December 23, 2009
Local theologian gets USA Today blurb on Consumer Christmas
Oregon Faith Report note,
USA Today opinion writer and Associate Vice President of Public Affairs and Communication and Lewis and Clark College Tom Krattenmaker spoke on the commecialization of Christmas with his article entitled “You can’t buy the real gifts of Christmas” (link here). Below is an excerpt.
Another Christian thinker troubled by today’s rampant consumerism is Paul Louis Metzger, a professor of theology at Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Ore., and the author of a book on consumerism in church culture called Consuming Jesus. Despite the clear tension between materialism and Christian teaching, he believes that consumerist values have infected much of the church.
“Many thriving prosperity-gospel churches appear to have thoroughly embraced the American ideal of upward mobility and material well-being,” Metzger says. “It makes one wonder if these churches’ leaders think Jesus was a savvy entrepreneur on the rise, who would have become rich had his career not been cut short.”
Consumerism promises that we can buy our way to fulfillment. But the falseness of the promise lies at the very heart of the system. For consumerism depends on our contentment having a short lifespan. The system requires our continuing to need more, to buy more, in an endless cycle of desire-gratification/desire-gratification/desire-gratification. The cycle cannot abide the modest material desires and pursuit of deep, lasting gratitude promoted by religion.
— continue reading link here
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December 23, 2009
I’m inclined to agree that many equate riches in the Lord to how well they are doing in this world. Thank heavens the Lord doesn’t look at life the way we often do.
December 28, 2009
well, if people are moved to give to others at christmas as a once a year thing, that could be good. we are of course talking about scrooge who had to be really worked on by spirit forces to persuade and scare him into helping others and giving christmas gifts that matter. and modern day scrooges who only give at christmas.
i think our problem is that of ignoring the needs of others who are suffering or having hardships in life. i mean, those we know. those we are related to. yes, people tend to ignore and demean those who are not supporting themselves very well or may be dependent on welfare programs. people in their own families.
this is of course where people who are better off, should be focusing their giving. at christmas and at other times of the year— in short, when it is needed.
this society no longer feels any obligation or responsibility to help its poor family members. they become the beneficiaries of the state instead, or sometimes as in oregon, they have no programs so they end up as homeless people, by the many thousands. This is a huge problem which is being ignored. Give money to your poor relations at christmas and i know God will be pleased. Charity begins at home, meaning, among your own relatives.
if families took care of their own members, there would be no need for welfare. at christmas or any other time of year.
I think of John Bunyon who wrote “Pilgrim’s Progress” from a debetor’s prison. This book has become the staple for many Christains and yet the man who wrote it was very poor in wordly goods, but very rich in the Lord’s grace.