Walk into Lori Devins' downtown shop and it's clear this isn't a typical Christian retail store. First of all, Extreme Christian Clothing features T-shirts. Then, there are the shirts' in-your-face messages.
Along with ones saying "Got Jesus?" and "Fear God" are shirts declaring, "Satan Sucks," "My God can kick your god's butt" and "To Hell with the Devil."
"Our shirts are a little extreme, but I think God is spreading the word and having the youngsters shout out their faith," Devins said. "I think teenagers want to evoke a response."
PHOTO: AP
For the most part, religious retailers focus on books and Bibles; apparel is a small part of sales. Devins turned around that concept with edgy T-shirts and is finding a niche market here and at a similar store she owns in Topeka.
"There aren't too many stores that are breaking out like hers that are focusing on clothing and apparel with the shock value," said Pete Wagg, owner of Never Say Die in Fernley, Nevada, which designs religious T-shirts, including one with a skull and "Never Say Die."
"A store like Lori's is unique in that it's geared for youth and geared with such a strong message," said Wagg, who sells to Devins.
Overall, religious retailing is a growth business in the US. CBA International, the trade association for Christian bookstores and retailers, reported sales by member suppliers at US$4.2 billion in 2002.
A CBA sampling of retail Christian stores showed 57 percent of sales in 2002 were Bibles and books, while apparel accounted for about 2 percent of sales.
Strongly worded religious apparel is a growing trend, said Catherine Stellin, vice president of The Intelligence Group in Los Angeles, which forecasts trends. She said Devins "is ahead of the curve" with her stores.
Teens and those in their early 20s see consumerism as a way to express convictions, she said.
"There is a little bit of shock value to this because this is a generation that feels very strong in their convictions," Stellin said. "So if they believe in something, they are going to shout it out. Subtlety is not their strong point."
Noting trends typically start on the coasts, Stellin said, "I wouldn't be surprised if it worked its way to the Midwest because the core values of religion are much stronger in the Midwest and South."
Chris Rainey, director of marketing for Kerusso, of Berryville, Arkansas, said his company's sales of various religious apparel, including T-shirts, increased by 70 percent in the fourth quarter of last year over the same period a year before.
"There has been such a rise in spiritual interest across the country, especially the youth looking for ways to express their faith and values," he said. "They are wearing T-shirts both as a fashion statement and a faith statement."
For Devins, a wife and mother of four, selling religious items is about more than just making a quick buck.
"I couldn't feel any other way than doing this is doing the work of the Lord. He filled us with this purpose to do this," she said.
In January, she opened her first store in a Topeka strip mall, and by last month, her second store was operating in Lawrence.
Aside from T-shirts, there are ball caps with slogans such as "G.A.P. God Answers Prayers," plus hoodies, jewelry, bumper stickers, skateboards and even fortune cookies with Bible verses.
Not every young person prefers the provocative proverbs.
University of Kansas senior Chad Miller and girlfriend Jenny Shoemaker eyed T-shirts hanging from racks as they looked around the store. Seeing the "Satan Sucks" shirt, Miller said, "That's a little extreme for me."
Asked his preference, he selected one with the word "Jesus" enclosed in thorns shaped like a fish.
Some people worry about extreme epigrams, including Craig Detweiler, a Biola University professor in La Mirada, California, who wrote a book about finding God in pop culture.
"My concern with the T-shirts is that may be good for rallying the faithful, but offensive to those outside that circle," Detweiler said. "Did Jesus build bridges or burn them? Did Jesus ever say they shall know us by our T-shirts?"
But extreme clothing has appeal, said Abe Hernandez, a founder of a chain of five C28 stores in southern California and a line of wholesale clothing that includes T-shirts sporting "King Kong Wasn't My Grandpa."
"Kids want to be bold about who Jesus is in their life and that is why we are here. Edgy sells well," Hernandez said.
Wearers often want to make a point, said Kelton Cobb, professor of theology and ethics at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut.
"If I wear it, I'm not only saying that I'm a religious believer but that I'm also a cool and clever religious believer," Cobb said.
The Burmese junta has said that detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is “in good health,” a day after her son said he has received little information about the 80-year-old’s condition and fears she could die without him knowing. In an interview in Tokyo earlier this week, Kim Aris said he had not heard from his mother in years and believes she is being held incommunicado in the capital, Naypyidaw. Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was detained after a 2021 military coup that ousted her elected civilian government and sparked a civil war. She is serving a
REVENGE: Trump said he had the support of the Syrian government for the strikes, which took place in response to an Islamic State attack on US soldiers last week The US launched large-scale airstrikes on more than 70 targets across Syria, the Pentagon said on Friday, fulfilling US President Donald Trump’s vow to strike back after the killing of two US soldiers. “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote on social media. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.” The US Central Command said that fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery targeted ISIS infrastructure and weapon sites. “All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned
Seven wild Asiatic elephants were killed and a calf was injured when a high-speed passenger train collided with a herd crossing the tracks in India’s northeastern state of Assam early yesterday, local authorities said. The train driver spotted the herd of about 100 elephants and used the emergency brakes, but the train still hit some of the animals, Indian Railways spokesman Kapinjal Kishore Sharma told reporters. Five train coaches and the engine derailed following the impact, but there were no human casualties, Sharma said. Veterinarians carried out autopsies on the dead elephants, which were to be buried later in the day. The accident site
‘EAST SHIELD’: State-run Belma said it would produce up to 6 million mines to lay along Poland’s 800km eastern border, and sell excess to nations bordering Russia and Belarus Poland has decided to start producing anti-personnel mines for the first time since the Cold War, and plans to deploy them along its eastern border and might export them to Ukraine, the deputy defense minister said. Joining a broader regional shift that has seen almost all European countries bordering Russia, with the exception of Norway, announce plans to quit the global treaty banning such weapons, Poland wants to use anti-personnel mines to beef up its borders with Belarus and Russia. “We are interested in large quantities as soon as possible,” Deputy Minister of National Defense Pawel Zalewski said. The mines would be part
RSS