Jan 26 2008
“What Would Jesus Buy?” - Questioning Consumerism
The things you own end up owning you. It’s only after you lose everything that you’re free to do anything. ~Fight Club
Bill Talen (aka “Reverend Billy”) has gained much of my esteem. He stars in a new documentary/comedy called “What Would Jesus Buy?”. The movie is not only funny, but really hits home. Seldom does anyone stop to question consumerism, yet it runs (ruins?) our lives. Consumerism isn’t about buying things, it is about buying things we don’t need. We have created an entire culture were we work, labor, and struggle all in the hopes of buying our next… something.
Bill Talen calls this the “Shopocolypse”. I think this term is quite apt, as the act of “shopping” has turned into a major part of our lives. Just think for a moment that America’s favorite leisure-time activity is to go looking for things to buy we didn’t even know we wanted. We are the hardest working country in the world (well, maybe Japan, but we’re close), have the richest middle-class, and yet the majority of our population is in a large amount of consumer debt.
Some may wonder what this has to do with Christian mysticism, but Jesus spoke about money MORE than He did about love. In fact, to Rev. Billy’s observation, the only time Jesus really got pissed in Scripture what at people shopping and lending money in the temple. Mysticism and materialism are pretty much natural enemies. And as Rev. Billy says, “slowing down your consumption is a spiritual act.”
Probably one of the greatest mystic experiences was when I did a “stuff” sweep of my home. Encouraged by a friend of mine, my wife and I went through the entire house finding things to sell, donate, or throw away. Starting with easy stuff, like things we don’t want or need but just left around, and moving on to things we wanted but really didn’t need. In the end we filled over 40 large-size garbage bags full of stuff. We now live in a much smaller home as well, but never feel at a loss, because what we do have is now that much more precious.
I was amazed to see how much this even effected our children. Our “kids room” had gotten so cluttered with stuff from birthdays, Christmas, grandparents, and relatives. With all those toys, our kids never played with anything. Surprisingly, after we cleaned out their room and eliminate their stuff down to specific edifying and creativity-based toys, they now play with their toys almost constantly.
We now repeat this process frequently, going through the house just about every month to eliminate excess “stuff”. This process completely broke our addiction to shopping. After all, it is hard to buy something when you know you are going to get rid of it in a few weeks. Also, now that we intentionally have less space (albeit clean and well organized), we are less tempted to buy anything to clutter it up.
We never “shop” anymore, only going out to buy stuff we need. Most of our leisure time and outings are spent at playgrounds, the library, museums, or treating ourselves to a nice restaurant (which we have more money for). I have been blown away by how much easier money management has become.
Think about how much stuff controls your life. If you are struggle in your spiritual life, you may want to consider pruning your material life…. Oh yeah, and go see “What Would Jesus Buy”!
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It came out really well Chris.
Scoot over, Chris! You are on my soapbox now. I consider shopping an addictive behavior that ranks way up there with alcoholism in its ability to control and destroy our lives and our relationships.
Proving to yourself that you really do not need stuff not only helps the budget, it greatly simplifies your life. We just don’t realize how much we unintentionally pressure each other to have stuff until we’ve proven we aren’t even in the game. Nice! really nice.
In times gone past, folks would perhaps walk from their village to the local Church or Cathedral, and worship with spirit and song.
Now we might get in the car and drive to the mall or huge shopping centre. There we pay homage to the Gods of consumerism, worshipping with our credit cards and overdrafts. These new ‘churches’, beckon us in with colours, music and oh such promises. Spend more and be happy, buy new and feel great, get three for the price of two, what a bargain! Come in and spend, spend, spend….
the most important part of all of this it the martha/mary tug-o-war that takes place in luke 10 37-40′ish.
martha’s busying herself with work and fancy food. (fancy food probably afforded by working more hours a day)
mary is sitting at the Lord’s feet, listening to his word, getting to know him better, become like him by being in his presence (ref. to spirit).
martha gets pissed and says “make her help me!!”
Jesus responds with, “Only one thing is needed, mary has found it, and I will not take it away from her.”
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To make things practical…
the more luxery and comfort you desire in your daily life,
the more money you’ll spend in you daily life,
the more hours you’ll work a day to make that money your spending…
This takes directly from the time you could/should be spending getting to know our Lord and King and Big-brother better… thorugh the word and spirit (and remember his “words are spirit and they are life”),
until the morning star (the spirit of jesus) rises in your hearts (2 peter 1:19, rev 22:16)
until your hearts burn, or feel strangely warm (with his spirit), (luke 24:32, john 14:15)
and the most important and yet simplist thing the Lord has ever blessed my life with… that by simply spending time with his Spirit abiding in our hearts, by spending time into his likeness, we take on his nature and personality, and way of being and speaking… as best friends do from spending time with eachother, or as a child becomes like there parent.
As we cut down our spending and therefor our work in the world, we have time to practice abiding in his Spirit and become exactly who he has called us to be… we mover from the sinful struggle in the last sentences of Romans 7, to the new life of Romans 8…
Or simply put as one of my favaorite verses says, (2 Cor 3:18)…
“And we, who with unveiled faces all contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
and as we become like him we automatically do his will as he would, no more is there a struggle with obeying all that matthew 5-7 says about anger and lust and materialism, and judging others. it all just happens because you are so much like him that you automatically respond and interact with life in his way.
and the end result of us living this way is… (Rev 1:10)
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,”
or as paul wrote about himself, (2 Cor 12:2-5)
“I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it…”
being in Gods presence is the begining and end of all mystical christianity…
and is directly at war with consumerism and material desires…
at war not just over our money…
…but our time.
our very lives.
wakingsean@hotmail.com
I think Jesus would buy a Hummer, because they ROCK!
Ok, seriously, If we would think every moment of every day that what I have is not mine but His, it would change us.
Our pastor gave a good demonstration at church on Sunday about this. Before the service he gave 2 fifty dollar bills to a member of the audience. During his talk, he asked if anyone in the church would give him $50. That same man came up and did. Then he asked for another $50. He gave him that as well.
Then the pastor told us that before church he asked this guy to do this. The point being, that is what God calls us to do all the time. Give what is ours (that what he has given us) back to the world. Whether it is money or time, I know we each have something God has given to us to use for him.
What is your gift?