c. 1997 Religion News Service

(Dale Hanson Bourke is publisher of RNS and author of”Turn Toward the Wind.”)

ATLANTA _ For years, Catholics and mainline Protestants have watched with fascination _ and frustration _ as evangelical Christians have grown in number and influence while their own congregations have dwindled.

The growth of the evangelical movement comes partly from its relative youth and its ability to combine various strains of conservative theology under one umbrella.

But the growth also can be attributed to the movement’s flourishing commercial side: A plethora of Christian radio stations, magazines, national TV shows, and bookstores support a multimillion-dollar business in books, music, Bibles, films and gifts.

No where is this side of evangelicalism more showcased than at the annual International CBA convention, which opened last weekend in Atlanta and concludes Thursday (July 17). CBA is the trade association of Christian retailers and product suppliers.

Each year, hundreds of book publishers, record companies, T-shirt manufacturers and greeting card companies fill a huge convention center with costly exhibits to show their wares. For those who think of Christian bookstores as”mom and pop”operations, the CBA convention is a quick lesson in the phenomenal business side of the movement.

After meeting for more than two decades, CBA has evolved from a quaint offering of Sunday school materials to one of the largest trade shows in the country. Such growth brings predictable business challenges and rumors of mergers, acquisitions, public offerings.

But something new is happening this year at CBA _ a decidedly different trend away from the bigger, better, newer and flashier.

WWJD _ which stands for”What Would Jesus Do?”_ appears on everything from coffee mugs to neckties to the original nylon bracelets that renewed interest in the question, a basic guideline for evangelical living taken from a book by the same name published more than 100 years ago.

Glitzy, high-priced WWJD items are clearly”out of keeping with the message,”said one buyer who considered purchasing WWJD mugs. But the best-selling bracelets, at $1.50 apiece, offer little profit.

In another phenomenon pointing to a return to basics is the continued franchising of Oswald Chamber’s classic devotional”My Utmost for His Highest.”Chamber’s 19th-century writings have spawned numerous books, journals, albums and even a concert tour.

But there’s something else beyond the back-to-basics hype: It seems that even those doing the selling have embraced its essential message.

One record industry executive pulled up the cuff of his expensive shirt to reveal a well-worn WWJD bracelet.”I always wear this on my right hand,”he told me.”I see it when I place a phone call, when I write a letter, when I shake a hand. It is something that reminds me why I am doing this work, and it is a way to hold me accountable for my attitude and my actions.” Evangelicalism may be moving beyond its youth to a new stage of maturity. But the CBA convention is one of the last places you would expect to see less commercialism and more commitment to theology.

If evangelicals begin moving back to basics not only in their marketing efforts but also in the way they live their lives, the movement may see even greater growth in decades to come.

It’s heart warming to see that the bottom line is really found in the Bible, not the balance sheet.

MJP END BOURKE