US rockers 12 Stones get album pulled from US Christian bookshops.

THOUSANDS of copies of 'Potters Field', the latest album by mainstream US rock group 12 Stones have been pulled from the shelves of American Christian bookshop chains Life Way Christian Stores and Mardel. The ban was prompted by drummer Aaron Gainer's album sleeve comment that the group's road crew "kick a..." The group's record company, Wind Up Records, experienced problems with American Christian retail last year when the debut album by Evanescence had to be pulled from US Christian bookshops.

The ban by Life Way and Mardel has caused some criticism in Christian retail circles. Byron Borger, owner of Hearts & Minds bookstore in Dallastown, PA, told Christian Retailing magazine that he wasn't sure if the language in question was truly offensive. "If they're taking the name of the Lord in vain, if they're being ungracious, that's one thing. But is (that word) prohibited in the Bible? I'd like to see the text where it is. If people are going to undercut an effective, cross-cultural ministry to a certain subculture over a gray area, that is unfortunate." CR

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