I believe it is sincere. After 9/11, we started getting all sorts of anonymous weird letters from people who wanted to find our way to heaven. They assumed we were Muslims because we of our name (we are Syrian) and genuinely thought that they were doing us a favour. It was a little depressing.

Send him a copy of the "It Gets Better Project"

Have to agree with @91's assessment. Everything stated in that post is true, about the Hutch. Don't fool yourselves for one, solitary moment that you're going to "change" what this man believes about gays & lesbians.

His pride would never allow for him to think he might be wrong. E-V-E-R!

Basically, if I were in Eli's shoes and I felt compelled to "do" something, I'd do as @102 suggests - send him a copy of the "It Get's Better Project." Otherwise, I'd simply do nothing - no thank you, no warm & fuzzies, but NOTHING.

Send him a copy of Richard Dawkins' book, The God Delusion with a cheery note.

He really likes putting 'Dr.' in front of his name.

Chiming in to add my endorsement of the idea of sending a thank you card and a copy of It Gets Better. I also love the Strangercrombie idea!

Thank him kindly and send him a copy of "Why I am not a Christian" by Bertrand Russell.

Send back a condescending thank note with other citations of the bible nobody believe anymore: women should never gave their opinions, divorce sends you to hell, slavery is normal, rape is ok as long as you mary the girl.
The origin of species can be good too.

I'll take it. I need one. Keep running into clues in the NYT crossword that I have to look up in there. "Hairy man in Genesis", four letters. It ain't Phil (Collins).

I'd send a polite note. You could send some book that is meaningful to you, but that may continue the exchange or further attempts to evangelize. If you want the attempt to evangelize to end, then you must say so very clearly and succinctly. You may need to say it multiple times.

My gut says that you are now a project of his, a soul to be saved. Yes it is arrogant on his part. It has been my experience that evangelicals hold the idea that others have either never heard and that is why they don't believe, or that people are being willfully ignorant and are ignoring the "truth" they have deep inside as an act if defiance. I don't his interest in you stopping, by giving him a platform on Good Friday he has the impression that you want him to evangelize you and maybe even the idea that between the two of you the entire Stranger staff and readership can be saved. He's trying to mentor you, Eli. Do you wish to be mentored and evangelized is a question for you.

This is just my $0.02 on the entirety of your exchange posted on Slog. Feel free to toss it in the dustbin.

Good luck.

Returning it with a polite note that you don't accept presents from readers may be the fastest option, Eli.

Send him a copy of Grimms Fairy Tales, and say that it is much more believable and coherent than the story book he sent to you.

Send him a copy of the Constitution.

I think a thank you note would be appropriate, I mean, think of all the rolling papers you're gonna get out of that thing!

Back awaaay from the crazy person

Auction it off and donate the money to IGBP.

@70 Ehhh, so not taking the time/effort to send a thank-you note for an unsolicited gift I didn't want from someone I do not have a personal relationship with... that's what makes me a dick?

You've got a pretty low threshold for dickishness, there, I'd say.

@ 119, they have a PUBLIC relationship which, I would say, is a personal relationship in a way. It's not like Hutch is some Jehovah's Witness here.

Return. It.

aren't you guys right near a bunch of thrift stores? or, indeed strangercrombie.

You could always reply with a video of said volume on fire.

All this fear and fury over the innocuous gift of a Bible is very telling about you folks. I don't share the Muslim faith, or the Hindi or that most evangelical fundamentalist and intolerant one, atheism. But I don't fear them with the soul consuming angst demonstrated here against Christianity.

You might recall that Sanders is nominally Jewish. That kinda means most of what you've been writing is potentially as offensive to him as it's intended to be to Ken Hutcherson.

I knew logic was beyond most liberals. I knew you were wrong about economics and politics and culture, if sincerely wrong. I didn't think common courtesty entirely dead within you. Oh well, live and learn.

BTW,

When a single one of you roundly condemns the sickening attack on the pastors family at 99, I'll believe the whole tolerant liberal line. Disliking the man is one thing, but decent people leave families out of politics.

Come to think of it, I don't recall a single posting telling scum like the person at 99 to back off. Don't recall a single instance of people telling him, her or it that they are hardly representing the liberal cause well with that kind of disgusting vulgarity. Not once. Ever. Go libs!

@ 125, if that person is a measure of all liberals, then all the people who called Chelsea Clinton "ugly" when she was 14 is a fair way to measure you.

Vulgarity - cons like you do it too.

@126

Conservatives do it too, but not with the frequency, elan and zeal of liberals. We have a lot of catching up to do, I guess.

You're right. Cons do it about double the frequency, elan, and zeal.

Respecting those who are different is a hallmark of liberalism, although a few will give voice to their frustrations with the refusal of the cons to see things as they really are. Contempt for those who are different is a hallmark of conservatism, unless they're willing to work completely for conservative ends. There are exceptions, of course, but that's the kind of person who finds conservative ideals appealing.

@127: hahaha are you serious? You are, aren't you? hahahahahaha that's delicious.