Christian companies draw rising share of consumers

[undeterred]

Embrace of faith gives birth to 'values shoppers,' people who live, spend according to their beliefs.

By Dan Thanh Dang / Baltimore Sun

At first glance, there isn't much difference between Mark Gadow's driving school and his competitors -- red means stop, a solid yellow line means no passing, apply the two-second rule when following another car. But at Gadow's school in Caroline County, Md., the $325 tuition gets you more than just 36 hours of lessons on how to be a good motorist -- it also gets you a lesson on how to be a good soul.

That's because on the 10th and final day of classes at Gadow's Christian Faith Driving School, he will bear witness to how prayer healed his hip and joint pain. He'll share how his deep faith in God led him to leave his longtime career in law enforcement to start his own business. And, upon request, he will sit and pray with students. His business, Gadow said, is not about preparing young drivers just for the road, but for life. That philosophy has won Gadow and Christian Faith many fans. Every class he teaches is packed 25-30 students deep.

Think of it as faith at work -- or maybe even the business of faith. Across the country, growing numbers of Christian companies are hanging their shingles on their religious beliefs and finding that customers are eager to embrace them. "Look at how we were awe-struck by Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ,' " said consumer-trend expert Annette McEvoy, a consultant in New York. "Look at the November elections. There are a substantial number of people who want to vote this way and support businesses this way, according to their values. "I believe there was some pent-up feelings about religion, and now people want to express themselves."

The cultural embrace of faith has given birth to what experts call the "values shopper." For this consumer, value means living -- and spending -- according to his beliefs. There are no firm figures on how many Christian businesses are operating now compared with years past, but what is clear is that they are becoming more open about their faith. Flip through the Yellow Pages and there are dozens of listings for small Christian businesses that reach beyond the obligatory bookseller to include plumbers, real-estate brokers, dance instructors, pest controllers and computer technicians.

http://www.detnews.com/2005/religion/0506/11/A17-202528.htm

[okieinpain]

1. oh god here we go. there is going to be a form of civil war if not

out right fighting when the backlash comes.

[salin]

10. okie

I don't quite follow - but perhaps this is what you mean - it is something I have been bothered about (with an ominous feeling) since the Schaivo episode.

That the far religious right is being spurred on by increasingly angry and self-righteous talk - and the less stable among the ranks are being encouraged (implicitly) to act on their anger...

Simultaneously, as other folks both moderate and mainline Christains and folks of other or no faith witness more "threats" to our way of life (eg the system - eg trying to merge a religious political agenda into codification via laws and courts) there will be more resistance to the first group...

Who in turn will get more angry, amp up the rhetoric more... and some very unstable individual or individuals will act based on that angry, self-righteous rhetoric - in a way that leads to some horrendous tragedy.

[okieinpain]

12. yes that about sums it up. it's not going to be long before the

so-called christians step on enough toes that you start seeing people fight back.

[salin]

13. its the reaction to the fight back

that I fear. Some folks have been worked up into a relentless froth for years. I think that some severely politicized ministers have pushed some of their followers to the point unhingement.

[okieinpain]

14. yeah, and what's pushing the ministers is the money, and power.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. So, are these businesses EEOC friendly? Can they openly refuse to hire

and/or fire employees based on an employee's religious beliefs, if said beliefs are non Christian?

As a Christian, myself, I get creeped out by the thought of advertising that fact to get business and money. It flies in the face of Christianity tenets.

MKJ

[undeterred]

3. I guess they don't realize that hanging their faith out on a business sign

will ultimately repel at least as many as it attracts.

I mean, what exactly is "faith based pest control"?

[meow2u3]

9. Definition of "faith-based pest control"

Converting the roaches to fundie Christianity before exterminating them

[undeterred]

17. They are lured into faith-based roach motels

where their feet stick to the floor and they are forced to listen to rants by Jerry Falwell...

[cornermouse]

4. I always go elsewhere when I see a christian sign.

In my opinion, if you have to advertise your christianity on a billboard, that's probably the only place, time, and way that anyone would consider you a christian.

[undeterred]

5. I hired a faith-based dog walker

I hired a lady in my neighborhood to come in and walk my dog every day. Her only income was disability, so getting a little extra money to do this helped her out and it worked for me. He's an old dog, very sweet, and for the most part it worked out very well.

I can walk him without a leash and he will stay with me. However, when I learned that she was doing that also, I asked her not to. Bad things can happen quickly, and there are leash laws.

She argued with me about it, tellng me that she prayed over him before their walks and she did not go out in a "spirit of fear". I told her it was fine to pray over him but she still had to leash him. I also told her she could pray before getting into my car, but she still had to wear a seat belt. Ultimately she did what I asked, but after that I always felt like she was judging me for a lack of faith. It was really annoying.

Next time, I'll hire a faithless dog walker!

[getmeouttahere]

6. More often that not, these people are going to be BushCo....

supporters, so let's target them for boycotts. Even if they aren't, I agree with the other posters who said that they are not true christians if they have to advertise it.

BTW, does anyone else here get those annoying spams about "christian re-financing" or something like that?

[undeterred]

7. I think that a lot of those emails are actually people taking advantage

of this very phenomenon. People who would use a business just because they have an advertisement in the phone directory which says someone is a Christian are more likely to be naive enough to be scammed.

Last night on Dateline there was a story about the Nigerian email scam and a women who fell for it- she thought God was giving her a special mission, and she lost $18,000.

[sarcasmo]

16. Atheist here to walk your dog, no Jesus speak needed.

[salin]

8. whole thing smacks of money changers in the temple, to me

and extremely distasteful. Using Christ as a marketing tool? Ugh!

[beyurslf]

11. Whenever I see the little Xian fish sign on an ad or here that they

are "faith-based" I avoid them. I will also leave a store that plays religious music. They have to know they will lose customers for making their beliefs public.

[PurityOfEssence]

18. I do the exact same thing: I vote with my wallet

There's a certain specialty on-line hobby store that has pretty much the best selection of hard-to-find esoteric kits from small cottage industry artisans and small foreign manufacturers. Once, I did a fairly brisk business and spent quite a bit of money ordering stuff, but then the website started to feature the rotating fish, and I stopped completely. There are a couple of items that can only be found there or at on-line stores based in Europe for considerably more money; I simply do without. Should I need to get and build one of these, I'll happily pay more.

Without being an untoward snot about it, when the religious music plays or the propaganda shows that I've blundered into that strange world, I either simply leave, or if asked, make an informative comment.

We have small kids, and when the phone solicitor was solidifying an order for Scholastic Books, Inc., he asked me if I'd like to be part of a quick survey. I said sure, and was asked how interested I'd be in a potential like of religious books. He then proceeded to have a very bad evening, because I pinned him down seriously on their intentions to get these into public schools with their other wares. We went on to talk about the First Amendment and the immorality of proselytizing young kids in a public setting in a governmentally run school. He wasn't offended, but he was shocked at the degree of my objections and basically spluttered out to the point of incoherence.

We're in a very real world of outrageous fantasy, and it seeps under the proverbial door like a noxious gas.

[Tommymac]

15. I see it I leave...

I will not support such a business. Last winter we were shopping for a second car...saw one in a lot that looked good...went to the showroom...they were advertising about how Christian they were all over the place...signs, JC figures, etc. Had a pix of * on the wall flanked by little flags.

We immediately turned around and walked out.

It felt fishy...a few used car salespeople are shady enough...was this supposed to make us think they were 'honest' and 'trustworthy'? Not if they are anything like their spiritual leader *...lol