Cyber Monday and Christians
Today you'll be seeing lots of media coverage of Cyber Monday, probably describing it as the kickoff of the online holiday shopping season. This site seeks to focus attention on the spiritual heart of Christmas, rather than the commercial hype. Cyber Monday, like the Black Friday "doorbuster" sales, is the product of heavy promotion by some of the largest retail chains. Contrary to much of the spin, it isn't even the busiest day of the year for online sales.
Rather than adding to the hype and sales for Wal-Mart, Best Buy and other retailers, I felt this would be an opportunity to instead shine a spotlight on the many Christian retailers. These companies and individuals have placed their faith at the center of their lives and their business. I encourage you to visit these web sites and consider supporting these businesses. Keep Christ at the center of Christmas with gifts that uplift your family and your faith.
- Crossings
: A major online Christian bookstore. Get your first 5 Christian books for just 99 cents.
- Family Christian Boosktore: Save up to 75 percent at FamilyChristian.com's Clearance Center.
- JesusBranded.com: Witness Wear. "We make the clothes. You live Jesus Branded."
- Bibles.Org: Select Bibles in many styles and more than 200 languages.
- Simply Youth Ministry: Teaching help for high school and junior high students from Doug Fields.
- VisionVideo: Quality Christian movies and videos from Gateway Films.
- YouthMinistry.com
: Ministry tools for Junior High students.
- Answers In Genesis: Resources for life, family and apologetics.
Posted by RichM at 01:56 PM | Link to this article | Get Posts by Email
The Nativity Story
Will "The Nativity Story" become a blockbuster hit like "The Passion of the Christ?" It's too early to say. But the movie, which arrives in theaters this Friday, Dec. 1, has gained positive feedback from many Christian leaders, who say the filmmakers have taken pains to be faithful to the Gospel accounts of the Christmas miracle.
To help readers learn about the movie, we've created a special page on our site with news and reviews of The Nativity Story. It includes links to the official web site for the film, as well as numerous articles in Christian media. There are also links that provide background about an off-screen controversy involving the 16-year-old actress who plays Mary, Keisha Castle-Hughes, is single and pregnant. We'll keep updating as reviews and box office figures become available, and hope this page will eb a useful resource for Christians who are interested in "The Nativity Story."
Posted by RichM at 09:22 PM | Link to this article | Get Posts by Email
Wal-Mart: "Merry Christmas" Is Back
"Merry Christmas" is back at Wal-Mart, the company said today. A year after religious groups boycotted Wal-Mart for downplaying the Christian holiday, the company said it has embraced Christmas in its customer greetings, store displays and marketing. An excerpt:
"We, quite frankly, have learned a lesson from last year," says Wal-Mart spokeswoman Linda Blakley. "We're not afraid to use the term 'Merry Christmas.' We'll use it early, and we'll use it often." Wal-Mart told about 7,000 associates of the plans at a conference last month and "was met with rapturous applause. ... We know many of our customers will feel the same," says John Fleming, Wal-Mart's executive vice president of marketing.Executives at Wal-Mart and Macys are encouraging employees to consider wishing customers holiday greetings that are appropriate to their race or religion, including "Happy Kwanzaa" or "Feliz Navidad."
Posted by RichM at 07:29 PM | Link to this article | Get Posts by Email