The Morality of the World: Consumerism

It amazes me how often the world has greater morality than Christians.

Case in point: consumerism.

What is consumerism?  Consumerism is the equation of personal happiness with consumption and the purchase of material possessions.  In other words, consumerism tells us that satisfaction comes from buying things.  

(In America it is nigh impossible to escape having this lie shoved down your through from every angle imaginable unless you are intentional in resisting it.)

Over the past month, I've really been troubled by the realities of this term because I find myself guilty of consumerism.  I am a Christian, yet at the same time I am a consumerist.  But aren't the two words antithetical to each other in meaning?  Yes, they are . . . or, at least they should be.

Christianity says that one's satisfaction comes from knowing and being known by God through faith in Jesus Christ.  We are admonished in the Bible time and time again to "be content" with such things as we have, knowing that God will provide for us all that we need.

Consumerism (if were were to use some Christianese here) is nothing more than loving the world and the things of the world.  Why would we love the things of this world were it not for the idea that the things of the world can bring us a sense of satisfaction or happiness that we are currently missing? 

Most Christians would DENY BEING CONSUMERISTS--that they actually go out and buy things because IT MAKES THEM OR OTHERS FEEL GOOD.  But that's exactly what we do!  ("Christian" consumerists--only in the West!)

If being a consumerist is worldly, how then can I say that the world often times has a greater degree of morality than Christians in regards to consumerism?  Simple: it is the people of the world who I see giving scathing critique and warning AGAINST consumerism while American Christians go on their merry way to shop, shop, shop (and that with no qualm of conscience whatsoever!).

Go ahead; put me to the test on this.  Google "consumerism," or "fight consumerism," or "against consumerism" and see where the results come from.  Better yet, hit up YouTube with the same search queries.  Yeah, told ya so--the hardcore critique is coming from the world . . . you have to literally modify your search to more narrow parameters just to find the "Christian response" to this horrific societal ill.  Where's the voice of morality of the church in regards to this?  Why is it the world preaching to the masses with prophetic rebuke about consumerism and not the church?  

When it comes to consumerism, the world's morality > the church's morality.  That's the truth, and here's why I'm mad:

I'm mad because out of the 14 years of being a believer in Jesus NOT A SINGLE CHRISTIAN PASTOR, MENTOR, or FRIEND has ever WARNED ME ABOUT THE EVIL OF CONSUMERISM.  Sure, I've heard plenty of messages based upon 1 John 2:15-17 and how we're not supposed to love the world, but NOT A SINGLE PERSON has ever made the direct application to the psychosis of "buying things to make you happy or satisfied," i.e. consumerism.

Not a single Christian person ever gave me a one-on-one wake up call to the delusive, consumerist nature behind the "American Dream."  Instead, we have promoted it.  Christians go out and buy bigger and better and newer and cooler just like every other consumerist, and in so doing teach other Christians that it's OK to live like that.

It's time for a wake up call, O believer in Jesus.  For Christ Himself offers up these words that we would do well to meditate upon and apply to our lives, especially during this "Christmas" season: "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15).

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The Apostolic and Prophetic Journey, Part 1

Organic church growth occurs within the context of accepting, understanding, and implementing the spiritual gifts that God has given to His Church through the Holy Spirit.  Based upon Ephesians 4:7-16, Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and to build up the body of Christ.  

I come from a tradition of church teaching that rejects the contemporary manifestation of 2 out of 5 of these spiritual gifts: the apostle and the prophet.  According to the teachers who embrace this mindset, the apostle and prophet were gifts that only operated in and among the early church: 

• The apostle (according to specific criteria) was an eyewitness of the risen Jesus and specifically commissioned to start churches among unreached people groups.  
• The prophet was the recipient and proclaimer of divine revelation which was given to the church until the completion of divine revelation through the Scriptures occurred.  

Once churches had been established and the canon was closed, these gifts were no longer needed and thus passed away.  Those who embrace this kind of understanding only accept and recognize the gifts of evangelist, pastor, and teacher as still in operation for the church today.

I believe this position is (and has been) detrimental to the body of Christ.  By picking and choosing which gifts are still in operation and which gifts are not, we essentially determine what is actually good or bad for the church of Jesus.  Furthermore, we volitionally cripple the extent, depth, and effectiveness of our churches by excising certain gifts from the mix.  Suggesting that the church doesn't need the apostle or the prophet is like saying the body doesn't need a head or an arm.

[Thought to ponder: what (if any) benefit could an apostle and a prophet have within your church body today?] 

Instead of telling one another which gifts we ought or ought not to recognize, what if we actually let God's Word inform us as to what it is our churches actually need, versus determining for God what should or should not exist within our churches?  

The apostolic gift is most assuredly manifest today in full force among many missionaries¹ and church planters.  Apostles are sent ones with the express vision and skill set to establish faith communities in Jesus among unreached people groups.  The prophetic gift is also manifest today among many believers who receive dreams, insights, and direct words of revelation for God's people and the unbelieving world.

Over the past several years, I've come to the realization that acceptance of the reality of particular spiritual gifts seems to be a precursor to the manifestation of that gift in or around your life.  We need apostles to further establish new faith communities; we need prophets to inform us with God's revelation that results in the edification and instruction of the faith community.  Do you believe that the gifts of apostles and prophets exist today?  Then I firmly believe that you will experience and partner with the manifestation of those gifts in your faith community--for the good of your church!

Perhaps this brief conversation will prove helpful to your personal understanding of spiritual gifts.  My prayer is that this series would be instrumental in opening up the realm of possibility and acceptance for your own life if God so places the call and gifting within you to apostolic and/or prophetic ministry.

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1. The term "missionary" has been an unkind friend to the thinking of most American Christians as it tends to foster an us/them mindset: they go over seas and across borders to preach the Gospel while we stay home and "hold the ropes."  A better, more holistic and Biblical understanding of our role as disciples is captured by the newer word "missional."  For further reading on what it means to be missional go here.

The Church as Vendor & Circus

Well, it's been several months since the last post, but hopefully I've found renewed vigor and interest in this method of dialog, blogging.

This post is essentially a part 2 of my previous one.

I was surfing through the Praxis Center for Church Development website just now and ran across their manifesto.

A section that really intrigued me was about the Church in the West now being a more like a Vendor and a Circus than the Church of Jesus.

Here's what was said:

Hollywood is no longer the “entertainment capital of the world” – it is now your local church megaplex. The church in the West, bent on attracting people to a location has become a consumer-driven vendor of spiritual goods and services. In short, it has become a circus where the performers are polished and the various acts of the performance timed to the minute. Very often churches which follow this path often end up competing for the same market share – Christians in other churches. (It is still the case that 95% of church growth in the USA is transfer growth.) Whoever has the best product and environment is then the one who wins the loyal support of its constituency. The pressure on the church is then
to satisfy its customer base and continue to be a vendor of spiritual goods and services.

But is this really what the church is supposed to do? Nothing wrong, mind you, with the idea of trying to meet people where they are. We are just questioning the whole concept of “doing church.” The New Testament seems to lay a foundation that tells us the Church is a community of disciples who live out the message of the Cross. What we don’t find in the New Testament is the early Christians trying
to “do church.” Rather, what we find is a community of disciples who are the church.

It seems that we spend so much of our time and energy trying to do church that we forget to actually be the Church. Maybe that has a lot to do with why the church seems so impotent in its ability to reach our world. We market our message well to those who are already in the faith, but not to those who are outside the fold. Scripture makes it plain that Jesus came “to seek and save what was lost.” (NIV, Luke 19:10)

The Church is called to be a community of disciples who not only embrace each other well, but also reach out to the world in a language and style they understand, so that we might live out for them the greatest message on the planet. It’s not as important how we “do church” as it is that we are the church. This generation is crying out for something real and tangible that can explain the greater mysteries of our existence. People know there is something more; they just don’t know where to find it.

I absolutely agree with their diagnosis. Can you think of actual examples where the churches in your neighborhood are functioning more like a vendor and circus than an actual church? I can.

So now to the reaffirmation of resisting the trend and onto the ongoing quest of understanding and living out what it in fact means to be the Church in our community . . .

The Purveyor of Religious Goods, or The Community Church

A bottom line survival goal of any church plant is to acquire enough church members in order to make the body of believers an autonomous, self-sustaining ministry. Therefore, churches are compelled to reach people who will find alignment with the church's vision and passion.

I think that often times, right at this point, a lot of churches sellout their intrinsic identity. By this I mean that it is possible for churches, in their attempts to attract members in order to survive, to get sidetracked, presenting itself to be something in the community or city that it's really not supposed to be.

Case in point: when we first arrived in our neighborhood, I kept hearing from other church planters how important it was to "meet the felt needs of the community." So, I took this axiom to mean "we need to do something cool and for FREE that people in our community's demographic will get a kick out of!" I came up with the idea of hosting some kind of community carnival down at the local community park. You know the deal: jump houses, face painting, cotton candy, games, music, food--all for free! "Yeah man," I thought to my self and tried to convince our existing core group, "this will rock. People will come out and think we're really cool, then they'll come to our church, get saved, and become financially supportive of our ministry!"

Ha, that last part is totally tongue-in-cheek, but that was the basic gist of my thinking in the most realest of terms. But then, as time progressed, I began to consider something: people who come to a church come (and should come) to meet with God. They're coming for a spiritual experience; something that will clue them in on some answers that they're seeking in life. They're not (in our situation) coming because it's fun and entertaining and because we let kids play in a jump house for free. I realized that the mission of our church was not to be a community purveyor of entertainment: the world has that niche sewn up pretty well, I'd say. Rather, the mission of our church is to be a purveyor of "religious" goods to our community. In other words: it makes much more sense to me that the church should offer this community that which other institutions "of" the world cannot. A place of prayer, a place of contemplation, a place of instruction from the Scriptures, a place of spiritual fellowship, a place of spiritual experience and encouragement--things that the community people aren't going to find at the local shopping plaza, Chuck E. Cheese, or club.

I mean, spiritual things are what people who come to church are expecting to find . . . aren't they?

Seeds not Bricks

In the effort to plant a missional church, I often reiterate to our people that the preaching of the Gospel and the establishment of churches should be likened to seed, not bricks.

Bricks are pre-crafted. They are transported a location for ready use. They are artificial, non-organic, static, and rigid.

Seeds are created organically. They flourish where they are planted, using whatever soil and resources are available in the location it finds itself. They are living, dynamic, and conforming.

Anybody can superimpose their pre-crafted church model or denominational approach to Christianity in any cultural or societal context. The problem with this, however, is two-fold:

1. It smacks of arrogance. "The people we encounter must submit to our ways, expressions, and understandings about God." That's just gross.

2. It lacks common sense. "We suppose to already know how God wants to affect and teach these people; therefore, we don't need to make any considerations of this people, their culture, values, or worldview." That's just silly.

I would much rather plant seeds than pile bricks. Seeds embody the culture and society it finds itself planted in. On one hand, the seed is already predisposed to be something in particular: namely, a worshipping body of believers in Jesus; on the other hand, the seed, as it grows, reflects and embodies the characteristics of soil in which it is grounded. Eventually, the seed becomes just as solid and sturdy as a pile of bricks as it grows into a deeply rooted tree.

And what's the best thing that seeds do that bricks cannot? Seeds become trees, trees produce fruit, and in those fruit there are more seeds. Quite missional, isn't it?