Shoppers Balance Beliefs, Business

As much as such businesses may try to balance capitalism and Christianity, there is no way to resolve the tension between the two sets of values, said Laura Nash, a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and co-author of the book "Church on Sunday, Work on Monday: The Challenge of Fusing Christian Values With Business Life."

Christianity is tied to charity. So, she asked, how can stores truly operate with Christian values and still make money?

The low cost of advertising in a Christian directory -- typically about $175 a year for a small ad -- makes it a good marketing tool. But what if it was more expensive? "If it's really just [a statement of] your evangelical faith, what would you pay to be in there?" Nash asked.

In turn, Christian customers may say they want to patronize a business that shares their religious and moral outlook, but they also want deals and are likely to compare prices, she said. It's the rare shopper who is "buying a lampshade for Jesus," she said.

Several customers who have used the directories said they see them as just one of many resources. Margaret Allen, 45, of Woodbridge said people should treat the listings like any other directory. "Just because they are in it doesn't mean they are honest," she said of the advertisers. "It's good to give your business to Christians, but you have to be smart."

Laurie Derose, 37, of Rockville said she turned to the Shepherd's Guide for a very specific reason: She was looking for a massage therapist and did not want to go to a business that might be involved in prostitution.

"When you pick someone out of the Yellow Pages, you're not absolutely sure. It can be a euphemism," she said.

Derose found Renee Wiggins, owner of Results by Renee in Silver Spring. Wiggins said her business caters to Christians by avoiding the use of New Age music, candles, incense and chanting during massage therapy -- all of which are a "big turnoff" for many Christians. "They prefer to listen to gospel music," she said.

Miller said customers should view businesses listed in religious or ethnic-oriented directories just as skeptically as they would those in the regular Yellow Pages.

"The reality is that there may be some marvelous people, the salt of the earth," he said. "There's also a lot of people that are using this, and they are no more moral and ethical than anyone else."

Nash said she wondered how the publishers of the Christian directories conduct audits of businesses or verify the owner's religion. "I don't know how to test someone's faith," she said.

Doug Scheidt, co-founder and president of the Shepherd's Guide, said it has found dishonest vendors in its pages after investigating customers' complaints. He said the company tries to serve as a mediator between customer and vendor but has sometimes had to drop businesses from its pages.

"We're not in Heaven yet. We don't walk on streets of gold," he said.