Over two centuries, founding fathers, intrepid colporteurs, and savvy businesspeople embraced the ABS’s twin beliefs. In pursuing these goals, the institution worked to transcend traditional denominational barriers, although throughout much of the ABS’s history many members drew the line at including Catholics. The ABS’s commitment to distribute Bibles free from notes or comment consistently exhibited this interdenominational Protestant character. In addition to working across denominational lines, Fea traces how the ABS …show more content…
For example, debates about slavery and the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy did not rip the society in two because the ABS avoided stepping into the heart of these conflicts. When referencing the ABS’s stance on these significant theological controversies, Fea helpfully notes both the motivations for this equivocation and the consequences of it. He suggests that the society’s persistent commitment to interdenominational work and distributing the Bible as widely as possible led it to forge its own path in an attempt to maintain the broadest constituency