Chevrolet teams with evangelical concerts

DETROIT - Chevrolet has teamed with evangelical concerts for a marketing campaign that some say sends mixed messages. <br> <br> The ``Chevrolet Presents: Come Together and Worship&#39;&#39; stage shows begin November First in Atlanta and end at the Palace at Auburn Hills on November 23rd. <br> <br> Phyllis Tickle, an expert on religious marketing for Publishers Weekly magazine, told the Detroit Free Press today that it was ``a real blurring of the lines between the commercial and the sacred.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Tickle calls the concerts unfortunate because ``we know that church and state are never supposed to meet.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Steve Bet, the General Motors division&#39;s marketing manager for the Southeastern United States, said he was confident the tour will send a positive message and give dealers a boost. <br> <br> The Chevrolet tour included a multimedia worship service with preaching by Texas pastor and author, the Reverend Max Lucado, and a distribution of free evangelical literature. The headline musicians, Michael W. Smith and the rock band Third Day, are among the hottest acts in the contemporary Christian music genre. <br> <br> The shows are booked into venues averaging 14,000 seats, like Dallas&#39; American Airlines Center and Atlanta&#39;s Philips Arena.