Actually, I still feel the same way.

I thought my disdain for and cynicism surrounding the Christian culture--the one mostly found in these things called Christian Bookstores--had died down and mellowed out substantially since leaving college and growing up a bit. That was a good thing, in my mind, particularly because of certain passages of scripture calling us to do things like "bear with one another in love."

So this past Saturday, I for some reason had the urge to visit the Lehigh Valley's large Christian bookstore when we were nearby. I hadn't stepped foot in the place for quite a long time, and something seemed to be calling me back, just to check out what's in, keep tabs on the culture a bit, maybe reminisce about buying DC Talk's Jesus Freak after months of hyped anticipation.

But after Erica and I pulled into the filled parking lot, a different feeling came over me, one of absolute dread wanting me to turn around and go home. I ignored it, and it only took about 30 seconds in the store to decide my cynicism had died down only because I had done an excellent job of avoiding it.

And at a time when I thought some of the bonds of the Christian culture were being loosed, and it looked like we were on the road to improvement, I'm afraid I discovered otherwise in this little field trip. I do think--or hope, at least--that while it's getting worse, its impact is not nearly as widespread as it was 10 or more years ago. Maybe that's wishful thinking, or a reflection of what different circles I've chosen to run in lately.

Mostly, we were just repeatedly faced with the questions, "What is this doing in here?" or "What makes this Christian?" Things like little stuffed puppy dogs, or little fake plastic aquariums, other knick-knacks that could be found in any typical store, obviously placed there just to make a few more extra bucks. What's sad is that inventory like this seems only to encourage people's sense of materialism and consumerism, the acquiring of more needless stuff, rather than encouraging them in spiritual development.

I can't decide which is more concerning, those items, or the items just like them with some sort of spiritual signifier attached, be it a verse or a cross or a fish or a catchy acronym or the like. At least these items have an obvious reason to belong here.

I knew I was asking for trouble when I walked into the room of decorate wall-hangings, where it is quite clear that art isn't worthwhile unless a verse is very clearly displayed in the piece.

And when did the word "inspirational" start meaning the same thing as "Christian?" And how exactly does a rinky-dink table-top fountain inspire you, let alone encourage spiritual formation?

I laughed out loud when a commercial came over the loudspeaker for the Christian version of Guitar Hero. "Play along with your favorite bands!" I know band names in general can get pretty weird, but it seems Christians are usually worse at coming up with good ones. Stellarkart?! Come on!

But perhaps the most disturbing part of the trip was perusing all the different types of Bibles. I'm not a guy that gets upset about all the different translations, and I'm even OK with Eugene Peterson's The Message. Aside from those, the Bible is being completely distorted and abused in all sorts of detrimental ways. One pink Bible for women is entitled, "HUGS." It has to be an acronym--I hope it's not called HUGS for no reason--but I wasn't able to find out what it stood for. The Green Bible is complete as the Green Letter Edition, where any verse mentioning the earth is highlighted in green font. The Revolve Bible for teen girls--sometimes found in magazine form--gives God's holy word right next to dating advice complete with flashy fonts and photos.

I'm all for getting women to find comfort in the Bible, I'm all for caring for the environment, and I'm sure the Bible has plenty to say to girls about their identity in Christ. But when we package the Bible as something self-serving, or focused solely on our pet issue, or as disposable entertainment, the chances of meeting the God of the Bible and understanding this great story of redemption in which we're living are incredibly diminished. And the person who says, "But at least it's getting the Bible in the hands of this person or that person!" is extremely short-sighted and pragmatic, offering an argument that will leave our faith utterly shallow and anemic.

I'm all for a store that is interested in getting appropriate resources into the hands of interested people. But a store like this does little more for the Christian faith than the Toys R Us down the street. One could even argue Toys R Us does more for the faith, because in its neutrality, it does not lead unaware and well-intentioned people in the opposite direction!

Maybe I should keep my mouth shut about things like this, like I thought I was getting better at doing. There are better ways to spend my time than sitting around complaining about other people. On the other hand, issues like this one need to be addressed from time to time, and in my opinion, just as forcefully as Christ addressed the merchants in the temple. I've stayed quiet for long enough, and now that I've gotten this off my chest, I'll probably stay quiet for a little while longer. Thanks for bearing with me in love, as I attempt to do the same.