c. 1998 Religion News Service

DALLAS _ It started with teens who traded bracelets with the acronym”WWJD?”_ What Would Jesus Do? Now the question is turning up all over the place.

At last week’s enormous trade show of the CBA _ the premier Christian retailing association _ retailers displayed post-it notes, day planners, devotional readers, memo pads, remembrance coins made from genuine, U.S.-minted pennies, necklaces, bracelets and even skateboards asking WWJD?

By accident not design, the acronym for What Would Jesus Do? represents broader issues posed by the amazing success story of Christian publishing and retailing and the 1,552 exhibitors who set up across six acres of color-coded carpet in the Dallas Convention Center.

What would Jesus Christ do with this $2 billion-a-year industry?

Retailers with softer sell items _ interactive CD-ROM Bible stories for preschoolers and pocket calendars with Reinhold Niebuhr’s serenity prayer _ believe theirs is a holy endeavor.

This segment of American Christianity _ evangelical and essentially nondenominational _ gave us state-of-the-art Christian television in the 1970s and a charismatic as a presidential candidate in the 1980s. In the 1990s, lifestyle issues as disparate as proper parenting and skateboard slogans are their focus. Like other niche businesses, they’re eager to respond to a market ranging from spiritual seekers who are aging baby boomers to the punk-rocking Christians who are part of Generation X.

Christian retailers operate as Americans always have: by creating a product to meet a need. But what was once a Christian cocoon of sweet fashions with hearts and flowers and kids’ books with Old Testament characters as strong as superheroes is transforming into an astonishing cultural subset rapidly moving into the nation’s mainstream.”There are several things going on at the same time,”said California author Richard Foster. His new book,”Streams of Living Water”(HarperSanFrancisco) was touted at this year’s trade show. An earlier Foster title,”Celebration of Discipline,”sold over 1 million copies.”On one level, you have a great trivialization of the great mysteries of the faith. Three steps to blessing. That kind of thing,”Foster said.”But then there are huge masses of people who’ve given up on the superficialities of modern culture. They’re ready for a life that has substance, to sink down into a deep life with God.” Christian publishing and retailing offers the nuts-and-bolts for building such a relationship.

But there are also how-to books on improving marriage; Victorian flowered angel pins; scented greeting cards to build friendships; pass-it-on cards alerting teenagers”to hang in there”and that”this too shall pass;”shorts, shoes and T-shirts promoting Christian values; and Beanie Baby-like dolls of Jesus’ mother, Mary.”Some of the kids I’ve hung out with like the WWJD? bracelets because they are reminders. These teens face choices where they have to decide: `Do I ditch my friends or my faith?'”said Brant Newsome, 29. He was working at the exhibit for Argus, a Christian retailer from Allen, north of Dallas.

In Dallas, the CBA promoted its”Impact X 2″campaign, an ongoing challenge to double ministry impact by doubling sales in Christian retail stores by the year 2002. More than 13,000 delegates from every Christian retail segment in 50 states and 50 foreign countries attended the convention, which ended July 16.

Bill Anderson, president of the CBA, said Christian retail sales are up 13 percent so far in 1998 compared to sales in the first seven months of last year.”Some are up much, much more. Others are down,”he said.”It just depends on the merchandise being offered and the aggressiveness of the retailer.” Jim Roberts of Friendly Sales in Quakertown, Pa., attributes Christian retailing’s success to”the spiritual morass the country is in.”Friendly Sales sells a cross section of Christian gift items from calendars to fancy boxed Scripture editions.”There’s a longing for truth,”Roberts said.”The breakup of the family, kids killing kids. Road rage. By the year 2000, I think spiritual issues and value issues will be more discussed in the presidential race than anything else.” But some products get mixed reviews.”I think we get way off the mark sometimes,”said Franklin Graham, Billy Graham’s son, who attended the meeting to promote his new book”Living Beyond the Limits”(Thomas Nelson).”I think every generation goes through this. There’s big money. Big business.” Christian publishing is even bigger business than other Christian products.

Industry surveys indicate religious publishing has increased by 150 percent over the past five years with a heavy growth among religious titles sold by secular outlets. But hard statistical evidence is difficult to obtain.”There’s a ton of narrative and zilch in figures,”said Phyllis Tickle, contributing editor in religion for Publishers’ Weekly, a book industry journal.”Which should not be interpreted as meaning the narrative is either fallacious or inflated.” The problem is the tracking system for sales of religious books outside the traditional Christian bookstore market is still being developed. So are methods for gauging sales of Christian giftware and related items.

The nation’s second largest Christian publisher, Zondervan of Grand Rapids, Mich., has been marketing its books in secular stores for five years now, said Tom Mockabee, senior vice president and publisher. Zondervan, which releases 150 new titles and 20 new Bibles annually, sells about 65 percent of its Bibles through Christian outlets and the rest via secular ones.”In 1992, we did make a major thrust with Bibles into Wal-Mart,”Mockabee said.”We sold thousands. …I think the crossover (to secular markets) is happening primarily because our products are relevant to the needs of where people are today,”he said.

DEA END HOLMES