Why I Get Along With My Friend Kristen
I'm in Holland.
I won't bore you with the details you could read about if you browse through The Diner records, but suffice to say I've been "on" for quite some time now. I've got to get some rest and 17 days with teenagers at the tail end of the exhausting run is difficult. But hey, in the words of Willie Stargell, Hall of Famer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, when asked after deplaning a late-night flight at 3AM if he was tired, "Hey, I'm a ballplayer. It's all I ever wanted to be. This is a part of that." Well, I'm a youth pastor in full-time ministry. It's all I've ever done. The sacrifices I make are worth it (I only hope my family feels the same way) and this particular stretch, while hard, is workable.
Anyway, I needed some "me" time so I checked the blogs and came across this entry from my friend Kristen. I won't link to it, but rather here it is in the entirety.
I'd love your feedback on the quotes as well as hers, too.
"From Christ’s Church to iChurch: How Consumerism Undermines Our Faith and Community”
The link (I can’t believe I just linked to Christianity Today).
A few quotes:
“When we approach Christianity as consumers rather than seeing it as a comprehensive way of life, an interpretive set of beliefs and values, Christianity becomes just one more brand we consume along with Gap, Apple, and Starbucks to express identity. And the demotion of Jesus Christ from Lord to label means 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, conferences, and 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 on 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.’ ”
“In every aspect of the religious life, American faith has met American culture—and American culture has triumphed.”
“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 individual choice and self-expression. 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.’ “
Dude. If this at all interests (or perhaps outright disgusts) you, you should totally read the whole article. I love the line about the Jesus fish.
***update***
perhaps this is one reason I feel so out of sync with so many people who call themselves Christians and I identify more with many people who don’t. many of my friends are people whose religious and spiritual beliefs are vastly different than my own, yet despite our core beliefs we can (1) have intelligent, respectful conversation about those beliefs and (2) care about many of the same issues. I still disagree with many of my friends on many issues as well, as i assume will be evident from my previous post… and okay, I no longer know what iI’m saying. someone help me out here. what? oh yeah. it’s articles like this that make me feel more connected to my non-Christian friends than most Christians I know.
it also makes me very glad that the people who follow Jesus that I have made efforts to get to know (I will purposefully not lump them into the “Christian” category as a way to distinguish them - you all know who you are) see the fault with consumerism and it’s soul-sucking effect on the Church.
that’s not all said very well, sorry. mostly just some though vomit for you.
I'm in Holland.
I won't bore you with the details you could read about if you browse through The Diner records, but suffice to say I've been "on" for quite some time now. I've got to get some rest and 17 days with teenagers at the tail end of the exhausting run is difficult. But hey, in the words of Willie Stargell, Hall of Famer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, when asked after deplaning a late-night flight at 3AM if he was tired, "Hey, I'm a ballplayer. It's all I ever wanted to be. This is a part of that." Well, I'm a youth pastor in full-time ministry. It's all I've ever done. The sacrifices I make are worth it (I only hope my family feels the same way) and this particular stretch, while hard, is workable.
Anyway, I needed some "me" time so I checked the blogs and came across this entry from my friend Kristen. I won't link to it, but rather here it is in the entirety.
I'd love your feedback on the quotes as well as hers, too.
"From Christ’s Church to iChurch: How Consumerism Undermines Our Faith and Community”
The link (I can’t believe I just linked to Christianity Today).
A few quotes:
“When we approach Christianity as consumers rather than seeing it as a comprehensive way of life, an interpretive set of beliefs and values, Christianity becomes just one more brand we consume along with Gap, Apple, and Starbucks to express identity. And the demotion of Jesus Christ from Lord to label means 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, conferences, and 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 on 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.’ ”
“In every aspect of the religious life, American faith has met American culture—and American culture has triumphed.”
“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 individual choice and self-expression. 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.’ “
Dude. If this at all interests (or perhaps outright disgusts) you, you should totally read the whole article. I love the line about the Jesus fish.
***update***
perhaps this is one reason I feel so out of sync with so many people who call themselves Christians and I identify more with many people who don’t. many of my friends are people whose religious and spiritual beliefs are vastly different than my own, yet despite our core beliefs we can (1) have intelligent, respectful conversation about those beliefs and (2) care about many of the same issues. I still disagree with many of my friends on many issues as well, as i assume will be evident from my previous post… and okay, I no longer know what iI’m saying. someone help me out here. what? oh yeah. it’s articles like this that make me feel more connected to my non-Christian friends than most Christians I know.
it also makes me very glad that the people who follow Jesus that I have made efforts to get to know (I will purposefully not lump them into the “Christian” category as a way to distinguish them - you all know who you are) see the fault with consumerism and it’s soul-sucking effect on the Church.
that’s not all said very well, sorry. mostly just some though vomit for you.
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