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.

We live in the age of entertainment. Movies and TV shows in America are being produced and released at a staggering speed. You couldn’t keep up with them all if you did nothing but sit on your couch and watch television 24/7. More than that, our lives are consumed with social media. And even if you aren’t on your phone constantly, we live in a culture that revolves around the latest YouTube videos and TikToks. There are many consequences to a culture defined by media and media consumption (some positive, some negative). But an interesting result that has availed itself in recent years is the idea of performance. A culture consumed with entertainment is one that values performances above all else. In many ways, by choosing to spend a majority of our time looking at screens and watching movies, TV, YouTube, TikTok, etc., we have replaced authenticity with performance.

So what does this bit of cultural critique have to do with being a better Christian or becoming a better equipped Faith Driven Consumer? Well, the Bible actually has quite a bit to say about this issue. Of course, scripture doesn’t use the same language or reference the same institutions of 2021. That said, the timeless lessons and the principles apply, nonetheless. In fact, in the passage that we are going to briefly consider today, Jesus teaches a lesson to his disciples (and therefore us) about how to avoid being a performer and what it looks like to be a humble and authentic believer instead.

As we continue from last week, considering what true acts of service and worship look like, let’s turn once again to Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament. This week we are going to examine His words in Matthew chapter 6, verses 3 through 6. Jesus is teaching his disciples about authentic worship, and says:

Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [6] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)

Last week, we looked at Mark 12:41 and discussed what true giving looks like. One thing we discovered is that Jesus is pleased with sacrificial giving more than giving out of abundance. This week’s passage reveals another aspect of true giving: authenticity, or sincerity. The verses above describe Jesus’ rebuke of insincere acts of worship, as he explains to his disciples what true acts of worship should look like.

What Jesus notices about these “great” acts of charity and grand displays of prayer being committed in the temple is that they are inauthentic and from a heart that is anything but selfless or sincere. Jesus sees the actions of the Pharisees for what they are: a performance. They were interested in the appearance of the giving and the appearance of prayer. They were interested in the acclaims; the “thank yous” and the “oohs” and “ahhs.” They were interested in what these actions could afford them in social credit and in the hierarchy of the temple leadership. The one thing they were not interested in was worshipping their Father in heaven.

The scriptures are full of warnings to hypocrites. Going through the motions or performing for those around you are not the kind of actions that please God, nor will they bring the blessings that He offers. What God wants is your heart. And while we as humans can only make judgments based off of the actions, words and behavior of others (all of which can be scripted or contrived), Jesus sees our hearts and knows the motivations, desires and mental states that ultimately underly everything we do.

Jesus exhorts his disciples to not deceive themselves nor deceive others with insincere acts of “worship” that result in nothing more than self-righteousness and pride, and instead to demonstrate the authenticity of their faith, devotion and worship by humbly worshipping God as if no one was watching. That’s what He’s encouraging us to do when He uses the clever expression “don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” And when He says to pray in private, He is prescribing helpful practices that will ensure that our acts of worship don’t become a performance that is given for everyone except the One for whom worship should be.

We live in a culture where we have replaced authenticity and sincerity with performance and hypocrisy. We find ourselves constantly considering the social ramifications of what we are doing more than we consider what is morally right, or good for our neighbor, or glorifying to God. At some point we exchanged a sincere heart for worshipping and serving, with a desire to be acknowledged and praised by those around us. And when that happens, worship, giving, acts of service and all these good things become ways for us to worship ourselves more than God. That was true of religious people in Jesus’ day, some two-thousand years ago, and it’s still true today. Just as there were many back then whose spiritual lives amounted to nothing more than mere performances, so too are there many today who go through the motions or even offer grand worship performances. Ultimately, however, Jesus’ words ring true that “they have received their reward in full.”

When we give our lives as a performance for others, even if it involves spiritual or religious acts, ironically, we get exactly what we wanted: the praise of others. However, what we don’t receive are the blessings from God which accompany true acts of worship, from a sincere and authentic heart. We aren’t transformed into more Christ-like individuals. And we don’t experience the spiritual fruit of intimate communion with God. Instead, when we live for ourselves, even if under the guise of living for God, we ultimately get a reward that is fleeting and finite, and that won’t satisfy. We as Faith Driven Consumers have an opportunity to demonstrate to the world what authentic faith looks like, through sincere and humble acts of worship, service, and giving, not grandiose and self-serving displays of spirituality. May we heed the words of Jesus and allow the Spirit to refocus our hearts and minds where we have been tempted to perform instead of worship.

Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to look at a few passages in the New Testament and see what we can learn from some of Jesus’ teachings about what true worship and acts of service look like. As Christians and Faith Driven Consumers, it’s important that we stay grounded and biblically faithful in this day and age where we are increasingly becoming a minority and the biblical worldview and way of life is becoming less tolerated. Sometimes we need to step back and evaluate our actions and make sure they are corresponding with biblical values and the teachings of Jesus. This week we are going to consider a passage in the book of Mark where Jesus teaches his disciples that the heavenly exchange rate looks a lot different than the earthly one, and that bigger gifts don’t necessarily equal greater generosity.

Let’s look at Mark 12:41-44:

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (ESV)

It’s fascinating when you really consider what Jesus is doing in this passage. He’s in the temple and just sitting back and analyzing the way in which the Jews were coming into the temple and giving their tithes. It’s funny when you consider that these people are in God’s house and giving money to God, and Jesus, who is God in the flesh, just sits there and observes. And instead of doing what we might do if people were coming into our house and giving us money (barely containing our excitement and thanking the people profusely), Jesus simply sits and analyzes their behavior and diagnoses their hearts. Where men would see that and say “wow, what a great man and a generous offer,” Jesus is able to see the motivations behind the action, not just the action itself.

After pointing out the many large offerings clanging around in the box, he draws their attention to a place where no other’s attention is directed: a poor woman shuffling to the offering box to throw in a few coins, amounting to less than a penny. Jesus then declares this woman’s meager gift to be worth more than all the others who had heaped treasures onto the offering table. But Jesus says that others gave out of abundance, while she gave all she had. The small gift, which was a true sacrifice, was worth more than the enormous gifts which didn’t even put a dent in the pharisees’ bank accounts.

What can we, as Faith Driven Consumers and as Christians in 2021, learn from this passage today? While there are many observations one could make, let’s just briefly consider the most immediate lesson Jesus is trying to communicate.

The main point of Jesus’ teaching in this passage is to convey the true nature of giving. Giving is about generosity, love and faith. It’s not about the amount. You could say God is more concerned with the quality of your giving than the quantity of it. While there isn’t a set amount of money you should be giving, we learn that God is most interested in giving sacrificially. While these pharisees and wealthy Jews were giving sizable amounts, they were doing so only because they had so much they could give.  Even though the donations looked significant, it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket to them.

But we are called to be living sacrifices. When we become a Christian and make a commitment to follow Christ, we surrender every part of our lives to God and His kingdom. Everything you are and everything you have is supposed to be an offering. So, when you give, God is not interested in the amount of zeros on the check or the amount of bills in the offering plate, He is concerned with whether you are giving out of convenience, obligation, or performance, OR, are you giving out of generosity, love and faith.

Have you been working off of a heavenly exchange rate? Have you been like the poor woman who gave what she had without worrying that she might not have enough for the next day? Jesus teaches us that giving isn’t about the size of your gift; it’s about the size of your sacrifice. As Faith Driven Consumers, we are conscientious about our money and our spending. We exist as the FDC Community to ensure that we are using our dollars well, making an impact in the culture, and glorifying God with our spending. If we are asking ourselves how well we are using our dollars in the marketplace, we should certainly be concerned with how well we are using our dollars in our offerings and our giving. We have a great opportunity, in light of this powerful passage of Jesus’ teaching, to ensure that we are giving in a way that demonstrates a sacrificial love for God and His sovereign plan. And as sons and daughter of the King, we have real skin in the game and an amazing opportunity to invest in the kingdom to come.

(Don’t miss Part 2 of this blog entry coming next week.)

The idea of fatherhood is one that is central to our worldview as Christians. First and foremost, it’s how the scriptures describe God, and our relationship with Him. Although there are a few references to God as the father of Israel in the Old Testament, it’s not until the New Testament that we truly become aware of God the Father. In the revelation and incarnation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, we get a full picture of God the Father. Moreover, we learn the incredible and almost unfathomable truth: that we get to be adopted into the family of God as sons and daughters. We get to call God our father, and He receives us and takes care of us as His children. This is one of the most prominent ways the Gospel is explained in the New Testament and is central to understanding our relationship with God and how we should live.

But, on this side of heaven, fatherhood is also an important idea. And to be clear, it’s more than an idea, it’s a huge responsibility and calling for millions of people. Being a father is one of the greatest gifts God has given men. It’s why we at Faith Driven Consumer™ (FDC) believe in traditional values like family and fatherhood. We believe in them because they are part of God’s plan and revealed to us in His Word. And, while not every man is called to be a father, it remains one of the greatest ways we can reflect God’s plan for His creation and His people. It’s one of the ways we reflect God Himself. In fact, since God is the first father, and indeed, the author of fatherhood itself, we should take this responsibility seriously and recognize it for the spiritual (not just biological, sociological, or economical) responsibility that it is. It also means that in order to know how to be a good father, we have to look to God and His Word to find the specific purpose and design of fatherhood and the family.

Biblical fatherhood, then, is about mirroring God in our actions. It’s about being the leader of our families in a way that reflects God’s design for creation and that imitates God’s actions as our own heavenly father. This is an incredible responsibility, and quite obviously one that we can’t 100% live up to. Still, this is what we are called to strive toward, all the same. But at this point you might be asking, “what can I learn from God about being a father? I mean, being God and being an earthly father are pretty different. And, it’s not like He’s going to take me out for coffee once a week and give me some pointers on being a dad.” That’s probably true (although if God has been taking you out for coffee weekly, please email us and tell us about it immediately…). However, the scriptures reveal the character of God and provide full of stories about how God interacts with us, His children. So although you’re probably not going to get a one-on-one sit down where God gives you advice on how best to teach your son to throw a baseball, we have the words of God Himself found in the bible, and they tell us what kind of father He is, and by extension, what kind of father we should be.

So what can we learn about fatherhood from God in scripture?

Love. First, we learn that God loves. In fact, 1 John 4:8 says that it isn’t just something He does, instead, it says that “God is love.” God is a loving father, not because He sometimes does nice things for His children, or because He sometimes feels loving towards us, but because He is love, itself. Love originates and flows from Him and we get to be the primary recipients of this love as His sons and daughters. This should encourage us to do, and be, likewise. Biblical fatherhood is first and foremost about love. Therefore, we should love our children with an unconditional love that doesn’t disappear when we are having a bad day. And, it doesn’t diminish when they disappoint us or even when we must discipline them. Love is the basis of biblical fatherhood.

Discipline. That brings us to the second thing we can learn from God about being a good father: a good father disciplines his children. Now, admittedly, this one is less popular in our current cultural climate. Our culture has largely rejected the idea that children, or people in general, should experience negative repercussions for their actions, or at least not from any authority figure. We don’t like authority, and we certainly don’t like negative consequences. But, regardless of the method of disciplining, we learn from the scriptures that God disciplines us for our own good. And, in the same way, we are instructed to discipline our children. But we should remember that discipline is not retribution. It’s not an opportunity to get back at your children for doing something wrong or making you angry. Biblical fatherhood and the biblical picture can’t be that because of the first point we mentioned: God is love. So, that is the challenge for fathers: discipline your children in love, for their own good. How can we ever hope to understand that tension correctly and achieve such a difficult balance? By reading the scriptures and learning how God disciplines us, loves us, and redeems us all for His glory and for our good.

Security. One of the most important roles a father plays in the life of his family is that of caretaker. Fathers are entrusted with many responsibilities, but one that is both practical, as well as biblical, is the responsibility to provide safety and security for your family. Now, there are times when bad things happens or accidents occur that can’t be prevented. Further, there may be persecutions or other hardships that extend to the family because of living rightly in a fallen world. These are the areas that we give to God as we trust in Him (the perfect father). But just as God is a father who providentially and sovereignly looks out for us and protects us from evil, so are we to protect our own families. This can be practical like making sure your family is safe each night before bed. Or it can be safety and security in regard to the spiritual health of our families. There are times when a father must consider what is best for the souls with which he is entrusted, and that might occasionally require difficult decisions. Protecting your family could mean making an unpopular decision about what kinds of things you allow your family to be exposed to. But, if you are seeking God’s plan, and not your own, and you are loving your family well, you can feel empowered to take up this responsibility and protect them.

There are countless other biblical principles of fatherhood we could discuss. And, since God’s goodness is truly inexhaustible, we will never run out of lessons to learn about being a good father. But this week we simply wanted to highlight what the bible says about fatherhood in hopes that any father reading this will be encouraged and empowered to be all that God has entrusted you with. At FDC we take fatherhood seriously. We take the family seriously. We believe you are a vital part of what we are trying to accomplish by God’s power and God’s grace. Our culture is suffering from a lack of leadership, a lack of strong families, and a lack of integrity. God has given Christian men an opportunity to shine brightly against this bleak backdrop and demonstrate to the world the love of God the Father. So, to all the fathers out there reading this today, thank you for who you are and what you do, and we pray that you will persevere in the amazing responsibility God has given you.

Happy Father’s Day.

Here at Faith Driven Consumer™, our goal is to make a difference in the marketplace, workplace and culture. One of the primary ways we accomplish this is through engaging the world of commerce in a distinctly Christian way. Our goal is to demonstrate to the world the truth of gospel and the love of Jesus Christ through how we conduct ourselves. Through spending, stewarding and saving in a distinctly faith driven way, we are able to make an impact on our culture and create a more tolerant and welcoming place for Faith Driven Consumers (FDCs) to live, work and do business. This week we are going to highlight a few of the many different avenues FDCs can take in pursuing this goal. Indeed, making an impact in the culture as a Faith Driven Consumer can take many forms, so let’s consider several practical things you can do to demonstrate and live out your faith in your community.

Be Intentional. One way in which we can accomplish this goal is through being more intentional while doing the same, everyday things we’re already doing. Do you have a grocery store you typically go to? Do you get coffee every day at the same coffee shop or drive thru? Do you have a favorite barber or hair stylist you regularly see? All of these are opportunities to build relationships, share the love and truth of the gospel, and make an impact on the lives of people you encounter. And you don’t have to do much more than simply be intentional and take captive those moments that you might normally spend keeping to yourself, scrolling on your phone, or be distracted. For example, make a point to go to the same cashier (even if it means waiting in the longer line at the checkout), remembering their name, and encouraging them or asking how they are doing. This is the kind of small, but faith driven, action that can have a great impact. We should take captive the everyday interactions or exchanges and actively look for ways to infuse the love of God and demonstrate our faith to those around us.

Support Faith Driven Causes. Another way in which we can engage the marketplace, workplace and culture – in a faith driven way that makes a difference – is through supporting causes that promote or defend the values, beliefs, practices, freedoms and rights of FDCs. This can be done through vocal and physical support in your communities, making your voice heard and defending the rights of FDCs. You can petition your local, state and federal representatives, actively promoting the interests of FDCs to your political leaders so that they are compelled to hear the collective voice of the FDC community. You can financially support various organizations which are fighting for these causes on a larger scale. Faith-based legal organizations and law firms are constantly defending the rights of FDCs in the marketplace, workplace and culture. The implications of these legal battles are critical, not just for our generation, but for many to come. But these high profile cases, which can last multiple years and require a team of attorneys, are not cheap. It is up to us to support these causes and fund these efforts. Whether you choose to take up the mantle yourself, or contribute to organizations already embroiled in these causes, supporting the efforts of Christians in our culture is something we can and should be engaged in as FDCs.

Buycott Faith Compatible Businesses. The last avenue we are going to explore is the practice of a “buycott.” Most are familiar with the idea of a boycott and have likely heard of many different groups, including Christians, engaging in this practice in reaction to corporate actions that displease certain groups of customers. While FDC is not here to declare that boycotts are wrong or never useful (there may be specific times when outright boycotts are appropriate), we are here to offer an alternative to boycotts that we think is more appropriate and effective for Faith Driven Consumers: a buycott.

So what’s the difference? Is it just semantics? Well, no, it’s not just semantics, it’s a difference in both motivation and method. Although some may have proper and noble motives in boycotts, unfortunately, far too often these boycotts turn into bullying campaigns motivated by a retributive desire to punish businesses for bad behavior. Furthermore, the method, or manner in which these campaigns are conducted often involves behavior and speech that is un-Christlike and only does damage to our witness in culture. For these reasons we believe that buycotts are a superior way for FDCs to leverage the marketplace for the interests of our community. While a boycott focuses on the “bad” brands and prohibits you from buying their products, a buycott focuses on the better brands.  It’s not about saying “no” to certain brands, it’s about saying “yes” to the brands doing it best and showing your support for their faith compatible corporate actions. In this, we are able to avoid negativity, and instead, positively engage with the marketplace without damaging our Christian witness. This is ultimately more effective in our goal of making an impact on culture for the sake of the gospel and for the preservation of biblical values. If we focus on highlighting and supporting brands that are doing it better, then we encourage the entire industry to follow suit.

There are countless ways to live out your faith in your community, make your voice heard, and effect change in marketplace, workplace and culture. But if you’re looking for simple and practical ways to get more involved and start making a difference, then maybe you can pick one or two of the actions above and see if you can implement them into your daily life. And when you do, Faith Driven Consumer will be here to help you every step of the way!

This week we are going to take a look at the Book of James in the New Testament. We’re going to camp out in chapter 1, verses 2-4 and find a few bits of wisdom contained therein. Hopefully, you will be encouraged by the words of James the Apostle, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So let’s take a look and see what we can learn from this passage, and then do our best to apply it in a way that makes us better Faith Driven Consumers (FDCs).

James 1:2-4. 

[2] Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (ESV)

A lot of us have experienced real difficulties this past year. We’ve endured a pandemic that has touched virtually every aspect of our lives. And many have experienced these effects in intense and negative ways. Some have lost loved ones. Others have endured isolation. And countless individuals’ live have been upheaved in various ways that affect our jobs, finances and families. As a result, many have had their faith tested through these trials and tribulations.

But James 1:2 reminds that we have a stake in something much greater than the sum total of the good and bad things that happen to us in our lives. Moreover, it reminds us that there is a purpose in it. Because we have a God who is sovereign, but who is also our Father, we can trust that we aren’t experiencing these struggles in vain, nor are we experiencing them alone. That’s how we are able to do something utterly counter-intuitive and counter cultural: we can rejoice in our suffering. We can count it all joy when we have troubles and when life gets us down because we know that there is a purpose in it, and that God is in control. He is strengthening our faith, fortifying our souls, and equipping our minds to endure all that God is preparing us for. He is making us steadfast.

We’ve not only seen a terrible pandemic this year, but also, as Christians, we’ve seen the continued rise of a culture and a society that is increasingly hostile toward Christians. It is evident more than ever before in the U.S. that Bible-believing Christians, defenders of traditional morality, and, indeed, Faith Driven Consumers, are a minority in this country. To be clear, we are not being severely persecuted, and we shouldn’t compare the freedom and comfort we experience as Christians in America to the intense persecution of the church in history or around the world today. However, there is a clear and unmistakable trend towards the marginalization of Christians and an adversarial posture toward FDCs in culture, politics and the marketplace. Traditional Christians and their beliefs may not be tolerated in the near future, and with that intolerance will come a host of hurdles and struggles.

But James 1:2 tells us how to respond to these and other struggles that we face and will increasingly face in America. James doesn’t say “Life isn’t that difficult, so put a smile on your face” or “Life is difficult, so vote for the right person to fix it” or “Life is difficult so fight back against your enemies.” Instead, he tells us to respond with something pretty counter-intuitive. He says to count it all joy. That’s a radical notion. But hear what James is saying. He’s not saying you should be happy when someone gives you bad news, or that you should jump for joy when you find out you lost your job. James isn’t telling you to pretend bad things are good or to turn off your emotions and fake a smile. Instead, he says “count it all joy.” He’s saying that when you think about the struggles in your life, and decide how you will respond, consider it all joy. Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the truth revealed in Scripture, we have the privilege of being able to take a heavenly perspective on the troubles of life. The Apostle James is calling us to put our difficulties and struggles in perspective. He’s reminding us that we have a loving and sovereign Father in heaven who is using all things for His glory and for our good. This allows us to do something that seems impossible in the eyes of the world: it allows us to count it all joy.

So whether it’s the pandemic and all that it has wrought on our nation, or cultural pressure and marginalization, or just plain ole spiritual warfare evident in daily struggles and trials, we should remember that we have a good, good Father who is in control. Further, you should remind yourself that none of it is in vain. The second part of this passage says that all of this isn’t meaningless. Instead, it’s producing something good in us. It’s making us steadfast. It’s equipping us so that we won’t be lacking in any way. As you go this week and experience everything that the world and the devil have to throw your way, tell yourself “Actually, I’m going to consider it all joy, because I know God is working through this and wants to make me better. And that’s something I can truly rejoice in.”

In many ways, our principles are what define us. They are the content of our beliefs, morals and commitments. They are the basis for our actions. Someone’s principles can tell you a lot about who they are and how they act. And, conversely, someone’s actions can tell you a lot about their principles. More specifically, the choices individuals make reveal the real principles they have, even if they are different from the ones they claim to have. The truth is that we fail to live up to our principles pretty often. So, when we encounter men and women who have taken courageous stands on important principles, and followed that commitment up with real sacrifice, we should recognize and celebrate them. One of the greatest examples of this incredible feat are the countless servicemen and servicewomen who have given their lives in the line of duty for the principles that make us who we are. As we highlight and celebrate their sacrifice this week, we are going to look at a few of the principles these men and women died for, and see if we can’t appreciate them, and those who died for them, in a fuller and more biblically faithful way.

Freedom. Freedom isn’t first and foremost an American ideal. It wasn’t invented by the founders of the United States or first imagined in the Declaration of Independence or U.S. Constitution. Instead, the U.S. was the first nation to implement freedom as the basis of their governance. But freedom is first and foremost a biblical idea. God made Adam and Eve in His own image and gave them freedom and dominion over creation. He brought His people out of slavery in Egypt and gave them their own land and their own nation. And in the New Testament, we learn that through Jesus’ work on the cross, we, who were once slaves to sin, are now free in Christ. The principle of freedom that is codified in our founding documents is really a biblical principle given to us by God. So, when brave men and women in our military give their lives for our freedom and for the freedom of others, we should recognize the weight of their sacrifice and the nobility of their actions. Freedom is a biblical idea, and it’s worth fighting for. And that’s exactly what countless soldiers have done – they have fought, and died, for this freedom to be extended to all.

 Defense of Innocent Life. Another principle, or goal, of our military that is borrowed from the foundations of Scripture is the defense of innocent life. Protecting life, especially innocent life, is an ideal that is central to the biblical ethic. This commitment to life is one that was unique among religions of the day, but is foundational to the biblical story. From the very beginning, we learn that everyone was made in God’s image. This endowed every man and woman with dignity and infinite value. It also meant that transgressing, demeaning or sinning against another human in any way was also a transgression against God. This passage in Genesis, and many others that followed, laid the foundation for the preservation of life, especially innocent life. This is one of the many Judeo-Christian values that was codified in our nation’s founding and what the U.S. military exists to accomplish: the defense of innocent people and the preservation of life. And it’s one of the principles that compels us, not just as Americans, but also as Christians, to consider the magnitude of what many have fought and died for. This realization should place us all in a somber posture of gratitude toward the individuals who fought and died for this noble objective.

Sacrifice. Sacrifice is perhaps the most Christian of all principles. It is the most “Christ-ian” thing one can do. Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” If we are going to live our lives in a way that imitates, reflects and models Christ to the world, then there is no better way to do that than through sacrifice. Now, admittedly, every individual’s calling does not look the same, and not everyone is destined to give his life on the battlefield, or even the mission field. For many of us, it will look like making smaller sacrifices day-in and day-out. But for the millions of servicemen that we remember, celebrate and honor this Memorial Day, they have made the ultimate sacrifice. They died for their country, their countrymen, and the ideals they believed in. They demonstrated their commitment to freedom, the defense of innocent life, and many other noble values by giving up their very lives for them.

It’s one thing to say you believe in certain principles, values or morals. It’s another thing to sacrifice everything in defense of them. That’s why we have a Memorial Day. That’s why we remember. When men and women are willing to fight and die for what they believe in… when they leave the comfort of their homes and the safety of domestic life… and when they give up their lives and their freedom so that others can have them, it is something worth remembering. It’s something worth honoring. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” This great love is what we are indebted to, and it is why we take the time to stop and remember every individual who died in service of a greater cause. This week, we remember these men and women, we champion this greater cause, and we express our deep gratitude for their ultimate sacrifice.

One of the most integral parts of our mission at Faith Driven Consumer™ is informing and equipping Faith Driven Consumers like you to better engage with the marketplace. The principal resource that allows us to accomplish this goal is our Faith Equality Index (FEI). The FEI is a dataset built by FDC to establish the faith compatibility of the brands that you shop with every day. The FEI’s main purpose is informing and equipping our members with the information needed to Purchase with Purpose™ and leverage the marketplace toward true diversity and equality.

You might be asking yourself where you are going to purchase your new TV (Best Buy? Amazon? Target?). Or maybe it’s a more important decision like which life insurance company to use. It may even be as simple as thinking about switching to a new shampoo or toothpaste. But as a Faith Driven Consumer, you understand that being a good steward of what God has given you not only means being conscious of how much you spend, but also where you spend it.

Brands and businesses constantly show their support for many identity groups (LGBTQ+, etc.) And there are countless advocacy organizations and non-profits that exist to represent a variety of interests for a variety of communities (the Human Rights Campaign, for example). At FDC, we are also committed to representing the interests of our community, those driven by their Christian faith. We believe that the best way to make this kind of impact is not through bullying or pressuring businesses to meet our demands, but through unifying and activating the influence that this massive community already possesses.

In a world where businesses and brands compete for communities that don’t resemble people of faith, and where the advocacy industry represents everyone except Christians, where can FDCs go to find out the truth about businesses and their actions and attitudes toward Christians? We have developed the Faith Equality Index precisely for people asking this important question.

What exactly is the FEI? The FEI is the standard by which our community measures corporate America’s commitment to full inclusion of the Faith Driven Consumer as an equally valued, welcomed, and respected community. It is a simple and easy-to-use index consisting of countless brands and their ratings. As a quick and accessible tool, the FEI enables you to search by a particular brand and find out immediately how compatible it is with people of faith like you and the values of your community. On a scale of INCOMPATIBLE to COMPATIBLE, brands are rated so you are equipped to make more informed decisions.

We at FDC are exceedingly happy to provide our members with this resource and sincerely believe it can become an invaluable tool for Christians who are interested in leveraging their dollars for a marketplace, workplace and culture that will truly welcome and celebrate the faith community. The Faith Equality Index platform will continue to evolve to enable the positive changes that we can influence and drive together.  We encourage you to learn more and check out the FEI today, then seize the growing opportunity to Purchase with Purpose™.

Want to read more about the FEI and how to engage? Check out these additional resources:

• The Spirit of the FEI
• Leveraging the Marketplace
• Engaging Brands Who Aren’t Faith Compatible
• Making Everyday Decisions as a Faith Driven Consumer, part 1 of 2
• Making Everyday Decisions as a Faith Driven Consumer, part 2 of 2

At the inception of Faith Driven Consumer™ (FDC), there were many possibilities for what we would name our organization. We wanted to represent Christians, quite obviously, and we knew we wanted to do it in the world of commerce. There are numerous organizations and ministries that do incredible work in every kind of area, but we knew from the beginning that we wanted to apply gospel principles specifically to the marketplace, so that Christians could produce change in the culture through influencing this particular area. So, naturally, the “consumer” part of “Faith Driven Consumer” was chosen. But what about the “Faith Driven” part? Why that specific term? Why not just “Christian Consumer?” Why not something more specific? Or, why not something more broad?

While there are conceivably many different names that we could have chosen that would have been acceptable or appropriate, we at FDC are partial to the idea of what we do and who we represent as being distinctly “faith driven.” Of course, we are Christians and are representing Christians in the marketplace. However, our intention is to represent, not so much those who loosely associate with Christianity or who default to a handful of beliefs traditionally connected to Christianity, but instead to be a voice for those individuals and families across America who identify with a biblically-based, traditional and orthodox Christianity, which permeates every aspect of their lives. This is why the forty-one million Americans that we acknowledge as Faith Driven Consumers, based on our research, are significantly fewer in number than Americans who identify simply as “Christian.”

Being a part of the Faith Driven Consumer community means that you are more than just someone who identifies with the religion of your parents. Instead, you are someone who has the work of Jesus Christ and the truth revealed in God’s word as defining features of your life. Those characteristics define who you are, what you believe, and how you live your life. And it not only extends to life decisions like how you will raise and educate your children, who you will vote for, or what church you will attend; it also extends to how you shop, save and conduct yourself in the marketplace. It means that when you set a budget, give your monthly tithe, and decide where to spend your money, your ultimate goal is to glorify God with your actions and have a gospel impact on the world around you.

This kind of Christian with this kind of mindset is who Faith Driven Consumer exists to represent, unite and amplify. And the importance of this commitment – one that goes beyond association or family tradition – is why we go deeper than the label of “Christian,” but less specific than any one denomination. Because the uniting feature of Faith Driven Consumers is that they are faith driven in their lifestyle and their choices. Anything less will fail to make a difference and impact our culture. We need gospel-centered community members willing to take their faith to its logical extent: to the ends of the earth, but also to every aspect of their lives.

If the Christian life is not just about affirming certain truths and being on the right side of moral or religious arguments, then we as Christians have a lot of work to do. In the book of James, chapter 2, the Scriptures make clear that our faith implies action and true change:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  (James 2:14-18, ESV)

This passage describes perfectly why we chose the term “faith driven.” Faith is not just about believing; it’s a call to action, a cause to champion and the source of transformation. Faith without works is dead. And the FDC Community without the power of the gospel and transformed lives of believers is destined to fail: dead on arrival.

But we believe that our faith is not one that is powerless, inert or ineffectual. Instead, it is a faith that drives our very lives and extends to every part of our being. It shows us where to go, who to be, and how to live. And a community of millions of like-minded FDCs, united in our beliefs and actions, and engaged to make a difference in our culture, is an undeniable force to be reckoned with. This is why we are Faith Driven Consumer, and we believe that cultural change and transformation are truly possible through living out our faith in the marketplace for the glory of God.