The “Christian” marketplace

Jared Wilson has an insightful commentary on the "Christian" marketplace . He notes the real problem is not with those who manufacture and distribute all this "Jesus junk." The real problem? Christian consumers who drive the market.

His core thesis (and solution):

"I have long held that the problem of the Christian marketplace is a pulpit problem. By this I mean that if we want to be serious about encouraging greater discernment and quality in the Christian’s consumption of art (and further, if we want to gradually squelch the Christian’s ravenous consumerism), we have to begin nurturing this difference on the pastoral and ecclesiological levels."

Also, note his conclusion:

"This is not the problem of the Christian marketplace. The market sells based on demonstrative needs. As I said before, I don’t think the problem of the existence of the Christian marketplace is all that dire or even all that important.

The real problem — the one both dire and important — is that Christian consumerism is basically as deep as the shallowest end of mainstream consumerism. And that is not the fault of Testamints or "God’s Gym" T-shirts or WWJD bracelets, let alone Mercy Me or Michael W. Smith. It is the fault of a gospel-deficient Church and a discipleship culture that has been trained to be both in and of the world"

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