FAITH-BASED
[feyth-beyst]
adjective
1. affiliated with, supported by, or based on a religion or religious group:
faith-based charities.
(Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2014.)
Contemporary definitions for faith-based
adjective
pertaining to a connection with a religion, faith, or belief system
Examples
Faith-based books are selling well.
Dictionary.com’s 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2014 Dictionary.com, LLC
Recently we received an email from a customer that started out “I assume you are a faith-based company…” She went on to explain that she was looking for a particular word on a stone that she thought we carried since we appeared to trend towards Christian items. I don’t know why, but I was taken aback by this assumption. We do sell a large amount of ‘faith-based’ items, particularly Christian scripture, and we have a large Christian bookstore and church clientele. But rather than pinpoint our business to one belief system, I’ve tended towards trying to carry items with a positive message, those items that have an uplifting spirit to them and overall comforting energy. At the same time, this is a retail business, so we have to sell what sells – in other words, as we’ve honed our craft, we just happened to have found our niche within the Christian community.
Does it matter whether we actually define ourselves as faith-based – as described in the definition above? I don’t think so. I think what matters is that we are a company that believes in integrity, honesty and hard work, a company that sells great items for reasonable prices and a company that you feel comfortable giving your hard earned money. Oh, and I think it matters that we have a sense of humor.
If pressed to answer that customer about whether we are faith-based, here is what I would say. Yes, we are a company based in faith. We have faith that our manufacturers will continuing turning out quality products for reasonable prices. We have faith that our employees care about their job and will work hard to ensure great service. We have faith that our delivery handlers at UPS, FedEx, the US Postal Service and DHL will treat our packages kindly and will make sure our products get to the right people in the right amount of time. We have faith that our landlord will continue maintaining our warehouse space so that we have a safe and efficient space to work in. We have faith in our customers, that they will continue to want to buy our items and trust us enough to send us orders. And most importantly, we have faith that we will be able to keep our sense of humor and good spirits through it all.
~ Brenda
CourageInStone 
Very nice post! I am in no way intending this to be of ill will, but your Christian clientele might enjoy the connection…
It reminds me of this passage from Acts 17:
Paul Addresses the Areopagus
“22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,[c] 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;[d]
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’[e]
29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.”
😉
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