Pamphlets that share the Word of God and the message of the gospel continue to play a vital role in today’s tech-saturated world. Phillip Buttram, director of the Gospel Tract Society, contends that having a physical copy of the Word of God in one’s hand is more effective than having an electronic version on one’s phone.
"I personally believe that it's more relevant today because we live in an electronic society,” Buttram tells AFN. “[For example,] if you're skimming the network [and] you click something, it's gone forever.
“[In contrast,] a tract is something physical. It's tangible; it stays there. People can put it down and then come back to it. If you delete something on the web or on your phone, it's gone [and] you have to search for it. But a tract is always ready.”
Buttram acknowledges that while not all believers are called to be pastors or teachers, all are called to share the gospel – and gospel tracts, he says, can be like a seed that has been planted.
“When someone is moved by the Spirit, they will pick it up [and] the Word of God is not void. Yes, it was written thousands of years ago – but they were people who dealt with the same things, the same pressures. It's just different technology."
When it comes to giving someone a tract, he encourages believers to listen to the Holy Spirit. “Whether I'm typing, whether I'm driving – wherever I am, if the Holy Spirit speaks, I have got to pay attention,” he emphasizes. “I’ve tried to train myself to hear His voice – and that doesn't happen overnight."
The Gospel Tract Society has been in operation since 1926. The ministry focuses on delivering the unaltered Word of God free of charge so that the message of the gospel can be shared.
