What a trend we have in Jesus

[Eveningstar]

Turning Jesus into an Idol.



They're selling jesus again
They're selling jesus again
They want your soul and your money your blood and your votes
They're selling jesus again
Selling love to you - selling love...



http://www.detnews.com/2004/entertainment/0403/09/e01-84446.htm

[Eveningstar]

"Greed has replaced religion as the national religion, and with greed comes envy." --Wesley Pruden



Mat 6:19-34

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.

[Eveningstar]

"People are born with an innate desire to possess. Children at play argue loudly, 'That's mine!' Though adults usually tend to be more civilized about it, you'll find the same sentiment voiced repeatedly, 'I want what's mine!'
God recognized this tendancy in His people and instituted the Year of Jubilee to help teach them a crucial spiritual truth. Every 50th year, all land that had been sold was to be returned to its original owner. And every acre of land was to remain uncultivated in order to remind the nation that the land belonged not to them, but to God. He would give it to them (Lev. 25:2), and they would enjoy it-not as owners but as aliens and tenants (25:23).
How do you view your possessions? Do you hold on to them tightly, or do you view them as something graciously loaned to you by God? Remember, a steward is someone who owns nothing, but is responsible for everything entrusted to his care. To reinforce that truth, choose one room of your house and list everything in it. Then across the list, write these words: 'Mine by stewardship, His by ownership.' Get the picture?"

From Daily Walk @ www.navigators.org

[Eveningstar]

"If money can't buy it, it's probably worth having...":D :D :D

[Eveningstar]

http://money.cnn.com/2004/03/25/pf/religious_clout/index.htm


Religious consumers demonstrating their economic muscle: the Greatest Story Ever Sold.
March 29, 2004: 4:35 PM EST
By Gordon T. Anderson, CNN/Money staff writer



NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Fans and foes cannot agree whether or not "The Passion of the Christ" is anti-Semitic, fetishistically gory, or historically accurate. But one thing is indisputable: it is wildly profitable.


The movie has taken in more than $315 million in gross U.S. receipts, according to boxofficemojo.com. Hundreds of millions more seem likely to come from international distribution, DVD sales, and seasonal re-releases from now till Armageddon.

While it would be facile to suggest that everyone buying tickets to "The Passion" is religious, the response to it does prove that the consumer appeal can be enormous for spiritually oriented entertainment.

From books to movies to music, religious categories are among the fastest growing in all media. And Mel Gibson's controversial work is far from the only blockbuster to emerge.

"This didn't start with "The Passion,"" says Lynn Garrett, religion editor at Publisher's Weekly. "Publicity surrounding the movie has certainly given sales a bump, but this is a trend that has been growing steadily for at least 10 years."

Another blockbuster book
This week, evangelical publisher Tyndale House will release "The Glorious Appearing," the 12th installment in the "Left Behind" series of apocalyptic novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. The books are estimated to have already sold between 40 million and 50 million combined, and the concluding one may become the biggest seller of all.

Heavenly hits
Media properties with religious themes have become enormous successes.


"Left Behind" series of novels 50 million copies sold
"A Purpose-Driven Life" 14 million copies sold
"The Passion of the Christ" $315 million+ U.S. box office
Jars of Clay Multiple Grammys, platinum records
Salem Radio No. 3 major-market radio network



Tyndale House has shipped nearly 2 million copies of "Glorious Appearing," which goes on sale March 30. That dwarfs hardcover sales of any book whose title does not contain the words Harry Potter.

The success of the "Left Behind" novels mirrors that of a title from the non-fiction side of the best-seller list, Rick Warren's "Purpose-Driven Life." Published by the HarperCollins imprint Zondervan, the book has sold some 14 million copies over the past three years.

Few books in any category sell that well, but religious-themed books now represent the No. 3 publishing category by market share, after popular fiction and cooking. Most major publishing companies now have a religious imprint.

"Last year, the Book Industry Study Group (a market research firm) predicted that religious sales would drop by 3 percent," said Garrett of Publisher's Weekly. "Instead, they were up again, by 30 percent."

Other media have been blessed, as well. At least four network TV series have explicit religious themes, and many others regularly address spiritual topics. In fact, CBS has scored a mid-level hit with its show, "Joan of Arcadia," in which a 16-year-old finds herself doing the Lord's work.

Related story


• Bid fails to ban 'Passion' in France

http://money.cnn.com/2004/03/29/news/international/passion_ban_fails.reut/index.htm

• Will Hollywood get religion?

http://money.cnn.com/2004/02/24/news/companies/christ_movie/index.htm


In music, Contemporary Christian music (CCM) recordings now outsell classical and jazz music combined, according to Barry Alfonso, author of the "Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music" (Watson-Guptill, 2002).

CCM performers embrace genres from heavy metal to hip-hop and everything in between. Cross-over stars include soul singer Rebecca St. James, rockers Jars of Clay and the recently disbanded Sixpence None the Richer, whose song "Kiss Me" was a No. 1 recording.

"Most people who bought Sixpence's music probably didn't even know they had Christian roots," said Alfonso.

One can also find God all over the radio dial. The number of religious stations in America grew by 32 percent last year, according to Arbitron. That was faster growth than Spanish-language broadcasting, which rose 31 percent, and "urban" programming, which expanded by 21 percent.

Religious broadcaster Salem Communications is America's No. 3 major-market radio network (after Clear Channel and CBS/Viacom), according to Joe D. Davis, executive vice president for radio at Salem.

Though religious marketers buy most of its spots, corporate America is well represented on Salem's advertiser list. Sponsors include Coca-Cola, Sprint, Bayer, Travelocity and others.

Last year, Salem's stations posted double-digit advertising gains in such disparate markets as Atlanta, Colorado Springs, and Portland, Ore., according to industry researcher Miller Kaplan. Mainstream radio saw flat or falling sales in all those places.

Fast-growing categories
It's been widely noted that Gibson promoted "The Passion" by showing pre-release versions of it to sympathetic audiences, from preachers and pundits to the pope. For the faithful, such word-of-mouth promotion is as old as the teachings of Saint Paul.

These days, hit properties in religious media don't just share spiritual themes; they use the same marketing approaches.

To sell "Purpose-Driven Life," Zondervan has simulcast an instructional video to 1,500 churches, called the "40 Days of Purpose." It's a sort of lesson guide for the faithful, as well as an ad for Zondervan.


Similarly, Salem Communications has developed extensive "congregational marketing programs," through which it solicits pastors and parishioners to listen to Salem stations.

"There's an enormous trust that people of faith place in other people of faith," said Salem's Davis. "We appeal directly to the pastors as gatekeepers to the Christian community."

Congregations can drive music sales in much the same way, according to Alfonso.

CCM bands tour churches, and their songs are worked directly into liturgies. They also perform at events like Salem's "Celebrate Freedom" concert, an all-day musical festival that drew 175,000 people to a Dallas fairground last summer.

Ironically, even empty pews may contribute to crowded bookstores. Garrett conjectures that readers who are skeptical of the words from the pulpit may be turning to books.

"De-institutionalizing of American religion means a lot of people are not involved with formal churches," she said. "But they still have spiritual questions even if they don't go to church."