WWJD? has become almost as ubiquitous a Christian symbol as the sign of the fish. But where did this design come from and what does it mean?
WWJD, of course, is an acronym for "What Would Jesus Do?", and the ostensible purpose behind the phrase is to remind believers to think before they act. About to gossip about your friend? Ask yourself WWJD? Cursing out the Knicks as they blow another game in overtime--WWJD? Coveting your neighbor's ox--well, you get the point.
While WWJD is popping up on jewelry from bracelets to shades, the man who coined the phrase was far from fashion-conscious, let alone market savvy. In 1896, a midwestern minister & newspaper editor named Charles Sheldon wrote a book called In His Steps, in which asking the question "What Would Jesus Do?" becomes the impetus for the global spread of Christian socialism.
In the spirit of his work, Sheldon let In His Steps slip into the public domain, leaving his family to profit precious little from a work that has sold more than 50,000,000 copies & inspired a fashion empire.
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