Unusual Christian Places: Jesus is Lord Garage and Salvage

This Christian-owned business proudly declares its allegiance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/travel_aficionado/3061279909/

Gideons International

Gideons International is an international organization which places free Bibles in hotel rooms worldwide.  The idea for the organization came in 1898 after two traveling businessmen in Wisconsin shared a hotel room due to their hotel being overbooked.  They discovered that they were both Christians and became friends.

In 1899, the two men and another businessman organized the Gideons in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin in a YMCA room.  The Gideons "Bible Project" began in 1908.  There are now Gideons in twenty- three countries/regions.  They never charge for the placement of their Bibles.

Hotel in England Replaces Gideon Bibles With Amazon Kindles

In yesterday’s post, I spoke of a hotel in England  which has replaced the Gideon’s Bibles in its rooms with a soft-core pornographic novel. The owner of the hotel insisted that the replacement was not out of hostile motives.  It was just a business decision, and besides ““I’ll keep a couple behind the reception desk so that if any guest whose preferred bedtime reading happens to be the Bible finds that they have forgotten to pack their copy, they’ll be pleased to read in the guest handbook that they can borrow a copy from the receptionist.” 

To the believing Christian, to be benignly ignored, to be dismissed with subtle derision (as in the hotel owner’s statement), or to be the subject of overt hostility, are all equally insulting.  As I have said before, they really do not understand.

Another hotel in England has also replaced the Gideon’s Bibles in their rooms, but this time, the move has the assent of the Gideons.  A Gideons International spokesman, Ken Stephens, told CNN.    “Anything to put  the Bible in people's hands is a good thing."

The Hotel Indigo , in Newcastle, has replaced their Gideon’s Bibles with Amazon Kindles pre-loaded with an electronic version of the Bible.  The Kindles are the full device and are capable of other uses than merely Bible reading.

I have stayed in an Indigo hotel before and can attest to the fact that they are very nice and ultra-modern.  The Kindles would be a nod to the high-technology feel of the hotels.  My only thought is that soon, shampoo, soap, and towels may not be the only things which routinely disappear from the hotel rooms. 

Marketing Ministries

Marketing Ministries  is a full service Christian advertising agency which targets churches, Christian ministries, and businesses as customers.  They offer graphic design (logos, signs, posters, banners, etc), web design and support, audio and video production, print services (brochures and catalogs), advertising services, social media strategies, and business consulting.

The Jesus Toaster

You will have to decide for yourself what you think about this.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/jesus-toast-toaster-sears-christs-face-onto-bread-63568/

http://www.burntimpressions.com/ 

This does not appear to be a Christian company.  They obviously just want to sell toasters.  They also sell other toaster designs, including the “pot leaf” toaster.

What They Think of Us: Do We Flaunt Our Christianity for Profit?

The writer of this atheist web page declares that he has grown "tired of remaining silent" and has dedicated himself to attacking "irrational belief," "anti-intellectualism," "Christian extremism," and "anti-Atheist bigotry."  The name of the site is Atheist Revolution.

The writer accuses Christians of flaunting their religion to promote their business interests .   This is a very thinly disguised insult.  Dictionary.com defines "flaunt" as "to parade or display oneself conspicuously, defiantly, or boldly. "  The post writer resents the implication that a Christian business can be assumed to be ethical and trustworthy and that non-Christians cannot.  He also thinks that Christians may have a secret agenda to proselytize their customers.

I have several "OF COURSES" in response.

1.  Assuming that the business owners are not cynical hypocrites who actually are trying to use Christianity as a marketing tool, OF COURSE they wish for prospective clients to know they are a Christian-owned business.  Christians have no reason to hide who they are.  Since making a profit is the basis for being in business, OF COURSE they are trying to make a profit.

2.  OF COURSE Christian-owned businesses should be assumed to be ethical and trustworthy.  If they are not, their owners have some "'splainin' to do."  Non-Christian owned businesses may be ethical and trustworthy; Christians have no monopoly on ethics, and thinking Christians do not make that claim.

3. OF COURSE, Christian business owners would like to share the Gospel with their customers.  That is known as the Great Commission.  It is our primary purpose in life.  It can be furthered by direct evangelism and by the example we present to the world as Christian laypeople.

"Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." Giovanni Francesco Bernardone (aka: St. Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226)

4. OF COURSE, Christians are just as intellectually proficient as anyone else.  The charge that Christian belief is irrational or anti-intellectual is, itself, bigotry based on hatred.  The charge is based more on emotion, intellectual arrogance, and snobbery than anything else and ignores the overwhelming documentary, philosophical, historical and scientific evidence that the biblical explanation of things is, at the very least, intellectually defensible.

Book Comment: Faith Reads

Faith Reads. A Selective Guide to Christian Nonfiction (2008), by David Rainey, is a library reference book published by Libraries Unlimited. It reviews hundreds of books, sorted into the following categories: Life Stories, Prayer, Worship, Spiritual Growth, Christian Self-Help, Evangelism, Arts, Culture, and Education, Business and Leadership, Science and Nature, and Bible and Theology.

Just to read this book would be boring, but if you are looking for a specific type of Christian non-fiction, this is a good place to start your search.