The United States appears to be fully immersed in a Christian revival and Marriot International just added to the ground swell of faith by committing to placing 300,000 Bibles and the Book of Mormon into its hotel rooms.
Looking at the recent cultural shift away from secularism, the facts seem to line up that America may be in the midst of a Great Awakening. Evangelicals made a significant difference by helping to put devoted Christians in the White House, and majorities in the Senate and U.S. House.
Those faith-based votes changed the political direction of a nation that now says “Merry Christmas” instead of the previous administration pressuring retail outlets to use the secular “Happy Holidays” greeting. While there has never been a rule or law regarding such utterances, many Christians felt a sigh of relief and rejoiced in the restoration of the traditional message.
At the U.S. Supreme Court, one man of faith has been confirmed and the Catholic Brett Kavanaugh awaits his congressional review. Christian faith is being restored to the high court.
The president has repeatedly issued executive orders protecting religious freedom and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Session has formed the Religious Liberty Task Force. There is no mistaking the fact that the country’s leaders are pressing forward with a renewed Christian passion. The shift, in what may be America’s fifth Great Awakening, could be providing private corporations with the confidence to wear faith on their sleeves.
“There are many guests who are not digitally connected who appreciate having one or both of these books available,” the Marriott reportedly said in a statement. “It’s a tradition appreciated by many, objected to by few.”
Although Marriott was founded and owned by Mormons, the hotel chain has struggled with the relationship between faith and business. Once known for having the Bible and Book of Mormon in every room with the exception of Muslim countries, the organization backtracked during the Obama-era. The chain reportedly began removing religious materials.
By 2016, Christian books in hotel rooms had declined from 98 percent to about 48 percent across the country in just 10 years. In 2015, The Freedom From Religion Foundation pressured 15 major hotel companies to keep religious materials out of rooms.
The non-profit organization says it is devoted to a separation of church and state, but it apparently acts aggressively toward privately-held Christian companies.
News reports also indicated that the Mormon corporation was yielding to the secular pressure behind the LGBTQ movement among others. Whether the Marriott owners are tapping into the national embracement of Christianity or just taking back their hotels is a matter of speculation. But there is no denying that Marriott is helping to spread the Gospel.
Since purchasing the Starwood brand hotels in 2016, Marriott has implemented a plan to provide the pair of religious texts in many of the 1,300 facilities. The cost of the more than 300,000 books will reportedly be shared between the Marriott Foundation and The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints. But not all will enjoy the religious materials.
“With any of our brands, there are hundreds of decisions made about the look and feel of the brand, how a room will be outfitted, what amenities it will have,” the Marriott reportedly said an official statement.
The newly acquired Starwood brand has a history of providing stays to secular people as evidenced by the placement of “intimacy kits” in certain locations. Also, Marriott does not have plans to include religious texts in some European and youth-focused hotels.
Although the Mormon family who owns and operate the Marriott brand are tasked with making revenue-based decisions abroad, their renewed commitment to providing the Bible and Book of Mormon add credence to the Christian resurgence happening in America today.
~ Christian Patriot Daily