Since I started writing for tylertxdirectory.com some of the businesses and schools I have written about have either expanded or changed locations and I have attempted to make additional notations, or write new articles when becoming aware of these developments. One such change has occurred with the opening of Lifeway Christian Store’s new location on South Broadway next to Best Buy.
The new local is a great one. The shopping center has become one of the busiest in Tyler and the bookstore will definitely pick up a lot of new walk in customers. The inside of the store is open and much less constricted and crowed than the old store. The selection is large as well. The product runs the gambit from art, to books, music and various gift items; even small pieces of jewelry. Lifeway has definitely become Tyler’s Christian Barnes and Noble.
My criticisms of the store remain the same as they were in my original piece. The theological persuasion of Lifeway Christian is extremely sectarian, being that it is a Baptist affiliated business. Anyone belonging to a more traditional denomination should be prepared to look elsewhere for relevant material. While searching for information on St. Francis of Assisi for a Sunday school class, an acquaintance of mine from church was told, rather priggishly, that “we don’t carry Catholic stuff.” The fact is, most of the literature in the store is popular religious writing, only written over the last fifty years, (and that’s probably a stretch, but I’ll give them an extra twenty). I’ve heard it said (and I whole heartedly agree) that for every new book one reads he should read three old ones. This could prove a difficult mantra to follow by shopping only at Lifeway Christian. Good thing Tyler has so many other book stores.
Even though I didn’t find much literature of interest to me (possibly because I wasn’t looking for a particular title), I will admit that I enjoyed browsing in the store. It’s neat, clean and well organized. Dispite my friend’s experience the staff is generally helpful, and while doctrinally narrow, it is a family friendly environment. So lest my readers think my evaluation too harsh, I give the New Lifeway Store a three, out of five stars. To read my original article on the store, go to the Tyler Blog section of this site and look for the title “Lifeway Christian Store in Tyler,” or for more information on the organization, see their website at www.lifewaystores.com.