This week we are going to briefly take a look at a few practical and simple tips that will help you become a more effective Faith Driven Consumer. Obviously, there are many aspects to being a good FDC, and we certainly couldn’t cover them all in one blog post. But, we’re going to try and cover the big ones that, if you employ, will help you begin seeing the world and participating in it in such a way that will maximize your impact. If we all did these few things a little bit better and a little more often, we believe we’d become a more formidable and effective community capable of making a real difference.

1. Become more informed about the brands you buy and the businesses you support. As with most endeavors in life, the more you know, the better you’ll do. Being informed is a crucial part of being an impactful FDC because it enables you more opportunities to purchase with a purpose and make decisions that have real consequences in the marketplace, workplace, and culture. Knowledge really is power (as the saying goes), and we want to be able to use the power we have as consumers to support brands which acknowledge, celebrate, and/or treat FDCs equally. We want to support brands that do it best and encourage those who don’t to start making the effort. But the truth is that without being equipped with the right information or sufficient information, we can only blindly participate in the marketplace. Without this equipment, at best, we aren’t using our leverage as a consumer to shape the marketplace, and at worst, we could be unwittingly working against our goal of creating a more faith compatible culture. Through staying informed and utilizing resources like the Faith Equality Index, you can ensure that you purchase with a purpose and leverage the marketplace in ways that truly make an impact.

2. Take advantage of every transaction and every interaction. There is a wonderful passage in 2 Corinthians where Paul is defending his ministry to the Corinthians. In that passage, he gives us a very helpful tip. In chapter 10, verse 5, he says that as Christians “we take every thought captive to obey Christ. (ESV)” It’s human nature to become distracted and lose sight of things. It’s also easy to become complacent or allow our daily routines to put us in cruise control. When this happens, we tend to see the purchases we make on a daily basis, and even the interactions with those from whom we are purchasing, as a mundane and necessary means to an end. But how often do we consider the importance of both our transactions and our interactions? How often do we consider the possibility that a trip to the grocery store, the bank, or the pharmacy is a real opportunity to make a difference as an FDC? As Christians we should be taking every thought captive. But not just our thoughts, but our actions too. In order to do as the Apostle Paul says and “obey Christ,” we have to seize every opportunity to make a gospel impact in the world around us. If we are going to become more effective FDCs, we need to start seeing every seemingly mundane interaction and transaction as real opportunity we can take captive in order to obey Christ and make a gospel impact.

3. Ensure your spending reflects your values and beliefs. Finally, we should make sure that we are spending our money in a way that glorifies God and reflects his supremacy in your life. We all know the verse… “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (ESV)” What are we spending our “treasure” on? A budget or a bank statement is a great way to evaluate the areas in which we have allowed idolatry to make its way into our lives. And an easy way to evaluate and remedy this is to take a good, honest look at how we are spending our money each month and work to re-align our spending habits in a way that reflects our love for Jesus and His commands. As FDCs, we have a lot to say to the world about what we believe and how we think our culture and the world of commerce should be conducting themselves. We have strong convictions and ambitious goals about transforming them into something more compatible with our biblically orthodox Christian faith. But how often do we take an honest look at our spending and ask what it is demonstrating to the world about who we are and what we love? One of the ways many of us can improve our witness and our effectiveness as FDCs is to make sure that our spending aligns with our beliefs and our values.

As we mentioned above, there are countless other important aspects to being an effective Faith Driven Consumer. But the truth is, most of the things that make you a better FDC, are just things that make you a better Christian. The only difference is an informed and deliberate emphasis on how we engage with the marketplace as Christians. So, apart from the handful of tips given above, if you want to be a better FDC, continue praying and reading God’s word, and then look for ways to apply it in your community so that you can have an impact on both individuals and multi-national corporations. If we apply these helpful tips, and take every thought and action captive, we’ll become more effective Faith Driven Consumers as we work to transform our culture and communities.

This past Sunday, while listening to a sermon, I was struck for the first time by the beauty of a passage of Scripture that I thought I knew pretty well. Does that ever happen to you? In your own bible study or in a sermon, do you ever encounter a verse or chapter that is familiar, but for some reason or another, just hits you in a new way? Maybe something new stuck out or you found something profound or beautiful in the passage that you had never interpreted or appreciated in that way before. This occasionally happens to me and when it does, I’m overjoyed and thankful. I’m also reminded that we have an infinite and inexhaustible God who has given us His word. And even though His word is contained within a book – one that begins with Genesis and ends with Revelation – the truth, beauty and depth of the Scriptures has no end and is likewise inexhaustible.

This week, I simply want to share this passage with you and pray that it will encourage you, comfort you, or stir you in the same way it did me when I encountered it afresh just a few days ago. As I said before, it is a familiar passage for me and it’s altogether likely that it will be for you, as well. But whether you’ve been reading and studying it for years, or this is your first time interacting with it, I believe you’ll find it encouraging and hopeful, specifically if you are enduring hardships or experiencing struggles, as many are in these difficult times. We are going to let the Scriptures do the most talking as we read the entirety of Psalm 46 and just briefly reflect on the beauty, truth and goodness contained in this God-inspired poem written during the reign of King David.

Psalm 46

            [1] God is our refuge and strength,

                        a very present help in trouble.

            [2] Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

                        though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

            [3] though its waters roar and foam,

                        though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

            [4] There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

                        the holy habitation of the Most High.

            [5] God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

                        God will help her when morning dawns.

            [6] The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

                        he utters his voice, the earth melts.

            [7] The LORD of hosts is with us;

                        the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

            [8] Come, behold the works of the LORD,

                        how he has brought desolations on the earth.

            [9] He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

                        he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

                        he burns the chariots with fire.

            [10] “Be still, and know that I am God.

                        I will be exalted among the nations,

                        I will be exalted in the earth!”

            [11] The LORD of hosts is with us;

                        the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (ESV)

What an equally beautiful and empowering truth about our God. The psalm is a triumphant declaration of the sufficiency of God in the midst of our own suffering or dismay. It tells us that God is with us and that He is the antidote to fear and troubles. He is our refuge and our strength. He is our refuge because when we are persecuted, betrayed or hurt by others, we can find security and love in Him. And when the nations rage or the earth trembles, God is in control and we can turn to Him for comfort. But He is also our strength, which means that when our biggest problem isn’t persecution or tribulation from without, but instead within, our own failures, shortcomings and weaknesses, we can rely on God to overcome or accomplish in us the things we couldn’t ever hope to overcome or accomplish on our own.

Lastly, the psalm reminds us that the nations that rage, the borders which earthly rulers have drawn, and the wars that are ceaselessly waged are ultimately not the home for which we are destined. We have a heavenly King who rules a heavenly city, which is unmoved by the futile efforts of man and the weapons man employs. The psalm says, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” We are citizens of this holy city. Moreover, we are sons and daughters of the King because of Jesus’ saving work on the cross.

I hope that this psalm was as impactful and profound to you as it was to me. Maybe you encountered it afresh or truly appreciated the beauty of this ancient poem for the first time. But even if no such spiritual “Eureka!” occurred, as long as you dwell on the encouraging truth in this passage – the same passage that inspired Martin Luther to write “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” – then it will surely provide encouragement as you experience all that the world throws at you. Take a moment to quiet your heart and mind and do as God’s word implores you, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Here at Faith Driven Consumer™ (FDC), we don’t hide the fact that we’re really excited about all of the content and resources we have the privilege to offer our members. From podcasts and blogs such as this one, to our Faith Equality Index (FEI) where you can find out about the faith compatibility of almost one-thousand individual brands and businesses, we’re doing our best to offer resources and content that will make you a more informed, empowered and impactful Faith Driven Consumer. But one resource that you may not be as familiar with – if you are new here or if you are an FDC Community Member only – is what we call the FDC Marketplace.

The FDC Marketplace is a valuable and vital resource, both for FDC as an organization, but also, for our members who have the opportunity to take advantage of the savings it offers. In case you aren’t very familiar with the FDC Marketplace, the short version is, it’s FDC’s savings platform for our Marketplace members where they can find countless (no, seriously, there are too many to count) deals in-store and online at thousands of stores and locations. If you’re planning a trip to Disney, need to get your oil changed, or heading to Subway on your lunch-break, you can save real money through the FDC Marketplace.

How does it work? Head on over to the Faith Driven Consumer Marketplace here, enter your FDC information and sign in. (Learn more about membership here). Then, you’ll have access to all kinds of dining, shopping and travel deals. There are many offers on the home page, but you can also search specifically for brands and businesses, or even by category. Once you find a deal or coupon you like, just click on the deal. From there, click Use this Coupon and print or download the coupon for in-store use. If it’s an online purchase, you will be directed to another webpage to purchase the discounted goods. If you’re planning to travel, go to the travel page and book online to see how well the rate compares to other travel sites and see your cash back opportunities. It’s really that simple!

That’s how FDC Marketplace is a beneficial and important resource for you the Faith Driven Consumer. But we also mentioned earlier that it is vital to what we do at FDC. How so? Well, one of the biggest hurdles we as Christians face in the marketplace is that we are an invisible demographic. This means that unlike many other identity groups, Christians are not usually recognizable just by appearance. So, businesses and brands don’t know just by observation whether or not Christians (or FDCs, specifically) are patronizing their stores. It is very important that we find a way to quantify the data on where Christians are and aren’t shopping. Just as importantly, we need to have a unified voice that can leverage this data and the financial impact it brings with it.

Now maybe we’re getting lost in the weeds, so let’s bring it back: this means that the FDC Marketplace is one of the most powerful ways we can change the overall marketplace and culture. It allows us, as FDCs, to take control of our own data and use it for OUR causes, instead of the other way around. When FDCs use the FDC Marketplace (and save a ton of money while doing so) the impact is much greater than just saving money. It also mobilizes and leverages your spending in the marketplace so that we can make sure your purchases are making a real difference. You see, we are able to present these corporations and businesses with real, objective data about where we are shopping. Then, we can use this leverage and create incentives that will encourage these brands to represent our values, or at the very least acknowledge us and welcome us into the marketplace and workplace. So, as we said above, we get to use OUR data for OUR purposes, instead of having our data used solely for THEIR agendas.

The final aspect of the FDC Marketplace, making it such an important part of what we do, is that, plain and simple, it helps us keep the lights on, so to speak. The FDC Marketplace is the only current resource we offer that is not 100% free. We pride ourselves in making our content and resources accessible, and that’s why we’ve made the FDC Marketplace a ridiculously good deal. Whether you sign up for the monthly subscription of $5 per month, or take the steep discount at $25 per year, you’ll find that you can save what you spent on a subscription in no time. Either way, we hope you will find this resource helpful and save tons of money while using it. We also hope that you will see it as the powerful resource for change and be willing to partner with us in our goal to make a difference. Whether or not you sign up to become a Marketplace member, we here at FDC are thrilled to be able to offer these exciting resources and share with you what they are all about. Together, we have a real shot at making a difference through various ways that ultimately will make your life better, your community healthier and the marketplace more faith compatible.

If you want to know more about our goals and strategy for using FDC Marketplace user data to leverage businesses toward faith compatible corporate actions, make sure to check out Christians You Should Know Podcast, Episode 8 with our Founder and CEO Chris Stone.

If you have questions about why we have specific brands on the FDC Marketplace, make sure to check out our blog post entitled Engaging Brands Who Aren’t Faith Compatible where we answer this question and many others.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but growing up in Christian context and being raised in a Christian family, I used to hear this phrase all the time “Be in the world but not of the world.” It’s become one of those “Christian-ese” sayings that makes sense to you if you’ve heard it your whole life, but maybe not so much if you are new to the faith. But even though it may be something you’ve heard since Sunday School as a kid, it’s an important idea that highlights a real tension in the Christian life. This tension, which is as pronounced and relevant as it ever has been in our world in 2021, involves the question of how we continue to live in the world, even after we have been saved, redeemed and destined for our home with Jesus in heaven. How do we rightly understand living in a world which, as the scriptures tell us, is not our home? Should we do like the old Sheryl Crow song says and just “soak up the sun” while we’re here? Or do we reject the world and all its pleasure and establish our Christian lives and communities in isolation from the world?

We’ve all seen Christians and churches that choose one or the other of these opposite paths. When I was growing up, many of the Christian contexts I was involved in chose the latter. We were very careful not to dress or act “worldly” and we were suspicious of ideas, opinions and perspectives that the world had to offer. We reflexively saw those things which were not explicitly “Christian” as something to be avoided or at least not frequently indulged. On the other hand, just a few decades later, there are many who favor the opposite approach. And while there may not have been a conscious decision by anyone or any group to allow the world to influence and infiltrate our churches and Christian contexts, there has been an unmistakable relaxation of our guard against the “things of this world.” As many have come to realize the damage legalism has had on the Gospel’s witness and impact on our lives, they have traded a suspicion of the world for a suspicion of Christians’ rules about the world.

So how do we understand this difficult concept that’s relevant and important, not just for ourselves, but for our families, our churches, and for the Christian witness globally? Quite obviously we can’t solve it in a brief blog post. Indeed, there have been Christian authors, theologians, and pastors writing about this issue for centuries and there is plenty of disagreement. However, for our purposes I think that if we recognize a few key truths, and resist the temptation to go to one extreme or the other, we can better navigate this issue and properly posture ourselves toward the culture and the world around us.

Complete isolation immobilizes the gospel. One response to this tension is a call for the church to completely isolate themselves from the world. In light of the temptations of the world and the immense influence society and culture can have on us, proponents of this response tend to employ a “better safe than sorry” approach and advocate for Christians completely removing there communities and families away from any influence of “outside society.” This isolation is not only geographical but also extends to every cultural or social influence, so that they are never exposed to non-Christian forms of media or entertainment.

And let’s be honest, when you look around at the world today and see what our culture is offering us, especially as a parent, it can be very tempting to want to completely remove our families from these influences and retreat to an exclusively Christian community. But, while there may seem to be good reasons to withdraw and isolate, ultimately, to do so entirely would be to fail to bring the gospel to the nations. Indeed, the last thing Jesus said to us before he ascended into heaven was to go and make disciples of all nations. That can’t be done if we circle the wagons, retreat from society altogether, and isolate ourselves from the world. We have to engage and be a light in the darkness. 

Complete assimiliation obscures the gospel. Another way in which many Christians have responded to the question of engagement in the world and culture is to completely welcome, embrace, and, ultimately, assimilate the world. There are some who readily admit to having this perspective, but more often than not this approach happens unwittingly. Many, in reacting against a legalistic brand of Christianity experienced in the past, are therefore not skeptical or wary of the world’s influence at all.

This alternative approach is also understandable. Legalism is a false gospel and has led many astray or been the cause of many individuals turning from the church and feeling condemnation. Further, there are many wonderful things that may be considered “the world” that would be missed if seeking to avoid anything that isn’t explicitly “Christian.” However, the Scriptures tell us that the world offers us a veritable cornucopia of idols, vain philosophies, and pleasures that compete for our hearts and minds against God. John 1 says, “If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.” We must recognize that we can’t be citizens of two kingdoms. We have to recognize that the world is against God and that we must love God, which often means saying no to what the world is offering or claiming.

How then should we live? The truth is that there isn’t an easy answer that will make all the decisions you must make for you and your family easy. Despite what the pundits, talking heads, and Facebook firebrands may want you to believe, the answer isn’t obvious, and the other guy who thinks differently is not automatically an idiot or a bad person. Instead of pretending that we at Faith Driven Consumer™ (FDC) can provide you with all the answers to these difficult abstract and practical questions, we simply want to remind you what the scriptures say about engaging with culture and being “in the world and not of the world.”

Jesus tells us in the gospels that we are to be salt and light in the world. This simple metaphor is maybe the best and easiest way to illustrate a balance between the two extremes above. We have to remain distinct from the world, because otherwise we wouldn’t be light in a dark world, or salt in a tasteless world. We have to be so different that our presence in the world has the same effect as a candle in a dark room or as salt on bland food. BUT, in this metaphor the light and the salt are radically transformative. Remember the old song about not hiding your light under a bushel? That’s because if you have a light, you wouldn’t keep it from darkness, you’d use it in darkness. And, the same goes for salt. So, by being salt and light in the world – like Jesus said – we are both remaining unstained and steadfast in distinction from the world, while being radically transformative in the world.

As Christians and Faith Driven Consumers, we have a responsibility to prayerfully consider how God would have us engage with the world. May we do so in a way that enables us to be salt and light in our communities, our culture, and the world around us.