WWJD bracelets
WWJD bracelets, which stand for "What Would Jesus Do?", originated in 1989 in Holland, Michigan, when youth pastor Janie Tinklenberg sought to provide a tangible means for young people to apply their Christian faith in daily decision-making. Inspired by the novel "In His Steps" by Charles Sheldon, which poses the question of how individuals would act if they considered what Jesus would do in their personal lives, Tinklenberg collaborated with a church member to create these wristbands. Initially intended as a simple reminder for personal reflection, the bracelets quickly gained popularity among youth, leading to a significant increase in production.
By the mid-1990s, WWJD bracelets became a trendy accessory for many Christians, especially within evangelical circles. The initial goal of encouraging responsible behavior and sharing one's faith evolved into a broader commercial success, with various related merchandise emerging in the market. Despite the commercial boom, Tinklenberg chose not to profit from the ventures surrounding the bracelets. In contemporary culture, the WWJD acronym has also been adapted for secular contexts, often used in ways that diverge from its original religious intent. The widespread recognition of WWJD bracelets highlights their impact on both faith-based communities and popular culture.
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WWJD bracelets
Inexpensive woven nylon wristbands whose initials stand for “What would Jesus do?”
WWJD bracelets gained widespread popularity among Christian youth, who used them as a tool for sharing their faith and as a visual reminder for appropriate behavior and decision-making.
The origin of the wristbands with the enigmatic WWJD initials can be traced to Holland, Michigan, in 1989. There, Calvary Reformed Church youth pastor Janie Tinklenberg was looking for a way to help the teens in her group apply their faith when faced with decisions and actions having potentially significant consequences. It was then that Tinklenberg recalled from her childhood a favorite book titled In His Steps, written by Christian novelist Charles Sheldon in 1896. In the novel, Sheldon introduces the story of a church congregation whose faith is challenged by a sickly and destitute stranger. The vagabond addresses and transfixes the congregants with a speech that includes the probing question, “But what would Jesus do?” In response to the dying man’s query, several members of that fictional church pledge to live their lives for a year by weighing significant actions with the question, “What would Jesus do?”
Reverend Tinklenberg, intrigued by the novel’s central question, enlisted the assistance of a fellow church member with merchandising experience to design an inexpensive product that would bear the WWJD initials. In assessing the type of product that would best suit her purpose, Tinklenberg opted to use wristbands to draw upon the high interest in self-made braided friendship bracelets popular with youth at that time. Tinklenberg’s initial trepidation about how the wristbands would be received by her youth group was soon allayed when the teens began asking for more wristbands to replace those they were giving away. To keep up with the demand for this novelty item that was being promoted by word of mouth, the local manufacturer was soon producing several hundred bracelets per week. Some years later, that production soared to about twenty thousand per week after the bracelets were afforded broader exposure at a Christian bookshop convention.
Impact
Despite its low-key beginning, the WWJD bracelet would become a fashionable adornment for Christian youth of the 1990’s, particularly those with evangelical ties. While originally conceived to be a tool to encourage responsible personal conduct and for introducing others to one’s faith, the bracelets evolved into an entrepreneurial bonanza, spurring the development and marketing of a host of ancillary products. By opting not to be a party to these commercial ventures, inventor and trademark holder Tinklenberg did not receive the financial gains that resulted from the success of the WWJD products. In recent years, a number of secular and irreligious takeoffs on the WWJD initialism have surfaced, promoting everything from distilled spirits to presidential candidates.
Bibliography
Graff, Vincent. “Four Letters That Shook the World.” The Independent, August 1, 2003, p. 2-3.
Jenkinson, Michael. “Put on Your Wristband and Follow Me.” Alberta Report 24, no. 27 (June 16, 1997): 36.
“WWJD Products Inspire Thousands.” Christianity Today 41, no. 13 (November 17, 1997): 75.