One of the topics I mentioned last week to talk about was the idea of a consumerism or shopping sabbatical. Basically, they bought nothing new for an entire year.
The idea came from a Yahoo article that was sent to me about a group in San Francisco that did it for a year. According to the article, the group "exempted food, essential toiletries like toothpaste and shampoo, underwear and other purchases that fell under the categories of health and safety from their pledge." But everything else, they got used or free or swapped with someone.
Reading this really intrigued me. One of the greatest blessings in America that most of us have is the ability to go out any day of any week and get just about what ever we want. TV goes out? Bust out the credit card and get a new one. Clothes go out of style? Jump on the internet and find what you want and have it next day. However, I think this can also be a great burden as well. One of the things this teaches us is that goods are simply there to be consumed and then discarded and it becomes very difficult to not only break ourselves out of that mindset, but also to break our children out of that mindset. And ultimately what can happen for us is that we become so fixated on getting the next thing, whether it's the skirt that you've been craving in the window or the iPhone that makes your mouth dry because you've drooled a puddle on the floor. It can even stretch to relationships and how we treat those. That consumerist mindset is probably a strong reason for the levels of divorce in the country (which would probably be higher if it counted the cohabitating couples that split apart). Once a relationship no longer makes someone happy, then they just leave it.
So basically, consumerism has infested every aspect of our lives. And the compact the group in San Francisco took was to try and step away from that. Here's the question: what would it look like for Christians to do that, for followers of Christ to say that they are no longer going to serve Mammon?
I think this would be incredibly difficult because so much of American culture is built around consumerism and hence, so much of American Christianity is built around it as well. As the commenter last week asked, would the American economy collapse? If Christians are supposed to be different from the world, what kind of statement would it make to eschew consumerism? Or is this just pie in the sky thinking that holds no realistic basis in the reality?
And if you don't think this is just insane, could you do it? Could you go a year? What about a month? What about a week? I'm very interested in people's thoughts.
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3 comments:
Justin, you forgot, "and brainwash your children into believing monsters inhabit the forest that surrounds your village..." ;)
David and I have been discussing this ever since we read that article. I think the way this is going to look for our family, right now, is when we feel that we need or want to either replace something or acquire something beyond our normal budget of food, toiletries, clothing, etc; our first line of thinking will not be, let's go to a store/mall/Internet to get it, but rather, let's see if we can find it used or free or trade for it, etc. If those methods do not yield a desirable result, then and only then will we consider purchasing it from a retailer.
We also decided to refrain from taking a trip this month that would have drained some resources that could be used elsewhere. There was nothing really wrong with taking the trip, it was to go to a wedding, it just seemed a bit extravagant against our current mode of looking at how we spend money.
I have always viewed this subject as a heart issue. Where is your heart, who is it serving?
Not putting God first with your time, money, resources; going into debt for material non-essentials; buying to fill emotional needs; buying under the influence of advertising instead of out of need; turning wants into needs to keep up with the Joneses, etc.
All of these are symptoms of materialsim becoming a god we serve.
I do think that a periodic moratorium on buying is a great exercise of spiritual fasting. It could serve a wonderful purpose as diligence against materialism as a god.
Tony
I don't think it is so much an attempt to bring down the economy or be an activist against consumerism (although it may have been for those in San Fran - I'd be curious if they are Christians). Justin, I don't think being a consumer is the problem (I have to believe Jesus sold a few of his woodworking items), but I side somewhat with Tony in that we need to be reminded every now and then who God is and allow him to be our provider, and not let ourselves or our checkbook be the provider. When I read that story (never knew it would get the response it did, Phil) it challenged me to not be so dependent on what I can do with MY money to fill my needs, and it reminded me of the first church having everything in common. I also like Phil's point on how that idea of being able to get anything you are willing to pay for contributes to the high rate of divorce and failed relationships. I'll add one more - the tendency we have to want to change churches when where we currently are just doesn't appeal to our desires. Don't like the worship or the minister, just try the church down the street.
I do think that just as materialism can become an idol to worship, you could also make a pact to buy nothing new for a year your god. Reading the Yahoo article, I didn't see anything about where there was prayer or community involved in meeting their needs. It almost seemed that they worshipped the feeling of hunting for that creative way to meet a need and praised themselves for being able to do it. I think the Christian approach would be to look to God and the church first before heading to Target, and praise God when needs are met.
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