Jesus Just a Brand Name in America

Has America turned Jesus into just another commodity? According to a new book released this month, it has.

Brand Jesus: Christianity in a Consumerist Age, written by Tyler Wigg Stevenson, is addressing how consumerism has affected how Americans view Jesus and the Bible and how his message has become distorted by the power of the economy.

“I hope (this book) can serve as a wake-up call for the American church,” explains the 29-year-old author, in a statement. “We have turned the lifelong activity of faith into the commodity of belief. And in the marketplaces of our churches, from the humble roadside stands to the gleaming ‘Christian lifestyle center’ shopping malls, we hock our product: that best-selling, inexpensive, factory-made, lifestyle-enhancing, identity-defining, eternal-life-giving, easy-to-use, soul-stain remover – Brand Jesus.”

To start his argument, Wigg Stevenson points readers to the book of Romans written by Apostle Paul. Through Paul’s situation in Rome, the author draws parallels to the United States, especially since America now, like Rome then, is a major center of commerce in the world.

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