My Comments on "'Consumer' Religion"

As promised, here are my thoughts on the article I posted yesterday. First some overall comments and then I’ll hit the highlights on some passages of particular interest.

I was discussing this article with the Preacher where I go to church and he thought it had a somewhat “anti-capitalism” feel to it. Personally, I didn’t get that at all. I got more that we need to be careful that: a) We don’t become “consumed with consumerism” and b) We don’t think religion is like picking a grocery store, done out of convenience and not on matters of principle.

a) As the prosperity of this nation has increased, we have become increasingly defined by our possessions. The “American Dream” is more and more defined as a certain level of “stuff” as opposed to doing better than previous generations, having a good family, etc. Some of you may have seen the story about the boy who used his dad’s credit card to fly to Cuba to live with his mother. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20060927-1421-cubanboy.html Here’s what his dad had to say: “I'm hoping he will spend a couple of months there without his computer, plasma TV, iPod, and he'll want to come back,” Diaz told The Miami Herald. “My son likes the good things in life. He won't find that in Cuba.” The “good things in life” are his plasma TV and iPod? How empty and shallow his life must be. How shallow his father must be if he thinks those things will make his son come back. Unfortunately, I think this is an increasingly common perception; we are what we have. How futile and dangerous this is.

b) As Thomas Jefferson once said, “On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock.” It seems these days, it’s all about me. What makes me happy? How can I satisfy my immediate desire? And religion has become yet another place to find fulfillment. But it’s one of many, all equal and there are many variations, all equal. Moral relativism has invaded our churches and reduced their differences to a matter of style, nothing more than a personal preference.

Anyway, on with the highlights…

Margaret continued, "Faith Community has so much to offer our family, and I think it's really important to go someplace the boys like. When your kids are teenagers, you'll understand." Having played the evangelical trump card (the kids), Margaret sat back in her chair believing no further discussion was necessary.

It seems kids are the ultimate trump card in everything. “It’s for the children.” Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got three kids who I love to death, but your world does not and should not center on kids; especially in matters of right and wrong.

When we approach Christianity as consumers rather than seeing it as a comprehensive way of life, Christianity becomes just one more brand we consume along with Gap, Apple, and Starbucks to express our identity.

And the demotion of Jesus Christ from Lord to label means that to live as a Christian no longer carries an expectation of obedience and good works, but rather the perpetual consumption of Christian merchandise and experiences—music, books, t-shirts, jewelry.

Approaching Christianity as a brand (rather than a worldview) explains why the majority of people who identify themselves as born-again Christians live no differently than other Americans. According to George Barna, most churchgoers have not adopted a biblical worldview, they have simply added a Jesus fish to the bumper of their unregenerate consumer identities. As Mark Riddle observes, "Conversion in the U.S. seems to mean we've exchanged some of our shopping at Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, and Borders for the Christian bookstore down the street. We've taken our lack of purchasing control to God's store, where we buy our office supplies in Jesus' name."

I thought these three paragraphs were just great. Christianity has to be a life-changing thing to be real. It can’t just be “one more brand… to express our identity”. Couple that with the point the author is making about our unbridled restraint and how we think Christianity is something you purchase in a store, and I think it’s extra effective.

Being fully formed in a consumer worldview, Greg and Margaret intuitively accepted that the personal enrichment and fulfillment of desire is the highest good. As a result, they chose the church that best satisfied their family's preferences without bothering to consult their community, the Bible, or the Holy Spirit to gauge the legitimacy of those desires. After all, in consumerism a desire is never illegitimate, it is only unmet.

How many people believe that? “A desire is never illegitimate, it is only unmet.” Isn’t that what “believe in yourself”, “follow your heart” and all that drivel’s really saying? If you want it, you should have it. I’m not sure that’s ever an acceptable form of decision making, but it’s for sure not the way to go in religion.

This constant manufacturing of desires has created a culture of overindulgence. Obesity, sexual promiscuity, and skyrocketing credit card debt are just a few signs. Although lack of self-control has always plagued humanity, for the first time in history, an economic system has been created that relies on it. Now, if people began suppressing their desires and consuming only what they needed, our economy would collapse. To prevent this, satisfying personal desires has become sacrosanct.

I’m not sure I agree with much of the section preceding this paragraph, but it’s hard to argue with this. I would say the “constant manufacturing of desires” coupled with a loss of restraint due to the erosion of morals, is largely responsible for these things. As for the whole economic system, I would say that businesses are, and always have been, all about making money. That’s not a bad thing, just the way it is. It’s up to the consumer to rein in their consumption.

According to Finke and Stark, the American church adopted a consumer-driven model because the First Amendment prohibited state-sanctioned religion. Therefore, faith, like the buying of material goods, became a matter of personal choice. And "where religious affiliation is a matter of choice, religious organizations must compete for members and … the 'invisible hand' of the marketplace is as unforgiving of ineffective religious firms as it is of their commercial counterparts."

This explains why marketing strategies and secular business values are pervasive in today's ministry—we're in competition with other providers of identity and meaning for survival. We must convince a sustainable segment of the religious marketplace that our church is "relevant," "comfortable," or "exciting." (One billboard in my area proclaims, "Kids love our church. It's FUN!") And we must differentiate our church by providing more of the elements people want. After all, in a consumer culture, the customer is king.

Again, I go back to Jefferson. On matters of Principle, stand like a rock. Does truth exist or not? Can we customize truth to our liking? I believe the answer is a resounding, “No”. As such, we are competing, but we’re not marketing. We have one model to sell, no bells, no whistles, no special offers.

When I arrived at Starbucks to meet with Greg and Margaret, I first went to the counter to order a drink. The simple menu on the wall is deceptive. There was a time when ordering coffee meant regular or decaf, cream or sugar. Today, Starbucks provides literally 20,000 beverage permutations.

All right, it’s time for the partially pointless aside. I hate Starbucks. There are three choices when it comes to coffee: Decaf or Regular? Cream? Sugar? That’s it. No mas. You’re done. 20,000? Talk about a reason for societal collapse. Not to mention Starbucks gives 82% of their political contributions to liberal causes. Domino’s Pizza on the other hand? 93% to Republicans. Anybody in the mood for a 5-5-5 deal tonight?

At one church, upon arriving each family member can choose the worship setting that fits their personal desire. Simultaneously, grandma can sing hymns in the traditional service, mom and dad can enjoy coffee and bagels in the worship cafe, and the teenagers can lose their hearing in the rock venue. The value of shared experience and congregational unity is drowned out by consumerism's mantra of individual choice.

What about using the Gospel to attract people for a change? Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom. 1:16) Seems like Paul had a one size fits all solution.

Consumers demand options, but this poses a problem. Formation into the likeness of Christ is not accomplished by always getting what we want. In ages past, choice was not heralded as a Christian's right. In fact, relinquishing our choices by submitting to a spiritual mentor or community was prerequisite to growth in Christ. Believers were guided through formative and corrective disciplines—most being activities we would never choose if left to our desires. But surrendering control ensured we received what we needed to mature in Christ, not simply what we wanted.

“Formation into the likeness of Christ is not accomplished by always getting what we want.” How true is that? In fact, it’s the subrogation of our desires to those of God that make us in the image of Christ. How can we think that ignoring the Bible and elevating our choices to the highest good is what God would want?

Tragically, consumerism has led us to commodify parts of God's creation, too. Sexuality, for example, is commodified through pornography and prostitution. Human life is commodified when we begin thinking a person has a right to live only when wanted.

In our society the only value something or someone has is the value I give it. It should surprise no one that in our culture God also has no value apart from what he can do for me.

Great points. I can’t really add anything here, so I won’t.

Christian Smith, a leading sociologist of religion at the University of North Carolina, after five years of researching the spiritual lives of American teens, concluded that the faith of most teenagers, including those who attend evangelical churches, is MTD: Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Smith explains:

"By 'moralistic' I mean being good and nice. … By 'therapeutic' I mean being primarily concerned with one's own happiness in contrast to focusing on glorifying God, learning obedience, or serving others. Finally, by 'deism' I mean a view of God as normally distant and not involved in one's life, except if one has a problem one needs God to solve. In other words, God functions as a combination divine butler and cosmic therapist."

Most teenagers hold this self-centered perception of God because it is the faith most American adults have as well. This god of consumerism shows no resemblance to the Consuming Fire described in Scripture. People may say they believe in Jesus, but the archaic Lord, who calls forth sacrifice, promises suffering in this life, and demands obedience for his glory, the one Barth described as "wholly other" is not what they have in mind. They're thinking of the Jesus that adorns t-shirts and SUV tailgates.

As always, we as humans are concerned with finding meaning in our life. This is just an attempt at finding meaning, without having to “inconvenience” ourselves by subjecting our will to that of God. If we can find the same meaning and benefit without making any sacrifices, why wouldn’t we? But the truth is we can’t.

The church does not exist to supply comfort, ease, and convenient services to religious consumers. And God is not a commodity that exists to make you feel better.

“Religion” is a way of life, not a consumer choice. It’s not about “feeling good about yourself” and satisfying a desire. It’s about completely subjecting your will to that of your Heavenly Father. We must never forget that and always pray as Christ did, “yet not as I will, but as You will."

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Anybody else have something?