FORE! Watch For Falling Discernment

Day 281 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

Another trip to Lifeway, another questionable "Christian" item sighting. Today while looking through the study guides this little gem smacked me in the face. A golf study/ help DVD. I'm not really sure what to call it as it is really obscure in its cover descriptions. What is shown on the cover is "Master the course", "Five lessons to lower scores" and "Strategies for your game in golf & life".

So, question #1 is, "Is this a Christian study to edify a person to become closer to the Lord?" Next would be, "If this is a Christian study, why is it marketed as a golf lesson?" Then the next question is, "If this is a golf lessen then why is it even in a 'Christian" retailer on the shelf next to other bible studies?"

Actually I just looked up the "In His Grip" golf entity. I am still kind of at a loss of what to make of it. Is it based for the purpose of building up men in a godly manner or is it as a recreational outlet? It seems it is a mixture of the two as it talks about having golf events and also challenging those that participate to be more on par with God. I am not against Christians getting together and having fun, nor am I against entities that promote and sponsor these events. What does bother me is the marketing and the products that are produced and hawked by these organizations. I mean, do we really need a study that is based in golf instead of being based in scripture? Does a Gilligan's Island bible study really need to be made and sold in Christian book stores?

I am quite aware that Lifeway and other "Christian" book stores are in the profit realm. I have no issues with that at all and would like to see many other Christian establishments opened up, but in a Biblical sense. I would like for the retailers to actually look at the material they are selling to their customers, pray about it and maybe actually read a book or watch a DVD. Get a group of discerning folks together and give them books, DVDs, CDs and other items to evaluate before placing them on your store shelves. After all, God will hold those that sell questionable materials responsible for the repercussions of these items.

Just sayin'