Retail Faith: Relationships of Theology, Economics, Need and Desire in the UK Christian Bookstore

This article considers the conflict inherent to the Christian retail sector between "mission" and "business." It problematizes three major relations of power-exchange within the supply chain from author to customer. Theological and economic decisions are found to be closely interweaved. A corresponding connection between responding to peoples' needs and stimulating their desire to purchase products is analysed. It is argued that these two dialectics are themselves in dynamic tension. The role of Christian publishers in shaping what comes to be considered mainstream theological perspectives is highlighted. A critique of the marketing of Christian products is offered with reference to pleonexia, mimetic desire and the place of identity signification. Consumers are considered as active agents, but within a subculture where the implications of the power exercised by publishers and distributors are not adequately acknowledged.