When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

While flipping through some magazines the other day, I happened upon several "Inspirational" items for sale. I usually skip right over these sections as they are often filled with gifty things- you know- candles with bible verses engraved on the front, "Smile, God loves You!" t-shirts, etc. I couldn't help but notice some of the items below. Check them out.
The ever-popular metallic cross yo-yo...

The always fun cross-shaped bubble necklace... and who could forget-
Your very own credit card with three-crosses.

The disturbing part of these items is pretty obvious- one of our most precious symbols of faith is being plastered across everything from Bibles to cheap toy trinkets made in Taiwan... and how about the cross credit card- who does not get the irony there?

What is most frustrating is that these items are being distributed by a company that has the word "Christian" in the name! If you slap the word "Christian" on it, many people assume it's harmless, good-- even wholesome! It's the same trick that food companies use on their products- "Organic- All-Natural"! Sure, instead of man-made sugar-- it's natural sugar! We feel so much better about purchasing THOSE products because they seem OK.

Why is it OK in American Christian culture to capitalize on our faith? In a time where religious wars are being waged and lives are being lost, how can we justify the way that we treat our own faith? We know what the OTHER side stands for.... what do we stand for? What do we hold dear?

Though I do not condone violence, it is interesting to see that there are some people in the world that are willing to die for their faith. It was not that long ago that there was rioting in the middle east because Mohamed was depicted in a comic strip cartoon. People were severely injured, and even killed because they were enraged by how their most precious figure was being treated in the media! We can easily flip on the news and think, "These people are extremists, they're crazy- it's a different culture... poor people". We can approach these images with pitying hearts, or we can turn thoughts to our own faith- How do we treat the symbols of our faith that are meaningful?

We spend our time worrying about the obvious abusers of Christianity- demeaning music, movies, television, public figures, etc. When are we going to wake-up and realize that the most dangerous yet quiet sources of destruction are the people, companies, books, etc. that claim to be Christian, but are truly in the business for the All-American buck. Don't even get me started on the "Christian" product industry. It's like that old song, "Every thing the world can do, we can do better"... Who needs Christian Tae-bo? How about Bible Mad Gad or Bible Video Games?

We can stop this phenomenon by refusing to shop at those stores, and by having open discussions within our Christian communities. Let us live with a reverent and thankful heart for our Jesus who paid it all. Did Christ sacrifice his blameless life on a cross so we could slap it on a ceramic mug? I think not...

When I survey the wondrous cross,
on which the prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride...