Chick Publications Inc. 7187 move=:edit= 225288673 2008-07-12T22:18:35Z Salamurai 722149 /* References */ {{Primarysources|date=November 2006}} {{Mergeto|Jack T. Chick|Talk:Jack T. Chick#3 way merge proposal|date=February 2008}} {{Infobox Company | name = Chick Publications Inc. | logo = [[Image:ChickPublicationslogo.gif|200px]] | type = Publishing, Retail mail-order house<ref name="Company Profile:Chi"/> | genre = [[Fundamentalist Christianity|Protestant fundamentalist]] | foundation = 1961<ref name="Company Profile:Chi"/> | founder = [[Jack Chick]] | location_city = [[Rancho Cucamonga, California|Rancho Cucamonga]],<ref name="Company Profile:Chi"/><br> [[California]] | location_country = [[United States]] | location = | locations = | area_served = worldwide | key_people = [[Jack Chick]], president<ref name="Company Profile:Chi"/><br>[[Fred Carter (artist)|Fred Carter]], artist<ref name="something">{{cite web | last = Deppey | first =Dirk | title=Shorter Journalista 16: Literary Comics | publisher=Journalista | date=[[9 November]] [[2007]] | url =http://www.tcj.com/journalista/?p=478 | accessdate=2008-06-16}}</ref> | industry = | products = comic tracts, [[DVD]]s, [[Video CD|VCDs]], [[video]]s, [[book]]s, [[poster]]s | services = | revenue = US $2.9 million<ref name="Company Profile:Chi">{{cite web | title=Company Profile:Chick Publications, Inc | publisher=Dun and Bradstreet, Inc. | date=2007 | url =http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_c4x0hn | accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = 35<ref name="Company Profile:Chi"/> | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | slogan = "Publishing [[cartoon]] [[gospel]] tracks for over 40 years" | homepage = [http://www.chick.com www.Chick.com] | footnotes = | intl = }} '''Chick Publications''' is an [[United States|American]] publishing company founded and run by [[Jack Chick]] which produces and markets [[Fundamentalist Christianity|Protestant fundamentalist]] pamphlets, [[DVD]]s, [[Video CD|VCDs]], [[video]]s, [[book]]s, and [[poster]]s. Chick Publications' best-known products are [[Chick tract]]s, which are [[comics|comic]] [[tract (literature)|tract]]s that are available in nearly 100 languages. Arguably all of its products promote and seek to win converts to Christian fundamentalism. While the tracks express views that are generally accepted within [[Christianity|Christian]] theology, e.g. the [[Incarnation]] of Christ,<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0039/0039_01.asp Charlie's Ants]'', Jack Chick, 1997.</ref> they are also often seen as controversial, even by some Christians, for views and criticisms against cultures, religions and theological concepts. Chick's "espous[ing] a variety of hateful [[doctrine]]s" have moved the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] to label the organization as a [[hate group]].<ref name="Active U.S. Hate">{{cite web | title=Active U.S. Hate Groups: General Hate | publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] | date=2007 | url =http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/type.jsp?DT=24 | accessdate=2008-04-01}}</ref> Chick Publications is based in [[Rancho Cucamonga, California|Rancho Cucamonga]] with a mailing address in [[Ontario, California]]. All of Chick Publications tracts, and several excerpts from his full-length comics, are available for free reading on the Chick website. Many older tracts are out of print; however, Chick Publications will print a minimum 10,000 tract special order of any out-of-print series. On the companies website they also note that "Our ministry is primarily publishing the gospel tracts of Jack T. Chick, but we do occasionally publish a manuscript in book form."<ref name="FAQ: Will Chick Pu">{{cite web | title=FAQ: Will Chick Publications publish my book? | publisher= Chick Publications, Inc. | date=1984-2008 | url =http://www.chick.com/information/general/chickinfo.asp#publish | accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> They state that if the content "educates Christians in one of the areas for which we have a tract, we would love to see it" and cite several examples, the online store lists nearly a dozens book categories.<ref name="FAQ: Will Chick Pu"/> ==Overview== [[Image:This was your life Chick Tract.jpg|thumb|right|''This Was Your Life'', the most popular tract from Chick Publications.]] The company's web site lists more than 150 comic tracts; all of them can be viewed online, but other materials can generally only be sampled.<ref>"[http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractlist.asp English Chick Cartoon Tracts]", Chick Publications.</ref> The site states that several hundred million tracts have been distributed worldwide, with some of them translated into almost 100 languages. However, for the majority of languages, only one tract is available: ''This Was Your Life''. This tract is unique in that, apart from the large number of languages it is published in, it also appears in six different artwork versions, depicting the major racial groups. Like many other religious publishing organizations, Chick Publications does not distribute their tracts for free; they are normally purchased in bulk by the people handing them out. While Chick's tracts are meant to be handed out directly (for instance, he encourages Christians to give out anti-[[Halloween]] tracts along with Halloween candy<ref>"[http://www.chick.com/seasonal/halloween/default.asp?FROM=Tracttips Halloween...witnessing doesn't get any easier]", Chick Publications.</ref>), they are often distributed by leaving them in places where they will be found and read (for example, public restrooms), an appealing witnessing tool for shy Christians.<ref name="too-shy">"[http://www.chick.com/bc/1996/witnessingideas.asp I Am Too Shy To Talk To People]", ''Battle Cry'', September/October 1996.</ref> This strategy is intended to reach those who are hostile to [[evangelism|evangelists]] and unlikely to accept an offered tract, by appealing instead to their curiosity.<ref name="too-shy" /> The Chick Publications website claims that many people have been converted by encountering Chick Publication's comic tracts.<ref>"[http://www.chick.com/articles/testimonies/ What Happens To Chick Tracts AFTER You Pass Them Out?]", Chick Publications.</ref> Chick Publications also publishes conventional non-graphical books on these same topics, by authors other than Chick. Many of these are also used as sources for Chick's tracts; notable sources include [[Alberto Rivera]], [[Rebecca Brown (Christian author)|Rebecca Brown]], [[Jeff Godwin]], [[Kent Hovind]], [[Charles Chiniquy]], [[William Schnoebelen]], [[John Todd (occultist)|John Todd]], [[Avro Manhattan]], and [[Alexander Hislop]]. Copies of Chick's tracts were requested by the [[Smithsonian Institution]] to be displayed among other examples of American religious culture.<ref name=OfficialBio>{{cite web | title = Biography of Jack Chick | publisher = Chick Publications | url = http://www.chick.com/information/authors/chick.asp | accessdate = 2008-02-20}}</ref> Chick Publications and its founder and namesake [[Jack Chick]] have been regularly criticized for publishing strong opinions seen as negative such as opposition to [[Freemasonry]],<ref>"[http://www.chick.com/information/religions/masonry Information on Masonry]", Chick Publications.</ref> and [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholicism]].<ref>"[http://www.chick.com/information/religions/catholicism Information on Roman Catholicism]", Chick Publications.</ref> Many of the products also oppose secularized holidays such as [[Halloween]] and [[Thanksgiving]],<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1025/1025_01.asp The Missing Day]'', Jack Chick, 2005.</ref> as well as several forms of entertainment such as [[role-playing game]]s and [[popular music]]. Defenders of the comics assert all his comics carry the same message: salvation through [[Jesus]]. Tracts typically follow the themes of punishment or redemption in the afterlife, or set up a confrontation between a Christian and non-Christian in order to spread a religious message. Many Chick tracts end with a non-Christian being converted to Christianity. Other endings provide a contrast between those who accept Jesus and those who reject Jesus; in some tracts, a convert receives entry to [[heaven]], while in other tract, a non-believer is condemned to [[hell]]. Most Chick tracts end with a suggested prayer for the reader to pray to accept Christ. In most of these tracts it is a standard [[sinner's prayer]] for [[salvation]]. In the tracts dealing with Catholicism or Islam, the prayer includes a clause to reject these religions. Included with the prayer are directions for converting to Christianity. The graphics in Chick's tracts are often simple, but eye-catching. Some Christians consider them to be valuable [[evangelism|witnessing]] tools, due to the striking nature of the cartoons and their clear-cut messages. == Claims == Chick's tracts and other publications make many controversial claims. Some are typical of conservative [[Protestant]] beliefs. For example, Chick claims that the theory of [[evolution]] is false,<ref name="big-daddy">''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0055/0055_01.asp Big Daddy?]'', Jack Chick, 2002.</ref> [[homosexuality]] is sinful,<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/5003/5003_01.asp Sin City]'', Jack Chick, 2001.</ref> and [[abortion]] is murder.<ref> ''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1009/1009_01.asp Who Murdered Clarice?]'', Jack Chick, 2000.</ref><ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0077/0077_01.asp Baby Talk]'', Jack Chick, 1995.</ref> Others are controversial even within conservative Protestantism. In particular, Chick's tracts make frequent reference to a vast [[Satanism|Satanic]] conspiracy controlling many of the world's organizations and institutions. Religions other than Protestantism, especially the Roman Catholic Church, are generally presented as instruments of [[Satan]]. Chick claims that the [[King James Version of the Bible]] is the [[King-James-Only Movement|only recorded word of God]], and all other editions are corrupt.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}<!-- Removed ref. The link goes to a page full of links, and it isn't at all clear where the above statement would have come from --> [[Christian ecumenism]] is rejected as a ploy to corrupt true Christianity by encouraging acceptance of corrupted beliefs. Chick's claims about Catholic, Masonic, Satanic, etc., conspiracies are based in large part on the testimony of people who claim to have been members of these groups before converting to [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] Christianity, most prominently [[Alberto Rivera]], [[William Schnoebelen]], and [[John Todd (occultist)|John Todd]]. The reliability of these sources is hotly disputed, as detailed in their individual articles. === Catholicism === A recurring theme in Chick's tracts is the role of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], which he presents as one of the most powerful and insidious branches of this conspiracy. According to Chick, the Catholic Church is the "Great Whore" referred to in the [[Book of Revelation]], and will bring about a Satanic [[New World Order (conspiracy)|New World Order]]<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0094/0094_01.asp The Last Generation]'', Jack Chick, 1992.</ref><ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0030/0030_01.asp The Only Hope]'', Jack Chick, 1985.</ref> before it is destroyed by [[Jesus Christ]]. Drawing on the claims of Rivera and debunked{{Fact|date=September 2007}} authors like [[Charles Chiniquy]], Chick claims that the Catholic Church helped to mold [[Islam]] as a tool to lure people away from Christianity,<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0062/0062_01.asp The Story Teller]'', Jack Chick, 1985.</ref> that it infiltrates and attempts to destroy or corrupt all other religions and churches,<ref> ''[http://www.chick.com/reading/comics/0112/0112_fourpages.asp?PG=17 Alberto]'' pp.17-20, Jack Chick, 1979.</ref> and that it uses various means including seduction, framing, and murder to silence its critics.<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/comics/0112/0112_fourpages.asp?pg=21 Alberto]'' pp.21-24, Jack Chick, 1979.</ref> He accuses Catholicism, specifically the Jesuits, of instigating the American Civil War, supporting the Confederate cause and seeking to undermine the Union. When that failed, they arranged the assassination of Abraham Lincoln<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/catalog/comics/0251.asp The Big Betrayal]'', Jack Chick, 1981.</ref> and created the [[Ku Klux Klan]]{{Fact|date=September 2007}}, which happens to be anti-Catholic itself. According to Chick, the Catholic Church has also supported such ideologies as [[Nazism]] and [[Communism]], the two of which are widely considered to be incompatible{{Fact|date=September 2007}}, and used the [[Holocaust]] to persecute opponents of the Catholic Church.<ref> "[http://www.chick.com/bc/1989/holocaustorinquisition.asp?FROM=Catholicpage Hitler's Death Camps -- Holocaust ... or Inquisition?]", ''Battle Cry'', January/February 1989.</ref><ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/books/153/153_06.asp Smokescreens]'' Chapter Six: Cover Up, Jack Chick, 1983.</ref> He claims that the Catholic Church keeps "the name of every Protestant church member in the world" in a "big computer" in the Vatican for use in future persecutions.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}<!-- This ref is questionable -- no reference to Jack Chick or Chick Publications, and hosted by Angelfire:[http://www.angelfire.com/on/3angels/nameinvatican.html My name... in the Vatican?] --> "Jesuits worked closely with Marx, Engels, Trotsky, Lenin, and Stalin" to create Communism, and it was "believed that soon . . . Communism would rise up as the new strong daughter of the Vatican." It was Rome that instigated the Bolshevik Revolution and the murder of the czar’s family.<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/comics/0114/godfathersindex.asp The Godfathers]'', Jack Chick, 1982.</ref> The Communist [[liberation theology]] movement also is a Vatican plot<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0053/0053_01.asp Fat Cats]'', Jack Chick, 1989.</ref> regardless of Papal condemnations, and [[Pope John Paul II]] who condemned it was in fact a good communist.<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/comics/0117/theprophetindex.asp The Prophet]'', Jack Chick, 1989.</ref> === Occultism === Chick publications present various forms of [[occult]]ism as part of a Satanic conspiracy. Most forms of [[fantasy]] and depictions of [[magic (paranormal)|magic]], including [[Harry Potter]],<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/5012/5012_01.asp The Nervous Witch]'', Jack Chick, 2002.</ref> [[Dungeons & Dragons]].<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp Dark Dungeons]'', Jack Chick, 1984.</ref> and [[Halloween]] celebrations<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0011/0011_01.asp The Trick]'', Jack Chick, 1986.</ref> are portrayed as an attempt to draw children into [[witchcraft]], which Chick considers to be a tool of Satan. For example, the tract ''Boo!''<ref>''[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0058/0058_01.asp Boo!]'', Jack Chick, 1991.</ref> is set on [[Halloween]], Satan's supposed birthday. Satan kills people dressed as a chainsaw-wielding maniac dressed in black and wearing a [[Jack-o'-lantern]] on his head. In the tract, Chick states that the [[Druids]] of the [[British Isles]] would take victims for their human sacrifices by force on [[October 31]]st and leave a Jack-o'-lantern in exchange. In reality, [[Squash (plant)|squash]]es or [[pumpkins]] would not have been accessible to the Druids, since squashes came from the Americas and were not brought to the British Isles until nearly a thousand years after the time of the Druids.<ref>[http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news3326.html Univ of Ill. Extension] retrieved April 30, 2008</ref> Also, the Druids in this instance are seen holding an [[ankh]], which is actually an Ancient Egyptian symbol. Many of the tracts also mention that Holy Communion is an Egyptian tradition, and portray the Egyptian people as worshiping wafers of unleavened bread as the god [[Osiris]], who is described as the sun. In reality, [[Osiris]] was never a solar deity, but rather associated with fertility, agriculture, and death. For more information on [[Ancient Egyptian Religion]], see the associated wiki pages. ==Criticism== Chick's critics accuse him of misrepresentation &mdash; for instance, Chick's tract ''Big Daddy''<ref name="big-daddy" /> accuses evolutionary scientists of [[circular reasoning]] in dating geological [[stratum|strata]] by the [[fossil]]s they contain, with nothing in the tract to inform its readers that the usual technique is in fact [[radiometric dating]]. (This technique is mentioned elsewhere on Chick's site,<ref>"[http://www.chick.com/bc/1987/evolution.asp Scientists Admit -- Evolution Not Supported By Facts!]", ''Battle Cry'', January/February 1987.</ref> but not in that tract.) The tracts display those who do not share the same fundamentalist Christian view as Chick as being immoral. Gays, Catholics, Masons, Pagans, [[Dungeons & Dragons]] enthusiasts, those accepting the Theory of [[Evolution]], rock [[musician]]s - all are portrayed as morally flawed. Chick has changed the claims made in ''Big Daddy?'' in response to more recent scientific findings supporting evolution. He has also changed the content of other tracts such as ''The Last Generation'' and his book ''The Next Step'' to reflect his increasingly anti-Catholic beliefs, and the content of ''That Crazy Guy!'' was changed after the rise of the [[AIDS]] crisis (the tract was originally about herpes). Also, the ending to ''The Poor Little Witch'' (in which a little girl is murdered by Satanists after forsaking Occultism and converting to Fundamentalist Christianity) was changed because the urban myth, which states that "every year in the U.S. at least 40,000 people... are murdered in witchcraft ceremonies" (about twice the entire reported homicide rate for the USA), turned out to be false and was removed from the tract.<ref>[http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/tables/totalstab.htm Homicide victimization, 1950-2005], [[USDOJ]] Bureau of Justice Statistics, [[July 11]], [[2007]]</ref> Chick's claims about Catholic, Masonic, Satanic, etc., conspiracies are based in large part on the testimony of people who claim to have been members of these groups before converting to [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] Christianity, most prominently Rivera and Schnoebelen. Many of Chick's critics consider these sources to be frauds or fantasists. Nevertheless, many Chick supporters believe their claims to be legitimate.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Further discussion of these controversies may be found in the articles on [[Alberto Rivera]], [[William Schnoebelen]], and [[John Todd (occultist)|John Todd]]. Chick Publications depict [[Paganism]] and [[Neo-Paganism]] as a form of [[Satanism]], a position that is contrary to that of all objective sources. As a response to this, a comic strip in the style of a Chick Publication called ''The Other People'' was written by [[Oberon Zell Ravenheart]] of the Neo-Pagan [[Church of All Worlds]], with art by Don Lewis, in which fundamentalist Christians ring the doorbell of a Pagan family, and get a Bible lesson from the Neo-Pagan point of view.<ref>http://www.aquatabch.org/afwe/theotherpeople.php</ref> One rather unusual claim that used to pop up frequently in Chick's publications was that the Soviet Union would invade Israel under orders of the Pope, with East Germany aiding it. Tracts that used to contain this claim (like "Escape") had it removed in later revisions. It can still be seen on Page 33 of "The Godfathers." Most Christians, including many mainstream [[Protestant]]s and [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]]s, consider many of Chick Publications' views to be misrepresentations or distortions of general Christian or evangelical views, and as such find them offensive and embarrassing.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Among other issues, many Protestants reject Chick's [[King-James-Only Movement|King James Only]] stance and hence do not support those of Chick's assertions that rely on the King James Version being the only 'true Bible'.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} '''Chick''' (verb) has been used on the website [[Fark.com]] to describe a declaration or statement so outrageous that the speaker unintentionally gives his audience the false impression that he is engaged in a comedic parody of an extreme or reactionary belief. For example: "When he told me Satan appeared to Adam and Eve as a dinosaur I was sure he was pulling my leg. But he really believed it, so I guess he was actually chicking".{{Fact|date=September 2007}} ==Defense== Many [[fundamentalist]] Protestants, both past and present, agree with at least some of Chick Publications's more controversial claims. Some reject Chick's Roman Catholic conspiracy theories but accept other claims promoted in his tracts (such as his view that a person must be saved so as to avoid eternal damnation in Hell), and so offer qualified agreement with Chick's beliefs. Some anti-[[cult]] organizations view Chick's website and publications as a valuable source of material on groups they see as cults.<ref>"[http://www.missionresources.com/cult.html Information on Cults Resource Directory]", World Christian Resource Directory.</ref> Jack Chick claims that cartoons are a more effective medium for witnessing than conventional text based tracts. Some of the characteristics often seen as failings of his tracts - for instance, their simplistic messages - can also be viewed as strengths, making them more appealing to readers who are unsympathetic to more conventional forms of evangelism. Some tracts go further, and use only words aimed at children, or tell their stories without words. Recently people in cartoons have been coloured in to appeal more to black people.<ref>"[http://www.chick.com/newseries.asp?wpc=newseries.asp&wpp=a New Series from Chick Publications]", Chick Publications.</ref> Chick's more controversial claims are usually accompanied by supporting references to the [[Bible]] (always quoting the King James Version), other books (often also published by Chick), and historical facts; debate commonly focuses on the reliability of these sources and of Chick's representation of them. == Cultural influence == Jack T. Chick's tracts have had an unintentional influence on pop culture. The Chick Tract Club was established for collectors of Chick's works. A website for parodies of his works (The Jack T. Chick Parody Archive) is on line. Kurt Kuersteiner, the author of ''The Unofficial Guide to the Art of Jack T. Chick'', has produced a [[Documentary film|documentary]] on Jack Chick and his works entitled ''God's Cartoonist: The Comic Crusade of Jack Chick''. Comedian [[David Cross]] (a self-professed [[atheist]] [http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=David_Cross]) released a DVD of his comedy works entitled ''[[Let America Laugh]]'' with the chapters titled after Chick tracts (''This Was Your Life'', ''Who Cares?'', ''Is There Another Christ?'', ''Gomez Is Coming'', etc.). == See also == *[[King-James-Only Movement]] ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== <!-- Before adding external links, please review the guidelines at [[Wikipedia:External Links]] and [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not]]. Any links that don't meet guidelines for inclusion will be removed. Not sure? Then ask on the talk page.. --> * [http://www.chick.com Official website of Chick Publications] * [http://www.catholic.com/library/sr_chick_tracts.asp The Nightmare World of Jack T. Chick] - A response to the claims of Chick Publications against Roman Catholics and a criticism of Chick Tracts in general. * [http://www.masonicinfo.com/chick.htm Anti-Masonic Examples: Chick Publications] - A rebuttal to Chick Publications' claims about Masonry * [http://members.cox.net/jimmyakin/x-meet-jack-chick.htm Meeting Jack Chick] an interview with Jack Chick * [http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org/pdf/hate_report_2007.pdf Criticism of chick.com] - from the [[Hindu American Foundation]] * [http://www.jackchickmovie.com "God's Cartoonist" - Documentary Film on Jack Chick & Chick Publications] * [http://members.aol.com/chickclub/ The Chick Tract Club] - website for Chick Tract collectors * [http://www.weirdcrap.com/chick/ The Jack T. Chick Parody Archives] - Parodies of Chick tracts [[Category:Book publishing companies of the United States]] [[Category:Christian fundamentalism]] [[Category:anti-Catholicism]] [[Category:Christian media companies]] [[Category:Christian publishing companies]] [[Category:Comic book publishing companies of the United States]] [[Category:King James Only movement]] [[Category:Religious tract publishers]] [[de:Chick Publications]] [[eo:Eldonejo Chick]]