Thoughts on Christian Evangelizing through Merchandise

I see a mixture of both good and bad things stemming from current and possible future examples of Christian advertising and merchandising.  This is because as Stephen Bates wrote in a December 12, 2002 issue of the Weekly Standard, “The new godly merchandise, I figured, represented the quarantine at work. Instead of protesting obscene gangsta rap, Christians were listening to Gospel Gangstaz and Lil' Raskull. Instead of trying to transfigure the mass culture, they were building a cloistered subculture, a gated community of faith. Jesus' Great Commission--"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations"--was giving way to the Great Escape.” (http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/988ovwyu.asp) I could not agree more with Bates’ opinion.  There is far too much attention by evangelicals to things, which are trivial, and ineffective towards the commission of Jesus that they cannot afford to continue fooling themselves into thinking they are doing a great service.  Erasmus’ used Folly to write an entire essay explaining how foolish Christians were by playing into the hands of the modern world around them, and he could easily do the same thing today.  Christians print a t-shirt that says Jesus is my homeboy and another that has the “John Deer” logo switched to say Jesus Saves, then go home at the end of the day, and say to themselves, well done.  This is horrific! How can the honestly say that they are producing anything other than an elementary level witticism that serves only to heighten the level of jokes aimed at the only religion bringing the light of truth into a dark and deceptive world?  Christian merchandise does the same thing that Christian Music, Entertainment, and periodicals do; they are doing a pathetic and lazy job of merely reflecting an uninteresting and unnecessary product that can be found produced better and more intelligently with originality in secular culture.  If the purpose of Christianity is to spread across the lands and become fishers of men who, in a unified church seek to love one another and lift each other up towards the great end of an eternal communion with God, should not Christians produce things that cater to that end?  If that is indeed the biggest problem or at least the base problem facing Christian merchandising and media at large, the answer is then simple, if only in theory.  Christian merchandise needs to aim to be more original and produce high quality products that do two possible things at least.  The first and more basic goal should be that Christian merchandise seeks to be a creation that enables Christians and non-Christians alike to use them for simple purposes.  Whether it is a calendar or a note pad, creating simple every-day object seems to bridge the gap between customers.  The second goal should be for Christian merchandise to target specific consumer groups.  If they want to reach Christians for evangelical purpose, create original products for that end.  If they want to reach non-Christians with a positive loving message, do so originally and with intention.

Blog #3

Dr. Dave White spoke Thursday October 23, 2008 at the Biola Torrey Bible Conference on the subject of what he calls, “Dateology, or Hitchology.”  He talked about the ways in which the Bible can be used to reference relationships and character but not as a reference for actual dating.  He stressed the importance that dating and marriage is for adults, in the sense that you must be a mature and whole person before you attempt to find the man or woman of your dreams.  What he meant by whole person is that the people dating should not be unable to live with themselves alone; they need to be mature, self-functioning members of society.  He used the analogy that one times one is one, and one times on half does not measure up that equation.  Dr. White also included that idea that couple date for the strength of themselves, and not out of a weakness sought to be compensated for in the other person.  There was a strong sense of certainty that the true problem with dating is not in fact dating itself, but the level of maturity in the people who are in a particular relationship at any given time.  The most essential factor in dating is in fact to recognize that you must look, not for a perfect person, but a person who has the essentials for a good relationship.  Essentials can range from honesty to limitations such as the physical boundaries of a relationship to the idea that you expect each other to be punctual for important events.  Basically, Dr. White wanted to get this idea across; dating is terrific if you guard your heart and are wise and follow the Bible more than anything other tool for your relationship.

            I think that Dr. White had some very important points to make and that his overall message was well reasoned and well produced.  I think his ideas of relationships are reflected in a strange way in mainstream media.  The television show, Desperate Housewives, showed on a new episode Sunday night on ABC a character who had just gotten a divorce jumping into bed with a house painter because there was a void she needed filled.  This character did the exact opposite of Dr. White’s advice, she pushed physical limits, tried to multiply one by one half, and ended up breaking the heart of the man she slept with.  The importance of Dr. White’s message seems to be most effective when compared with the generally acceptable choices non-Christians make regarding their relationships in life.  It seems very important that the basis of a relationship be a strong relationship with Christ first so that they are a complete person and can most effectively build a relationship with another like minded and like believing person.  I only regret that he did not touch on teenaged dating because I feel that there is an appropriate place for dating amongst teenagers but only for the experience gained, not the emotional baggage it creates.

Thoughts On Teen Marriage

The New York Times writer Sarah Kershaw claimed in a September Fourth issue of the Newspaper that the acceptable age of marriage is steadily increasing, causing the marriage of younger couples: those seventeen to twenty-four roughly, to seem unacceptable and foolish in the eye of the general public.  Kershaw reports that only one percent of teens around the age of fifteen are getting married these days, and the percentage rises only slightly up to the ages of roughly twenty-five.  The article even begins with the news of the engagement of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol, to her boyfriend due to an untimely pregnancy.  The entire spread paints an entirely negative view of “teen marriage”, and uses divorce rate statistics to strengthen its arguments.  And while supportive statistics are helpful in boosting the strength of an argument, the reader must find relevance in the supportive material if it is to be effective in any way.  Here in lies my problem with this article, I do not believe that marriage can be proven so easily with mere statistics and percentages.

            I view marriage as a binding contract, a promise, a commitment between two people and God, and also a sign of supposed maturity.   Categorizing marriage makes idea behind the institution of marriage and produce pre-mature notions of the chances that a marriage is headed for success and a lifetime of joy and love and growth (for marriage is not always easy and many tough challenges will inevitably bring couples closer if they are able to love selflessly and remember to rely on God) or if it is headed towards disaster, pain and ultimately divorce.  I believe that marriage is a testament to the individuals acceptance that they will be entering into something that will not be perfect and will only be as good as the effort they put into it.  Now of course this belief stems from a few things, first and foremost I am a romantic and marriage is something I aspire to above all else in my life, second my belief stems and relies on optimism in that it is a best case scenario, and lastly my belief stems from an understanding that marriage for each person is dependant on the timing and the couple getting married.  In one of Dorothy L. Sayers books in the Lord Peter Whimsey series, her main character Lord Peter and his love interest discuss marriage and come to the conclusion that they must wait until they are both ready for the commitment.  Both characters are well above the ages of twenty-five, so I find this idea of waiting not to be proof that you must be older, but simply ready and at the same stage in life.  MTV has recently begun airing a show titled “Engaged and Underage”, and I think that it speaks to the times. Your age at the time of marriage is not nearly as important as the state of your heart, your maturity, and your financial stability.