I recently came across an article floating around Facebook by Jon Foreman, the singer for the band Switchfoot talking about Why Switchfoot won’t sign Christian songs. It seems everyone wants to know if Switchfoot is a “Christian” band. Foreman, in particular, takes offense to this question and concludes with no degree of subtlety that his lyrics need not be conformed to any kind “Christian Box” to honor God. The article struck a tone with me because it’s something that I struggle with on a weekly basis.
I work for a snowboard brand called Zion Snowboards, and like Foreman I get asked regularly, “Isn’t that a Christian brand.” It’s not a bad question; we work with groups like Snowboarders and Skiers for Christ and our name, Zion, has its roots as the “City of God” or “fortress” in the Old Testament (Psalm 87:2-3). It begs the question though, “Did Christ die for a snowboard brand?”
We make it our mission to bring some of the best snowboards in the world to market. We see to it that they’re fun to ride, can hold up under abuse, and are available at a reasonable price. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and have a team of riders that fit these values. This is our witness for Christ in a culture that desperately needs it. Each of us has been given skills and passion for what we do, and it’s our job to use those excellently. God doesn’t produce crap, and his kids shouldn’t either. We work hard not to be relegated only to the customer base that can be found in a church basement; although we do appreciate all of the support we can get.
In his years on earth, Jesus spent a large part of his time eating with tax collectors and prostitutes. That is where we want to be. We make it our job to be at the industry trade shows where deals are made after a night of partying together and the marijuana smells are about as plentiful as the wind. This is where we think Jesus would be.
Christ didn’t die for our company (He didn’t do it for Chick-Fil-A for that matter either), but he did die for you and me. Not everyone you’ll see on our staff or team is a follower of Jesus yet, but this is where we think we should be: riding lifts, bumping shoulders at trade shows, taking trips and eating pizza with a lost, unique culture that we’re blessed to be part of. Please share this article and let me know your thoughts…
Here are some other brands that bring faith to the action sports culture that you can support:
Untitled Skateboards Me.Glad Brand 2Him Truth Soul Armor Reliance Skateboards Hosoi Skateboards Siren Skateboards Endurance Skateboards