Christian Jewelry `Like, Sweet' -- Bracelets Ask, `What Would Jesus Do?'

The latest in "witness wear" for Christian teens is a bracelet inscribed "W.W.J.D?"

If you ask what the letters stand for, the wearer might just whip it off and give it to you, along with the answer - "What would Jesus do?"

Asking is probably the best way to get in on what has become a fad, particularly among Christian teens - an inexpensive nylon or leather bracelet meant to pique interest, open the door to a gospel message and be passed on to whomever asks its meaning as a statement of faith and friendship.

It isn't always easy to get in on the fad by buying one of the bracelets, which also are called "power bands."

"Our warehouse is always out," said Charline Cox of Christian Supply in Alderwood Mall, one of several stores in the Seattle area that carry them.

The Christian bookstores have large displays of what they call "witness wear" - stylized crosses, dog-tag necklaces and bracelets with "Jesus" or the Christian fish symbol on them. But W.W.J.D? bracelets sell out the minute they hit the rack, sales clerks say.

The fad began seven years ago with Janie Tinklenberg's youth ministry at Calvary Reformed Church in Holland, Mich. The bracelets can be seen now on teenagers in baggy jeans, business people in pinstripe suits and clergy in collars all over the U.S. - including the Puget Sound area - and as far away as Australia and Latvia.

"It was originally meant as a way for kids to find a way to integrate what they believe and the way they live," Tinklenberg said. "Since then, though, they have moved well beyond just kids. I like to think of them as a silent witness to yourself and to others."

Cheap enough to collect, swap or give away, the bracelets are being spread through church conferences and retreats as well as encounters in malls and school halls. The original braided nylon version retails for $2 or less, while a leather style in black with pewter block letters sells for about $4. The braided nylon bracelets are available in rainbow, burgundy, navy, black, teal, purple, forest green and red.

Tammie Stevens of Seattle gave them out to members of her peer-ministry team at a recent retreat for Catholic teens. She uses one as a key chain.

Jeff Rogers, a youth pastor intern at Snohomish Community Church, gives them to high school students who come to his weekly meetings.

"It's a good tool for the kids," Rogers said. "In any situation, they can ask what Jesus would do. It just helps them step back and evaluate what they should do."

Tinklenberg, now a youth minister in Ohio, said the bracelets grew out of the Holland youth group's discussions during a study of "In His Steps," a novel by Charles Sheldon.

The story, published in 1896, concerns a smug congregation whose faith is challenged by a vagrant. Shamed when the vagrant dies after they ignore his pleas, church members vow to live their lives for a year using "What would Jesus do?" as their touchstone.

"The basic question was, how does your belief affect your daily life?" Tinklenberg said.

Wanting to find a tangible way to keep that message constantly alive with the youngsters, Tinklenberg brainstormed with Mike Freestone, a sales representative of Lesco, a Lansing, Mich., maker of promotional items.

"We wanted to use it as a benchmark of what Jesus would do in various situations," she said. "Drugs, abortion, premarital sex, race relations or even ditching class - so much is coming at kids today."

The light bulb went on when Tinklenberg spotted personalized nylon luggage straps. She also knew that beaded and woven friendship bracelets were popular.

"I have six kids myself, so I knew it had to be something kids would wear and cool enough to share," she said.

Joy Hyatt, 17, of Grand Rapids, Mich., pronounced them "like, sweet" and said they are a daily reminder to her.

"It helps keep my eye on the Lord," said Jeremy Mercier, 16, also of Grand Rapids. "It is now being recognized, and you have a standard to live up to."

After articles about the bracelets appeared in religious publications and news services, production jumped from about 6,000 a week to 25,000 a week, Freestone said.

"I didn't want something to be a fad like a Pet Rock that would be hot today and forgotten in the back of a drawer next year," Freestone said.

The bracelets are sold primarily through Christian bookstores, but Freestone said he gets orders from Australia, India, Russia and Latvia.

Kevin Winningham, youth pastor at Temple Baptist Church in Plymouth, Mich., said they reinforce the wearer's faith with a glance while spreading a message in a nonconfrontational way.

"It isn't like somebody getting in your face with a button saying, `Turn or Burn,' " he said.

Joy Hyatt said the bracelet is "comforting and convicting" for her.

"Like, if I'm picking out a video or something, looking at the bracelet makes me think if I am doing the right thing," she said.