Take a walk down the greeting card aisle of your favorite department store or stationary boutique and you'll find a huge variety of styles and messages. Looking for a birthday card? You can choose from Sincere, Funny, Cool, Artistic, Corporate, Sarcastic or downright Rude. So where does the Christian greeting card fit into this diverse universe of greeting cards?

Greeting cards have been around a long time. During the 1800's, Nuns in England designed and printed cards with religious messages and art. In the 1700's, those industrious monks and nuns created hand painted parchment and lace devotional cards. Way back in the 1400's, the ancestor of the modern day greeting card was a piece of vellum or linen paper wood-stamped with an image of a saint or other religious symbol and used in prayer, or to treat illness. So you can see the Christian greeting card has a rich heritage and is the cornerstone of the modern greeting card industry.

Today you will find inspirational, spiritual, religious and Christian greeting cards. All of these cards may carry messages for birthdays, encouragement, sympathy, congratulations or any other message the sender wants to communicate. So what's the difference between them? Inspirational and spiritual cards may have messages meant to encourage, uplift and brighten the day of the recipient while the message of a Christian greeting card has the same goals of encouragement and support, but bases that uplifting message on the truths of Scripture and the doctrines of the Christian Church. It's as simple as the difference between a friendly "Happy Birthday" or a friendly and prayerful "Blessings on Your Birthday".

Whether they are from Florida, California, Texas or any other state, the rich tradition of Christianity in America is reflected in the increasing number of Americans who consider themselves Christians (4 out of 5 in 2006) and the growing market for Scripture-based Christian books, media, music and greeting cards. Today you can find a true Christian greeting card for any message you want to express. The next time you need to say "Happy Birthday", "Thank You", "Congratulations" or "Merry Christmas", you can find a card that will send your message with sincerity, style, grace and good humor and also deliver that message with the encouraging truth of the Gospel.