ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 10, 1996 TAG: 9601100098
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CARNEGIE, PA.
SOURCE: CATHERINE DRESSLER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Yvonne Malone wears a business suit to work Monday through Friday, but on weekends she often slips into another suit: a navy blue warm-up embellished with a gold ``E.''
What does the ``E'' stand for? She hoped you would ask. It's for ``Eternity,'' and the stylish clothing - known as Witness Wear - gives her a chance to share her faith as a born-again Christian.
``People will say, `Man, is that a sharp design. Where did you get that?''' she said. ``It will open up a chance to tell them about the Lord.''
Malone, a 47-year-old financial planner, is a typical customer of Exodus Productions, a privately owned clothing company capitalizing on growth in the billion-dollar merchandising of Christianity.
``It's the Kmartization of Christian retailing,'' said Richard Heaton, Exodus' marketing director. ``We're part of that trend.''
In a small warehouse in Carnegie, just outside of Pittsburgh, Exodus president Michael Edwards designs upscale sportswear sold by catalog and in about 3,000 Christian bookstores across the nation.
One line favored by baby boomers features sweaters, pullovers, jackets, T-shirts and bags embroidered with the word ``eternity'' or the more subtle ``E.'' Another features the word ``Messiah'' in large block letters embroidered on turtlenecks or printed across sweat shirts that look like team sportswear.
Bold T-shirts appeal to teens eager to spread the Gospel. One says, ``IT'S JUDGMENT DAY. YOU STAND BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD. YOU'VE BREATHED YOUR LAST BREATH. NO MORE TIME. NO MORE EXCUSES. STILL NO FEAR?''
``I enjoy sharing the message,'' Edwards said.
Edwards, 37, and his partner, Dan Robbins, 42, both of whom are born-again Christians, formed the business in 1991. They said it has given them a chance to make money and honor God at the same time.
Exodus' sales have nearly doubled every year from $100,000 in 1991 to more than $1.2 million in 1995. More than 90,000 products were sold this year at prices ranging from $14.99 for a T-shirt to $119 for a denim baseball jacket with the Messiah logo.
Exodus is one of many players in the Christian retail industry. Sales of Christian merchandise totaled about $3 billion in 1994, more than three times the amount in 1980, according to the Christian Booksellers Association.
The association, a trade group based in Colorado Springs, Colo., estimates 3,000 to 3,500 specialty Christian stores exist across the nation.
``There's a spiritual hunger afoot in the land,'' said Bill Anderson, president of the association.
Christian merchandise was once mostly limited to Bibles, biblical study guides, church supplies and jewelry. Now many Christian bookstores are dropping the word ``book'' from their names. The choir robes, communion wafers and confirmation gifts have been moved to a corner in the back of the store, and the shelves have been stocked with hundreds of new products.
Customers at the Family Bookstores store in the Pittsburgh suburb of Monroeville can shop for Exodus clothing and a broad sampling of gifts, music, books, toys and jewelry while listening to Christian music videos.
Dozens of bumper stickers - with messages such as ``My boss is a Jewish carpenter'' and ``Grace happens'' - are displayed alongside mugs, fishing caps and figurines. A series of ``Bible Greats'' action figures features ``David the Giant Slayer'' and ``Daniel the Prayer Warrior.'' Silk ties contain subtle religious themes, such as angels peeking around paisley patterns.
``We've seen things that are Christian go upscale,'' said store manager Joel Varga.
The sale of Christian merchandise is linked to a Christian economy of sorts. Some Christians prefer to do business with those of like mind.
An Exodus catalog, for example, says, ``Each time you make a purchase, whether it's a magazine or an article of clothing, you are supporting the business that provides those products and ultimately the causes that they believe in, regardless of how godless they may be. [pro-abortion, gay rights, etc.]''
Robert Alley, a humanities professor at the University of Richmond who has written books on church and state, said he was offended by that message.
``The suggestion is that anybody who doesn't have this label on is supporting abortion or gay rights, that it's not safe to buy things unless they have this label,'' he said. ``That's kind of pathetic in a democratic society as diverse as ours.''
Exodus does not work exclusively with Christians, but it will feature Christian models in its spring catalog.
``When you have somebody representing your products, it's good to know their heart and where they stand,'' Edwards said.
But proclaiming one's faith does not necessarily make one moral, said William Cole, operations manager of Cole Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning service in suburban Pittsburgh. His company bills itself in ads as Christian, but Cole said you can't always trust labels.
``A lot of Christians say they're Christians, but they don't lead the life that is worthy,'' he said.
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Michael Edwards (right), president of Exodusby CNBProductions of Carnegie, Pa., and partner Dan Robbins, model samples
of their company's Christian clothing. The men say their business
has given them a chance to make money and honor God at the same
time. color.