Theocapitalism: Converting Consumer Media Capitalists to Christianity
8 Jun 2006
I’m convinced that all the hard work on our theology for our emerging context, and all the creative ways we are finding for doing and being church, will amount to very little. By that I mean it will see very few people come to faith despite our best efforts.
I’m not saying that as a pessimist, just that I think we live at a time when there is a dominant religion and world view, that has captured peoples hearts, minds and souls as the basis for living and being, that they will not convert from, until it has run it’s course.
That’s why I wasn’t surprised by the church of england report last month, Explorations: Making Sense of Generation Y: The world view of 15-25 year olds. This report hit the national UK news, and showed that young people, are not the spiritual seekers, who would turn to Jesus if we could just change the way we present and do church better. Far from it. It shows that increasingly people’s narrative, the story and gospel for life is ‘Happiness’. The vision and mission for life has become about being happy, with no fear of death, just of growing old, and the drive to live in the now.
God is a consumer choice, a product that I can consume to support this vision of life. Ideas of eternity, consequences to how we live, and what we believe, are meaningless, in the face of measuring everything by the rubric ‘I just want to be happy’.
Tony Benn last saturday on BBC radio 4, astutely commented on why we have business news updates on the radio and TV, snippets of communication telling us how the FTSE and Dow are doing. Surely he asked, the people that need to know this aren’t listening to this information on the radio, but have it pushed to them all the time at work. So why do the rest of us need to hear it regularly several times a day? Because it is the new prayer to capitalism, the new daily announcement about what life is really about.
Thomas M. Beaudoin in an article titled, The church: defender of theocapitalism?, coins the phrase Theocapitalism to describe the interplay bewteen consumerism and the way of life in terms of beliefs and practices by people.
So non/pre christians aren’t neutral to the Gospel, they are entrenched in a religious system as totalising as Islam or any other religion. Indeed Theocapitalism offers a way of life, that scorns any alternative. To see people come to faith in Jesus, and his mission through the church to the world, is not to make church more relevant, but to offer a new religion.
And theocapitalism is destroying church and mission. The measure by we so often live, is the promotion to the better paid job, the great place to live, the bigger house, after all they are what life is all about? We watch our church communities blighted by people following the call of theocapitalism, lulling us into missional apathy. We will do anything for Jesus as long as it makes and keeps me happy.
So what can we do, hope and pray for in the face of this growing religion?
1. Wait: Theocapitalism, is and will continue to reap it’s rewards. We face a population preparing for old age alone, where the fruit of consumer choice will be living on our own, seperated from community and life with others. May our churches become places for those who grow old together, and offer something different for people to see and convert to. With a culture terrified of growing old, maybe we can celebrate and live into old age together.
2. Offer an Alternative: Can we offer and alternative way of living as christians? Maybe the most radical alternative to live by is to not live by the narrative and vision of capitalism. What if christians were a people who showed committment, in the face of a culture who won’t committ to anything. Committment to marriage younger, having children, living in community, not living out the dream of ‘keep your options open, until you have everything you want’. And can we do that in the context of mission, submitting my relationships, my job, my house, my money, to the mission of God’s people to the world, rather than fitting in christianity when I have time to.
3. Committment: I’ve mentioned it already, but maybe the counter cultural approach we need is not proclaiming the truth, is not resisting drugs and sex, but to live lifes fully committed, shoewing committment to something other than me.
4. Grace: And in all this, the witness if not about correct moralistic living, but the grace of God. The grace of God that enables me to committ to something other than me, and the grace of God that allows for the messyness of life, for when I stuble, fall, blow it, and live out my way, and still come back and re-enage with God.
5. The Spirit: And betraying my charistmatic heritage, more than ever, I long for the power and prescence of the Spirit. That the holy spirit might inspire, bring conviction, fall upon the people we connect to in power, to break through and show the false religion we so often worship.
At the school my youngest kids go to, one of the most evangelistic opportunities my wife and I have, is that parents are intrigued that we have been married 16 years, got married when we were 21, and are still in love. They notice, and find is bizarre (I offer this story not as a examplar of marriage, just that it is novel for two people to marry young and stay married these days). They ask how on earth did that happen? We get to talk about having something in our relationship bigger than the two of us, our faith, that enabled us to commit, and the committment we have in the purposes and mission of God, and how that keeps us growing together.
Tagged: Consumerism, Conversion, Culture, Theo-capitalism, Theology
47 comments
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Comment by brett jordan
10.57 am on 8 Jun 2006
Great blog entry Jason, and I completely agree with the immense witness of Christians who ‘walk the walk’.
Sadly, some of us stumble and fall… for instance, my marriage failed ten years ago, not a great ‘witness’ to my non-Christian friends, and a huge blow to many of the people in the youth group we led.
However, the good news is that God hasn’t consigned me to the ‘backslidden dumpster’, and has continued to allow me to share the truth of Jesus’s love and forgiveness with people I know… and while I’m not offering it up as a ‘desirable option’, it has even made me more accessible to people who, pre-divorce, considered me to be ‘just one of those good people’…
What I am saying is not meant to take away one jot of what you are saying about the importance of Christians living holy and different lives, however it is also our relationship with Christ, in all our broken sinfulness, which can be the ‘difference’ people notice.
Comment by Jason
11.02 am on 8 Jun 2006
Oh boy, I am so glad you added that Brett. I in no way want to offer this as a legalistic get your life correct post, and thanks for seeing that. I need to add a number 4 on grace which I will do now.
Jase
Comment by Existential Punk
11.42 am on 8 Jun 2006
Jason, thanx for posting this important information. I\’ve been saying and experiencing this with people i meet but people in my circles, whether her in Richmond, VA or the blog world, have disagreed with me. Great things to hope and pray for! You ROCK!!!!
Comment by Existential Punk
11.44 am on 8 Jun 2006
Brett, thanks for your openeness and honesty about your life. That will go much farther with people than having it all together! Peace!
Comment by Dean Whisnant
12.44 pm on 8 Jun 2006
Though this information seems new about Gen Y, I would argue that for at least all of my life (38.5 years) it would seem that GOd has been a consumer choice. Actually, let me take that a step back and reflect on the Old Testament course I just completed. I can’t think of a time since the garden that God wasn’t a consumer choice product.
With that said though, surely the resons for the consumer choice have changed. The biggest draw of the last 50-100 years seem to be a consumer choice of “Heaven” or “Hell”. I’ll agree that more recently the choice seems to be more happiness based, here on earth.
This falls into the conversation DH, I and others have been sharing about the pendulum effect. IF we then consider on a timeline that in the 50’s the pendulum was stiffly on the Heaven/Hell side, we can say that the 70’s and 80’s were the downward swing, that has now slightly crossed the bottom of the arc and is now approaching the swing towards “here and now”.
So what this means to me and my ministry is that I will do what I can do best to offer that middle road and watch some stay away for selfishness, to return at some point for liturgy, to eventually settle in the middle with a loving relationship with a group of people.
Will we have numbers that stun the world? Putting it bluntly, I really don’t care. What I care is how whatever numbers come feel loved by GOd through my love of them.
Great post Jason.
Comment by Des
1.44 pm on 8 Jun 2006
Jason, a very thought provoking post. There’s so much I want to say but haven’t time to type it all! Maybe later . . .
Here’s a question. As ‘emergent’ people we are meant to be in tune with the culture, and witnessing to the Gospel in that culture. I sense you talk pejoratively about Generation Y and the God as consumerist item. So how far do we go in criticising the culture, how far do we ‘go with’ the culture and accept that this is how it’s going to be ?
Comment by Jason
2.00 pm on 8 Jun 2006
Hi Des, great question. I hope I’m offering a critique of culture, in terms of the narrative of culture that say ‘life is about being happy’, and you avoid committment to anything, that might get in the way of that.
The usual cultural critique I hear is about sex/drugs, and the issue of truth.
I’m not sure where the boundaries are, and I’m inclinde to see both good in our emerging culture, and bad, like any previous culture.
In no way do I want to demonise Generation Y, just draw attention to a developing theme, the meme of ‘being happy’ as the basis for life.
I hope previous posts have shown my inclination to accomodation to culture, and why it’s a missional and theological necessity.
Comment by josh
2.21 pm on 8 Jun 2006
this is the best post I’ve read in months. i would write more but there’s little for me to add.
Comment by ron
2.24 pm on 8 Jun 2006
Doesn’t offer much hope Jason, sort of wants to make you through your hands in the air. But not…
I wonder if the church hasn’t been it’s own worst enemy in the regard. We sort of dove in head first, what was deemed engaging the culture soon swallowed us up.It became church marketing, sell a product good enough that would keep them coming back.
I do hold out hope, but I think it will only come when we can show, live and speak about the real alternative.
Comment by Jason
3.19 pm on 8 Jun 2006
Hi Ron, sorry to depress you! :-) not my intention. I would agree with you, I think we have often made things worse.
Consumerism is totalising, it takes our new ideas of church and re-absorbs them as something for us to talk about, to buy, and consume and avoid the real act of mission, of serving, giving, committing.
My hope is in real missional engagement, or conversion from the happy life to the life of christ in the mission of the church.
How do you see tha happening in your context?
Comment by PurplePastor
3.56 pm on 8 Jun 2006
Great stuff, Jason. An honest, edgy post that could easily be read as uncharitable cynicism. But I think the message that you’re offering us is charged with a hopeful realism. The picture that you’ve painted may be bleak, but it’s in our best interests to hear what you’ve said and to think about the long and short term implications of your commentary, especially as it relates to the future of the church. Imagine the chaos we face if we do not return to the Upper Room and wait once more for power from on high.
Comment by dh
4.10 pm on 8 Jun 2006
I think this proves that modern Christianity IS the way people are coming to Christ. People are understanding that have a fulfilling life and to have eternal life one must be Born Again. I feel the one problem with the reception of the Message of the Gospel are people desire not to be told something. The problem among non-Believers is the rise of extreme Universalism that any religion works for anyone. It is so difficult these days to say what Jesus said “I am the Way the Truth and the Life no one comes to the Father but thru Me.” because people fear like they are being forced to do something when that is not the case. That is why modern Christianity works in that they focus on “personal relationship to Christ” to be part of the community of the Body of Christ.
Dean, I guess the question is focus on the hearand now truly showing love when God will allow us to have eternal life if we have Faith in Christ alone and the opposite eternal death? Shouldn’t we help people in a loving way understanding God’s Grace as well as “the wages of sin”? PM Christianity doesn’t mention or downgrades the Truth of the consequences of sin and rejection of Christ and seems to focus solely on the hear and now. For all Christians we should have BOTH not one or the other for proper understanding andproper Truth of where we stand with Christ or without Christ for all times past, present, future. Rather than any particular one of the three above.
Comment by dh
4.15 pm on 8 Jun 2006
If Emergent Christianity isn’t definitive then it will fall into the categories all the other religions are looked at by this Generation. The solid nature of the message of Modern Christianty by the nature of how Africa is coming and the Third World shows the power of how God is using Modern Christianity for His glory. If a person gives a half answer to a questions then in my opinion you will get a half response or none at all. This post seems to confirm this original thought.
Comment by Dean Whisnant
5.08 pm on 8 Jun 2006
dh, Yes… I think it does still bring forth needing to communicate both sides of the balance(not one or the other).
I’m still not bought in on “modern Christianity IS the way people are coming to Christ”.
I would agree that mass conversions in world areas show that it is A viable way that people are coming to Christ.
The question comes in historical context of other mass conversions and what happened after them. Not all mass conversions are “good” (?).
I will still stand that as a society of individuals, we individually have something that will connect us to that relationship. Be it a Heaven and Hell message or a relational message.
Don’t give up on your position dh (not that I think you will), because there is much good in our balance. I personally feel led to continue the path of personal relationships on a small scale and a collective uncovering of roots, faults, victory, celebration and such.
I will also always feel somewhat kindred with those who are not in the center of evangelical Christianity, who lean on the side of Universalism as I believe there is more to
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…” than we limit it to.
We all want to “feel goodâ€, anyone who denies that likely denies himself. How this manifests in our lives and our relationship (or non-relationship) with God and others is most important.
Comment by timothy wright
7.17 pm on 8 Jun 2006
I would encourage everyone to read:
Consuming Religion: Christian Faith And Practice in a Consumer Culture
by Vincent J. Miller
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826415318/qid=1149790405/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl/202-8306006-6742238
This is an excellent book that addresses what Jason is adressing.
Great post. This conversations is describing the major environment where we spend our lives.
I would also encourage people to read Organic Church by Neil Cole which addresses how and why we need to address the processes of why we do “do” church the way we do and how to really connect with those who need Jesus.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826415318/qid=1149790405/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl/202-8306006-6742238
Tim
Comment by filip
8.42 pm on 8 Jun 2006
Great post Jason,
at the moment I’m writing a paper for my masters (adv. Apo.) on the relation of power (Foucault) and how we can escape that through (trans)formation. I’m dialoguing with Radical Orthodoxy (as set forth by James Smith and Carl Raschke). Thanks for the input.
Comment by homileo
8.46 pm on 8 Jun 2006
Excellent post Jason. We really need to talk about this more. Could you please indicate the origin of the term ‘Theocapitalism’ I ask because it is such a succinct description of the challenge we face as the church.
Comment by PurplePastor
9.28 pm on 8 Jun 2006
As John Kenneth Galbraith wrote in The Affluent Society a half century ago,
Comment by dh
10.29 pm on 8 Jun 2006
You mentioned ““I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…†than we limit it to.” I don’t feel it is people doing the limiting but God when He says “If you deny Me I will deny you before My Father in heaven.” I also could bring up where Jesus talks about “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. I personally feel a “relational message” without people understanding afterlife does people a disservice to where people actually stand. Many people ontheother end of the spectrum feel they are Believers by feeling just because the person is part of a Christian community. I feel this is wrong and gives false security when people need to lovingly know where they stand. I believe in “relational evangelism” but at somepoint Christians must share heaven/hell but in a very loving way. I know many have not done it in a loving way but that doesn’t change the Truth. I just don’t think people can call themselves Christians without believing in heaven/hell.
Comment by dh
10.40 pm on 8 Jun 2006
People talk about “Theocapitalism” which I agree in the extreme is wrong in that greed is always bad but what is wrong with “Theocapitalism” if at particular times a person or group has no attitude of greed behind it? Jesus showed He was somewhat of a Capitalist with the parable of the talents. If He thought investing (a capitalistic action) was bad or wrong He wouldn’t have used it as an analogy. The fact is Capitalism in and of itself is not wrong but greed is. To use a blanket “theocapitalism” is just over the top and an extreme overgeneralization. However, God woulddisagree with capitalistic greed. I also would say that while God says to take care of the poor He would never condone in the other extreme “theocommunism” in some sense helping the poor is good and is the good part of it. However, Christian “robin hood” by way of forcing help of the poor rather than people helping the poor out of a pure heart is also bad. I can’t support forcing people to help the poor when people should do this without being forced and from a pure heart. I know I used an over the top term. I would prefer using no over the top terms and address directly rather than by blanket statements concerns within Christianity. This is why I just can’t be a PM Christian but a M Christian.
Comment by Jason Clark
11.02 pm on 8 Jun 2006
homileo: follow the link in the post, to the article by Thomas M. Beaudoin for theorigins of the term. great to hear from you.
Comment by Jason Clark
11.05 pm on 8 Jun 2006
DH: I’m not offering a critique of capitalism, but using the term theocapilatism, to describe the idea that non christians have a religion, based around consumerism that they need to convert from and that is endemic in the church. Do read the linked article to see how the term is being used. Cheers, Jason
Comment by Jason Clark
11.06 pm on 8 Jun 2006
Tim: great link thank you!
Filipe: Thanks for the feedback. Your paper sounds fascintating, do share it with us :-)
Comment by Jason Clark
11.09 pm on 8 Jun 2006
Dean: I’m with you. There is lots of good in our modern christian heritage and lots we need to review. The gospel has been largely about absoulte truth through and hermeutic of foundationalism, that leads to peopel converting to propostitional beliefs but not how they live. Barna has the stats to prove this.
And the emerging church has it’s own set of problems, and in this context, I’m arguong for the valu of conversion experiences, just not from the same hermeneutical position!
Jase
Comment by ron
12.18 am on 9 Jun 2006
Jason some more food for thought from Brian Walsh co-author of ” Colossians Remixed.” The article, ” would you like fries with that faith.”
http://crc.sa.utoronto.ca/articles/Varsity-Globalization.html
Jason, in the comment you left me, you saked, ” how do you see that happening in your context. ” By being much more intentional when it comes to missional engagement. It was a reality check, to sit down and realize how much the church consumes in terms of physical energy, time and finances. When it comes to overall energy how much goes into missional engagement. So it has meant how much are we willing to abandon. The things we’ve built, the things we identify with more that the hurting wounded world around us…can we let all that die, so that we can engage to be life, give life and recieve life. It has been a huge re-booting of our minds to move from ” they will come to us ” to ” we will go to them.” We are learning real theology comes from missional engagement, we are discovering far more truth in this than a 45min sermon Sunday Morning. I think the change will come when the church ” gives “, instead of consuming. Great Post as always Jason. Pax…Ron+
Comment by Dean Whisnant
12.48 am on 9 Jun 2006
Jason, Am I missing something? I don’t see the link you are referring to…
Comment by Jason
6.41 am on 9 Jun 2006
Sorry everyone, the link to Thomas M. Beaudoin and the article are now working, my bad hmtling…now fixed.
Comment by Existential Punk
9.22 am on 9 Jun 2006
Jase, any way to purchase this book in the USA that you know of? Can\\\’t find it on Amazon. Adele
Comment by Jason
9.26 am on 9 Jun 2006
That’s a UK church of england publication, I guess it will end up on amazon eventually, but it’s not showingt at present :-( sorry. Jase.
Comment by Jamie Arpin-Ricci
10.17 am on 9 Jun 2006
Ah, amazon… Can’t wait!
Comment by Tom
2.11 pm on 9 Jun 2006
Ron, thanks for that link to Walsh’s article.
Comment by dh
7.24 pm on 9 Jun 2006
My statement was in regard to “…that is endemic in the church” part of Theocapitalism. My first paragraph states my agreement by mentioning greed as a problem but later on I address the overal use as being a little over the top. However, your explaination of the term used for non-Believers I totally agree with. I really enjoyed that. I have always thought atheism is a religion among non-Believers just like you use Theocapitalism among non-Believers. However, not all people who are accused of following “Theocapitalism” are non-Believers or “Theocapitalists” to begin with and maybe the term is a false use of the term at certain times? Basically I feel Comsumerism is not always bad but in the extreme with an attitude of greed it is bad just like in the polar opposite like I discribed with regard to my use of the term “Theocommunism”. Maybe it was the analogy within the post and use of the term that concerned me.
Comment by Existential Punk
7.44 pm on 9 Jun 2006
dh, i agree with you on your statement that \
Comment by Existential Punk
7.49 pm on 9 Jun 2006
jason, i am entering ZEROS than it says an invalid code then erases part of my post. now i can\’t remember what i said. Is there any way to fix this problem with your blog. Sometimes when it says invalid code, it retains my entire post so i re-enter the code again. Other than this coomenting code mishap that happens over and over to me, i LOVE your new blog format.
It just did it again when i tried posting this and i am getting really frustrated. Also, i am clicking thye notify me box of new posts and i am not getting them.
Comment by Jason
8.35 pm on 9 Jun 2006
Existential: I haven’t heard anyone else with this problem, but sorry that you are! If you write, then highlight and copy the text either crtl-c (pc) or apple-c (mac) you’ll have the text on the clipboard and can re-paste if comment authentication fails.
Also if you register as a site user, in the side bar, you won;t have to authenticate every time. The site will remember you!
Hope that helps.
Jason
Comment by Jason
8.36 pm on 9 Jun 2006
DH: Thanks for clarfying. I do however think this is not just something affecting non christians…I think theocapitalism influencing people to sign up for a way of life outside of the church, to leave it and pursue the mission of hapiness, rather then the mission of the church.
Comment by Existential Punk
8.59 pm on 9 Jun 2006
Jase, i use Firefox so could it be the browser?
Comment by dh
9.14 pm on 9 Jun 2006
“mission of happiness” I totally agree especially in churches where people for months have not had anyone come forward for Salvation or have not had Baptisms in over months. When some churches don’t share the plan of Salvation and discipleship thereafter fully problems like the one described occur. It just seems it is pot calling the kettle black in that the ones where Baptisms and alter calls don’t occur are the first ones to complain about churches doing that when the churches complaining have a “I’m okay your okay” mentality. It is a balance and both are equally wrong and both should be equally addressed. Unlike it appears many times in the blogsphere.
Comment by Jason
9.21 pm on 9 Jun 2006
Firefox works well for me? Strange, can you capture it next time, i.e describe in detail and I’ll send to my web guy. Jase.
Comment by GMD
6.44 am on 12 Jun 2006
I live in Riga and here if you take the time you can see the merger of so many cultures. This mostly has been casued by the now demised soviet occupation.
What we have is a capital city that is trying so hard to play catch up with the west and to observe it’s like trying to squeeze the past 50 years of cosumeristic western leanings into 15 years all this and yet it has the post soviet depresion holding it back like someone treading on a brides train. You can almost see the desire for consurmerism, like Riga is jealous that someone else has something that it doesn’t. Leave the city and it’s like a different world, and remember there’s only 2.5 million people in Latvia.
It’s hard to explain on a blog comment in a few lines but it’s a real melting pot of cultures divided by generations and wealth.
You might argue it’s a mess but it’s an interesting mess never the less.
Comment by Paul
3.26 pm on 12 Jun 2006
Jase
I think you do a great service by identifying happiness as the religion of the age – although i wonder whether this has changed much in life over the centuries – maybe the medium of consumerism is more a 20-21st century phenom for the western world…
I say this based on no evidence other than my own life – whereby my natural disposition is to make choices purely for me – my rights, my needs my wants, my way… and since i live in a culture with cheap credit and an abundant amout of social status attached to stuff then it is easy to get caught up in that… or with people to have relationships which support/give something to me and avoid giving of myself…
After all Paul warns the Galations in chpater 5:19-21
“is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on…”
He could be writing to me living in England today… I wonder about the challenge of Jesus’ call to die to self – is this an alternative way to live – to live forsomething more than me? The challenge of loving God and in deed anyone else is that love is a giving relationship not a getting one… its about others first rather than myself… and judging my the fight i had on friday I’m still not very good in doing that in a married context with 12 yrs of practice at it :)
Maybe then my natural positivity means that I am bit more optimistic than you are Jason about the situation. I think you are right to highlight grace and the Spirit of God but I am not so sure on the waiting front – humans have been me first for centuries and that hasn’t stopped people finding ways of enagiging and challenging that culture with the gospel… do we need to be prophetic about the flip side of me first living – the cost to the environment… the third world… each other… to speak truth but to also bring love and be be with people as they hit the hard times/pain of me first living..?
Afterall Paul offers an alternative to the Galatians frenzied lifestyle in v22-23 …
“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”
I think this is what you remind me of with your call to commitment, a call to belong to Jesus and each other… to offer this way of hope, peace, love, patience as we are being transformed by that…
I’m excited that its grace through Jesus that brings this… that it is not my effort… the challenge to live this life out… that as Paul says in v23-26
“Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.”
Trackback by One for the road...
8.33 pm on 13 Jun 2006
The way of happiness and the way of hope…
Two awsomely thought provoking soul stirring posts that I recomend you check out are on Jason Clark’s blog at the moment… The first looks at how there is a dominating religion in the world today – the pursuit of happiness – or theocapitalism as Jaso…
Comment by Matt
1.53 pm on 14 Jun 2006
I apologize for weighing in on this so late in the game. I promise I’ve read all of the posts.
“I feel the one problem with the reception of the Message of the Gospel are people (sic) desire not to be told something.”
dh, you have encapsulated the entire argument with this statement, a truth as old as the Fall. We are warring, and have been from the beginning, with the self.
When I hear anyone attacking church teachings on a particular matter, the reasons given me are more often than not arguments advocating permission for permission’s sake, with a disregard for philosophy and the natural law, two of the faith’s strongest allies.
But where much of the contemporary church (i hesitate to say modern, or postmodern, we’re more accurately in a post-postmodern age, for which I don’t have a clever name) fails is in continuing to have a reactionary stance to culture, rather than a preactionary stance.
Postmodernism is a reaction to and modification of modernism; the very etymology of the term gives this away. And like modern Christianity, if we parade the adjective before the faith it modifies, our own approach is destined to die the death of the seed fallen on shallow soil.
Postmodernism being a reaction to modernism, and modernism dying out, means we can effectively start the countdown for postmodernism’s demise.
Truth is, we’re starting the battle too late. The human spiritual struggle against the powers and principalities of this dark world did not begin during the June and Ward Cleaver era; it began in the Garden of Eden. Our weapons should date back as far.
Paul, you are on target to cite Galatians 5. When one reads through the fruits of the Spirit, words like love, peace, patience, and self control leap off of the page, supercharged notions of the fullness of a Spirit-filled life. These qualities predate sin. Sin is only a negation of them, not a created thing. Original sin is not very original; it gets all of its ideas from purity.
But we would try to battle sin on its own terms, and not on the terms of the Holy Spirit. We forget Whose is the battle. We are not the usurpers; we are the rightful heirs to the Kingdom of God. Chastity is not a rethinking of perversion; it was chastity that came first. Perversion was second, and an effort to avoid perversion came third. The fight is best fought from the highest ground; and we put ourselves in a compromised position when we use merely reactionary tactics.
Pingback by Jason Clark » The Past of The Future: Why we live in the now
7.53 am on 15 Jun 2006
[...] History magazine is a great magazine, and the recent issue, has the most amazing article on how and why people are disengaging from the past and unwilling to contend with the future. It shed light for me on my previous post on Theocapitalism, and why we are in the ‘now’ generation, who just want ‘to be happy’. [...]
Pingback by welcome to the story
8.18 pm on 15 Jun 2006
[...] Theocapitalism (One of the best posts that I’ve read over the past couple of months. Written by Jason Clark) [...]
Pingback by believeitornot.org.uk » Financing 21st Century child rearing
6.05 pm on 22 Jun 2006
[...] Jason wrote this recently: At the school my youngest kids go to, one of the most evangelistic opportunities my wife and I have, is that parents are intrigued that we have been married 16 years, got married when we were 21, and are still in love. They notice, and find is bizarre (I offer this story not as a examplar of marriage, just that it is novel for two people to marry young and stay married these days). They ask how on earth did that happen? We get to talk about having something in our relationship bigger than the two of us, our faith, that enabled us to commit, and the committment we have in the purposes and mission of God, and how that keeps us growing together. [...]
Pingback by Jason Clark » You’ll never find the church you’re looking for
3.30 pm on 23 Jun 2006
[...] And still people will say no thank you, handing my life over to Jesus and serving the Mission of God with others in my community, doesn’t fit my consumer lifestyle and requirements. And maybe whilst we strive for those changes, we’ll stop beating ourselves up over not acheiving them all [...]
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