Web of faith: New online ad site caters to Christians

[Maddy McCall]

Source: Jackson, MS Clarion-Ledger

A new Web site has launched from Jackson (Mississippi) that hopes to create a Christian marketplace in cyberspace.

Called BuyFromAChristian.com, the site advertises local churches, Christian-owned businesses and goods for sale. Though the site may help Christians make money, its backers said its real goal is to spread the Gospel.

"The whole point is that people may go to the site, get exposed to Christianity and the Christian faith," said Buy From A Christian CEO Dr. Philip Chustz, a Ridgeland physician. "Our goal all along is to educate people and have a positive impact."

snip/

Advertising fees range from $2 a month for a local listing to $200 monthly for national exposure. Churches list for free.

snip/

Bob Montgomery of Traditional Jewelers of Ridgeland said he's willing to take the risk that non-Christian customers may feel excluded by his advertising on the site because he wants to promote Christianity. "I have Jewish and Hindu friends," he said. "They're good people, but yeah, I'd like to see them become Christian."



Read more: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/FEAT04/704210314

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The site owner plans to take this nationwide for "Christians all over the country."

:eyes:

[Bluebear]

1. "A Christ-centered commerce community", it says

:eyes:



Here's the very first thing I found, a picture frame in camouflage that says "boys rule"!

[SpiralHawk]

4. "Drive their money-grubbing butts from the temple." - Jesus H. Christ

"How low can they go? Not in my name." - Jesus

[ClintonTyree]

Yeah, it's all about "spreading the gospel"....

the gospel of the almighty dollar. As P.T. Barnum said, "there's a sucker born every minute" and these "christian marketers" are hell bent on finding every one of them. If it was all about "spreading the gospel" shouldn't they be giving the stuff away? :shrug:

[ClintonTyree]

2. Yeah, it's all about "spreading the gospel"....

the gospel of the almighty dollar. As P.T. Barnum said, "there's a sucker born every minute" and these "christian marketers" are hell bent on finding every one of them. If it was all about "spreading the gospel" shouldn't they be giving the stuff away? :shrug:

[merwin]

3. God help us all if they let a heathen into the advertising!

"SHE'S NOT A CHRISTIAN!!!! She was tampering in DARK SIDED stuff! I don't want someone with tainted... anything in beliefs, doing anything with my family!"
--Crazy lady from Trading Spouses

[tanyev]

5. I can't wait until this becomes more widespread.

Sounds like it will be a very handy tool to determine where not to spend my money.

[michaelwb]

6. Not exactly new territory

Jewish Yellow Pages

Black Yellow Pages

And there are many other such examples.

So I really don't see what the big deal is.

[54anickel]

7. Sounds like a "gBay". They get 3.5% of sales, donate 10% of ad fees to

a qualified church/organization of your choice or theirs if you don't pick one. The church rummage/garage sale option sounds pretty interesting from a church's perspective.

http://www.buyfromachristian.com/c/supportyourchurch.html

Here are the states that have churches listed so far. I wondered why a different link I looked at had mostly Southern Baptist Churches listed


» ALABAMA

» FLORIDA

» MISSOURI

» MISSISSIPPI

» OKLAHOMA

» TENNESSEE

» TEXAS

[LiberalFighter]

8. It is intended for Christians BUT they are trying to expose people to Christianity

DUH!!

[acmavm]

9. And outlets for other special interest groups (for lack of a better word)

don't?

It is really rather funny that blacks, gays, hispanics, illegal immigrants, democrats, republicans, whoever, can have their sites, editorialize in public forums, have their own line of clothing (FUBU), form groups to support and help each other. But NOT CHRISTIANS.

Hypocrites. Everyone is trying to influence everyone else. And that's acceptable. As long as it's not CHRISTIANS.

[LiberalFighter]

10. You didn't get it

I took it that they only want Christians.

Don't have a problem with that.

They also want to expose others to Christianity.

I took it How can they do that if they only want Christians to use their website?

[acmavm]

11. So? They want Christians to advertise and promote that site?

And maybe, they hope, that some will go look at it and be influenced by what they see?

Oh My God. That's really so scary. They might want a site of their own. They might want to promote beliefs important to them. Oh my goodness watch out. The mean old Christians are gonna FORCE you to change your attitudes and opinions just by having a website that promotes Christian businesses.

Oh wait, isn't that like a Democratic website that might be for supporters of Democrats only but still allows people to come and look. And its memebers hope that these non-Democrats might start thinking about what they see there, might influence some of them.

Whatever.

[LiberalFighter]

12. I didn't say they shouldn't do it

But if they are using Christianity as their bait very few non-christians will have an interest to patronize the businesses.

I don't patronize businesses that advertise themselves to be christians. I have turned away from businesses that do advertise themselves as christian. I don't trust any business that mask themselves as christians. If they can't do business honestly and with christian values without advertising themselves as such then they won't last long in business. It takes time to build a good reputation.

Comparing DU with christian businesses is not the same. It might be if DU was trying to pass itself as having Republican values.

[acmavm]

13. You didn't say that they shouldn't do it? Then what was your point?

And as for how long they stay in business, you know this for a fact?

Face it, you're a fraud. Does the term 'Liberal' belong to you? Did you copyright it? Is it a requirement for joining the 'Liberal' camp that one has to demonize and turn their nose up at anything 'Christian'? If so then maybe myself and a hell of a bunch of other people here better find somewhere else to go, what with people like you deciding whether or not it's right to take pride and comfort in one's faith and to find others like ourselves and try to show what we are, what we believe, what we think, what course we would like to see the country take. See, I didn't know that was a privilege that we weren't allowed. That it was only non-Christians who could do that.

I seriously don't care where you shop. You won't make or break anyone. But I do get sick and tired of the hypocritical bullshit from people like you.