. We are supposed to be living in an era of tolerance, but what Costco did doesn’t seem too tolerant," Kaltenbach said.

Kaltenbach told Starnes that Costco should have labeled the book "religion" or "inspiration" as other bookstores do. While Kaltenbach said he isn't generally one to speak out on these issues, in this case he found it necessary.

"On the one hand Christians should not yell out 'persecution,'" Kaltenbach told Starnes. "We aren’t living in Iraq or Iran. But on the other hand, I believe that we do need to stand up for our faith and we need to be vocal about our concerns."

Starnes said Costco headquarters in Issaquah, Wash., told him the labeling was the result of a warehouse issue and that it had been resolved.

But Starnes said when he pushed further and said the Bibles in Simi Valley are still labeled "fiction," the woman he spoke with stopped talking and became "not so nice."

A Costco spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment from TheBlaze.

(H/T: Todd Starnes)

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