Show your electronics that Jesus saves and ring in the New Year with a piece of Jesus toast; freshen your breath with one of the famous Testa-Mints (found in your nearest Christian bookstore) before slapping on your Jesus Save sandals to go buy a bobblehead football Jesus.

Are these items harmless, or humorless and offensive? Christian kitsch is becoming a mainstream commodity, making waves in Christian retail on Internet sites featuring odd items.

“There are some disconcerting side effects to watch out for in the world of Christian advertising,” noted James Beverley, in an interview with The Christian Post. “Any promotion that uses Gospel symbols to sell non-spiritual products increases the chances of non-Christians thinking that all Christians are interested in is money.

“There is also the danger of cheapening the value of Christian symbols by direct connection with various products of modern capitalism,” said Beverley, professor of Christian thought and ethics at TyndaleUniversity in Toronto, Canada.

Creators of the kitsch argue that some products were created for functionality, such as the Higher Power surge protector, a cross-shaped power strip to maximize outlet space.
“It’s a much more efficient way of using all your outlets … it’s also a visual metaphor; the cross is a ‘higher power,’” Rob Howell, the entrepreneur behind the idea, told CP.

While Howell is not himself a Christian – he said he is “more of a searcher” – he saw the popularity of other Christian products, namely the Jesus toaster featured in a previous CP article. He and his partner, architect Alex Pincus, have posted the surge protector on kickstart.com to raise the funding needed to launch the project

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