Swimming in Consumerism

I just ran out to buy some salmon for dinner. 

Less than a mile from my house sits a little fish shop that sells the best fish. Next door, my favorite coffee shop beaconed me in for a hot cup of coffee for my afternoon’s work.

As I climbed back into my car, I reflected on my past weekend when my wife and I visited another city to attend a concert. Before going, we scoured reviews to find an excellent restaurant for dinner. 

While driving home, I listened to a curated podcast about my favorite sports team. 

I am sure your likes and preferences differ from mine, but I’m guessing that if you live in the Western world, you live a similar existence. 

• You have a list of favorites. 

• You read reviews before you buy.

• You tailor your entertainment to your liking.

These activities are entirely normal in a consumer culture where we seek to consume goods and services to make our lives “better.”

They are so routine that we have allowed these consumeristic tendencies to infect Christ’s church.

Church leaders often blame the sheep for church shopping, but in actuality, we are the ones who have created church cultures that have made this normal. 

It would be funny or ironic if it weren’t so tragic. 

The one who founded the church told his early apprentices: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)

How did we take those words from our founder and think it was okay to create organizations that attract people by meeting all their needs in a consumer-targeted way?

And why do we get agitated when “the sheep” reject our calls toward sacrifice when we never mentioned it while enticing them with gourmet coffee, dynamic kid’s ministry, and cuss-free sports activities?

Wrestling with these types of questions is at the heart of a recent podcast interview with Chris Palmer, in which we discussed Combatting Christian Consumerism. He shared some radical perspectives on eradicating this disease from our churches. If you are up for being challenged today, I encourage you to listen. If not, you may want to save it for another day.