BLOG 4: Evangelization via Jesus Products

Today, classmates Bre Tosti and Emilee Sutherland gave a presentation on “Merchandising Jesus Products,” a topic introduced by Diane M. Badzinski in Understanding Evangelical Media. In their presentation, they asked the question of whether or not Jesus products were effective in evangelizing and what we think of such Jesus products.

Honestly, I am not sure where exactly I stand on the issue of supporting this so-called “Jesus Junk.” I think that wearing t-shirts expressing your faith can sometimes be a good thing by opening up conversation with non-believers and seizing the opportunity to share the gospel with them. On the other hand, I feel that Jesus action figures (which I have seen being sold in stores such as Wal-Mart) and Jesus soap that “washes away your sins” are just blasphemous.
What I found really interesting from the text was how Badzinski explains that Evangelicals are simply just “imitating market trends as a means of making the gospel culturally relevant for those outside the tribe” (183). That is such a true statement, and furthermore, why aren’t Christians the leaders for market trends? If our goal is to share the gospel with as many people as possible, why are we settling for boring, “been there, done that” copycats of popular merchandise, that in reality, probably isn’t even reaching the secular world in an effective manner. I hate to admit it, but my reaction to some of the “Jesus Junk” out there is probably very similar to that of a nonbeliever — looking at it as some kind of sick joke.

Emilee and Bre opened their presentation with a very interesting Youtube video, showing two men: one, displaying his religion literally on his sleeve; the other, just plainly expressing his faith without all of the showy “holy paraphernalia”. I really liked how that video pointed out the extremes that some people go to just to express what they believe, when sometimes; subtlety can make a bigger statement.

Hearing about all this Jesus merchandise, I had to check it out myself. After seeing many t-shirts and other various products on www.misspoppy.com and www.zazzle.com, I was disturbed to realize that I found most of them incredibly corny (my personal favorite were the “Nunchucks” on Miss Poppy) and also somewhat blasphemous. It makes me sad to know that there are people out there who try to merchandise Jesus and sell him like they’re selling cooking utensils on QVC. What’s worse is that there are actually people out there buying the stuff.

I don’t think we need to manufacture a “Christian” everything. I think what makes Christianity so different and special from other religions is the fact that we don’t need all of those tangible things, such as holy water and rosaries, to prove we are religious. For me, Christianity is about a relationship, and like any relationship in my life, it is personal. Of course I share my faith with people, but sometimes I feel that the advertisement of what I believe can often take away from the intimacy of the relationship.

Savers: A Topic Worthy of Discussion

The old adage “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” is never so true as when one walks into Savers, a second-hand store off Imperial Highway. The surplus of donated items that overwhelm racks and shelves are mini goldmines that, with an abundance of patience and time, can yield amazing treasures. Savers houses thousands of products, everything from cooking supplies and appliances, to clothing, to furniture and decorations. In short, it is a shopping mecca for those who, as the store is properly named, want to be “savers.”

In a way, Savers is like a museum, many items are frosted with grey dust and show the wear and tear of a previous life; the Tupperware, which looks so clean and new on the outside, only to be opened and release a stench of garlic and rot, the clothes that have a less than mediocre color palet after years of abuse in laundry machines, the furniture that shows cracks and scratches in leather, or small holes and stains in fabric. Aside from the items that seem a little rough around the edges, a true shopper at Savers learns to look past those things and sees them merely as hints of detail that add character to each unique artifact. Not only is Savers a popular place for large families looking to get great deals on back-to-school clothes for the kids, it also serves as a graveyard for every indie hipster to find neat retro clothes and accessories.

More than just a retail thrift store, Savers foundation is based on a good cause. According to the Savers website, their “recycling program prevented 262 million pounds of unsold merchandise from ending up in landfills last year by reselling domestically and internationally where the goods could benefit people in need.” Not only do consumers benefit from finding cool stuff, but our environment is saved from the clutter of material things. Mike Smith, a current employee at the Savers off Imperial, added that, “whatever doesn’t get sold in the store, after being marked down numerous times, gets donated to 3rd world countries.” According Kelly Kearsley, a reporter for the News Tribune Online, wrote an article two years ago entitled “Where the Used Shoe Fits” in which she talks about various thrift stores in the country and their ways of recycling. Savers is mentioned as shipping “bales of compressed clothes to…50 countries, including India, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates.” Places like Savers are definitely doing their part in the fight for a more environmentally friendly planet. What are you doing to help?