What the God

Written by AJ Teaters

So I recently got this picture of God in my head sitting up in heaven looking down on all creation over all time and squinting. Then reaching into His front shirt pocket and pulling out a pair of bi-focal glasses (the kind with the big black rims, kinda like Harry Caray) putting them on and scratching His white bearded chin while a low hum comes out from his unopened lips. I pictured God contemplating His creation, debating with Himself on the things that were good and the things that needed to be changed. The first thought that popped into my head was, "I wonder is God ever says HOLY COW! Or is it just COW because everything that comes from God is holy?" But then I thought, "I wonder how God feels about the multi-billion dollar industry that Christianity has become?" Yeah, my thoughts go from eccentric to significant in about 2.5 seconds. After thinking about this I went online and did some research and according to cathedralconsulting.com in 2006 the Christian retail industry was worth $4.63 billion and if you take into account the next 4 years to move us up to present day (assuming the profits stayed the same) Christian retail would be worth somewhere around $18.52 billion. The next closest industry is the "adult entertainment" industry worth a little more than the $15 billion.

As much as I would like to think that Christianity isn't closely related to porn or any other industry there are some similarities that need to be looked at. Remember, we're looking at industry!

1. Bank on addiction.

• How can I possibly say that Christianity is an addiction?! I'm not, Christianity is a religion. However Christianity as a business wants nothing more than for you to be addicted to it. I can honestly say that I have far too many bibles sitting on my bookshelf right now. But don't all good Christians have at least 4 different translations (NKJV, NIV, NLT, The Message) and doesn't one of them have to be chronological while another has to have a concordance (or at least wide margins to take copious sermon notes)? But once you become a Christian you need to change your persona starting with your music collection. Grab some good Christian: Rock, Rap, Pop, and Punk too. Don't forget to grab a handful of worship CDs as well, maybe some inspirational bible verse posters and a good devotional book. Get some "Jesus Fish" stickers and subscribe to a good Christian magazine (may I suggest Relevant). Finally pick up some t-shirts that proclaim your faith. The price of this list is rapidly increasing as I speak. May I slightly digress for a moment, WHAT IS UP WITH THE PRICE OF BIBLES?! But that's a question for another post. An addiction to Christianity can be pricey.

• Let’s flip the script and look at pornography. Buy a subscription, look at all the pretty girls take their clothes off just for you. Those pretty girls would love for you to chat with them online; they want you to watch them live life. They like to take showers, have pillow fights, kiss their friends, undress and have sex in front of a camera. If you don't have access to the Internet stop by a gas station and pick up a magazine that has those same pretty girls taking off their same pretty clothes in pictures, just for your eyes. If you see what you like stop by a "specialty" store and pick up the same clothes they wear, pick up the same lube they use, pick up the same toys they play with. Each one of these things has a price tag and they total up if you continue to buy into the addiction.

• Is it bad to be addicted to a good thing? Should being a "Jesus Freak" be frowned upon? Isn't being addicted to God better than being addicted to pornography? Every single note worthy person in the bible was addicted to God: Abraham, Noah, Esther, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jesus, Paul, etc. They woke up every day thinking about God and fell asleep the same way; they could not function properly without Him. Isn't that the definition of addiction?

• I can't tell you how many times I have been walking through the mall, down the street or out of a store and a shirt has caught my eye. I always say the same thing in my head, "Wow! That is a really cool shirt, I wonder what brand it is: Volcom, Element, Fox, Tap Out, Affliction... oh, Not Of This World." If we want our clothing to stand out and scream our faith then why do Christian Companies make it look like every other shirt by every other company? Not only that, but Christian retail websites look radically similar to non-Christian websites. Check this out: compare these two websites NOT OF THIS WORLD CLOTHING (http://www.c28.com/NOTW.asp?adid=notw_site) and TAP OUT (http://shop.tapout.com/).

• Why do Christian companies feel the need to mirror the world that they are not of? If they truly wanted to set themselves apart and stand out as "different" wouldn't they want to be "different"? Put out some clothes that make Christians stand out (John Daly comes to mind). Maybe the point of Christian retail isn't to be "different". Maybe the point of Christian retail is to be "accessible" to the masses. My point of view on the issue of Christian industry is that God is using something perishable and worldly to lead to something eternal. The shirt, the hoodie or the bumper sticker is a foot in the door. They are conversation starters that could lead to softened hearts and acceptance. They are possessions we can’t take to the Kingdom they are proclaiming and promoting, but instead of the shirt we could be taking another soul.