Christian Marketing

When I was growing up I went to several churches that were of different theological views but they all had one thing in common...they were all Judeo-Christian. Now I am no longer a Judeo-Christian but a simple New Covenant Follower of Christ...and my views have changed considerably.
Its amazing to me to look at the market aimed at "Christians" these days. Theres T-shirts, books, music, video, games, art, toys, jewelry and the list goes on...and on...and on. Some towns even publish a magazine with a list of the local buisnesses run by Christians...(Christian plumbers and electricians ) How many have bought a cd because it was 'Christian" or a "Christian" book and realized later they would not have bought it otherwise? I got rid of my Christian tshirts and magazines and all the Judeo Christian books and art in my house. I have even decided to get rid of some of my cd's and cassettes that I don't really care for.
What does everyone think about the 'Christian" marketing that goes on...alot done by vendors that could care less. I Think alot of it is done for the money and not the lord and I won't be a party to it anymore.

Well... I don't know what a "Judeo-Christian" is. That term is usually used to refer to the common basis for morality and reverence for God that is shared by Jews and Christians through their shared belief in the Old Testament as Scripture. I've never heard it used in relationship to a doctrinal statement for a church.

As for "Christian marketing", I'm just as leery about it as you. Business is business, and I want to hire a good electrician first. If my choice between two excellent electricians comes down to one being a Christian and one not, I would prefer the Christian, but my primary concern would be getting a guy I know would do a good job on my wiring.

I don't personally care for most "Christian" products, like parody T-Shirts or Christian alternatives to other products, but they don't bother me either. If people like them, they should get them, but they're not my style.

Tall Tyrion wrote:

I don't personally care for most "Christian" products, like parody T-Shirts or Christian alternatives to other products, but they don't bother me either. If people like them, they should get them, but they're not my style.

Agreed.

The marketing stuff is usually too cutesy for me. The Reese's emblem with the word Saved instead or whatever... why can't Christians be original? That's why I don't like some Christian bands - they're just clones of secular groups (Barren Cross = Iron Maiden, Saint = Judas Priest).

Quote :

That's why I don't like some Christian bands - they're just clones of
secular groups (Barren Cross = Iron Maiden, Saint = Judas Priest).

There are even more clones within the secular realm. I see nothing wrong with emulating someone else's sound if you can do it well and add your own elements to that.

Truthfully, I don't see that big of a deal when it comes to Christian marketing. Christians buy stuff. We like stuff that they connect with when it comes to their faith. We like having our own music, books, and music. Most Christians still partake of some of their secular counterparts as well. Far more people have read the first Harry Potter novel than they have all of Ted Dekker's books combined.

Are all Christian products top notch? Nope. Neither are those from the secular realm. I've read quite a few stinkers from the secular world over the years. I find some Christian books, movies, and music to be pretty lame. I find just as many to be as bad in the secular market. It just stands out more in the Christian industries because the industry is smaller overall.

That's a good point alldat. I love CS Lewis' quote on the subject: "We don't need more Christian books; we need more Christians writing good books."

I see two (at least) different things here. On the one hand, it doesn't bother me in the least to have businesses advertise their faith because it tells me they are willing to be held to a higher standard when it comes to quality of service and integrity. Yes, I realize some are just doing it to get the church crowd, but most I have dealt with (like my always-valuable mechanic) do a great job fueled by their faith.

On the other hand is all the "Christian subculture" stuff: the parody shirts, the Christian knock-offs on the popular trends, the "Jesus junk." That stuff bugs me. Sure, if someone wants to buy and wear it, more power to them. To me it just seems like Christians who want to be cool and trendy but also want to maintain the illusion of being set apart from the world. It also strikes me as terribly non-creative. I think Christian artists, authors, musicians, film makers, etc. should be at the forefront of creativity and quality, not lagging years behind. I think good strides have been made in music where even the blandest adult contemporary and pop albums are no less bland than their secular counterparts. As for clones, I think those are far less common than publicized. Most bands--Christian and secular--wear their influences on their sleeves, but I don't think BC and Saint set out to sound like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. I also think there are some Christian authors who could hold their own in the general market--Ted Dekker is one. And of course Thomas Kinkade's influence on the commerical art world goes without saying. But my experience has been that the quality Christian film is the exception rather than the rule. I tried to watch Fireproof and it was just painful. Kirk Cameron is a competent actor, but some of the others around him were just plain awful.

I despise the whole Christian/secular dichotomy in art and agree with that Lewis quote. There's a similar quote from Harold Best that I'm using in my dissertation. The problem isn't a lack of "Christian" whatever, it is a Christians settling for mediocre work. God deserves better than many of us give him.

I thought about this over the weekend.

I fear I may have been harsh to "copycat" bands. I have no problem emulating a band you enjoy - my problem is when you sound just like them and are then marketed as such.

Kutless, when they first came out, was marketed as "Kutless, The Christian Creed". This burns me. Why can't they just be "Kutless", and not have that tag?

I mentioned Barren Cross and Saint. I'd rather listen to them than their secular counterparts, but simultaneously I'd rather listen to a Christian band who is original in developing their sound.

ishmael81 wrote:

my problem is when you sound just like them and are then marketed as such.

Yes, yes! A thousand times yes! I grew up in the era of the Group Magazine Comparison Chart. For you young'uns who don't know about this, you can check it out here: http://www.ccel.us/CCM.appc.html. Some of it was useful and a good comparison, some of it was "are you kidding me?" Anyway, the whole idea of comparison is somewhat useful because it helps fans of Band X find stuff they might like. But to market as "the Christian X" is really a bad idea. Not only does it reinforce the idea that is out there that Christian music is unoriginal and "copy cat" music (which as alldat pointed out is a charge that can be leveled across the board in popular music), but it often sets up unrealistic standards and expectations for bands. Sure, if you like Creed you might also like Kutless, but what if you can't stand Creed? You're not going to give Kutless a chance. In one edition of the chart, Leslie Phillips was compared to Pat Benatar and Heart, but there was nothing on her albums that even came close to either. I personally avoided listening to David Benson for years because he markets himself as the Christian Ozzy. Sorry, if I want to listen to Ozzy, I'll listen to Ozzy. Not someone trying to sound like Ozzy.