Are Christian bookstores ethical?

I used to work at Christian bookstore whose slogan was “your partner in ministry.” The man I worked for loved God and wanted others to know him too. He was generous and paid much more than minimum wage, helping me finance my undergrad and master’s education, and supplementing my work in pastoral ministry.

This boss even gave me an interest-free loan for my first new car. I think he was tired of me calling into work late when my beat-up junker continually broke down. The loan was conditional on buying a car with a warranty.

James Lim of Seraphim Christian Books tried to live out the slogan of being a partner in ministry, training me to work with churches, Sunday schools, pastors, and treasurers. Our sales day would begin with prayer – not only for profitability, but that we would be able to minister in the busyness of the day. Jim and his wife Lily often invited people to the back room for tea and prayer.

Jim and Lily taught me about caring for people, building community, and treating employees with kindness, care, and decency.

However, in spite of the Lims’ best attempts, books and CDs became more difficult to sell in the Christian marketplace. With the introduction of the internet, box stores, and higher US prices, many people stopped buying at local Christian bookstores.

Gradually, the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) started introducing “Jesus Junk.” Testamints, Jesus toenail clippers, plastic toys with crosses on them. Sales people learned how to sell consumers the highest priced Bibles.

The ethics of Christian bookstores became slippery. Marketing focused on profitability. Books were published to sell. Right theology was less important than popularity. Christian music became an oxymoron as bands sold out to advertising and demand. Christian subculture took on a life of its own in the name of the almighty dollar.

Today, when I go into Christian bookstores, I find very little I’d want a parishioner to actually purchase. Many of the books are poorly written and contain questionable theology. The music all sounds the same, and the Jesus Junk is just high-priced plastic toys you could purchase at a dollar store for an eighth of the price!

I forget who coined the phrase “North American spirituality is 3000 miles wide, but only three inches deep,” but it fits.

If Christian bookstores really want to be our “partners in ministry,” they need to stop feeding people candy and start offering substance. We need to work together to deepen people’s knowledge, understanding, and experience of God.

I recognize stores need to make a profit and do good business. But maybe they need to push back at authors who write badly, musicians who only know three chords, and plastic junk that was quite possibly purchased in China from a sweatshop.

We need to raise the standard. We need to provide people with resources that will nourish their souls and lead them into deep places of knowing God. Many authentic authors and musicians are being overlooked because they don’t fit the mould of marketability. We need to hear their voices.

The CBA and publishers are accountable to God for the stuff they market. Rather than just producing products for the mass market, they need to be encouraged to market ethically, with the depth of people’s spirituality in mind.

Let’s work at redeeming the Christian bookstore so we can truly be partners in the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Kathleen Busch is associate pastor of discipleship ministries at Saanich (B.C.) MB Church.