A Breadcrumb & Fish, Along with Other Clever Christianese Shirts of the 90s
Sit down into Doc Brown’s DeLorean or Bill and Ted’s phonebooth to speed back to the 1990s. There you’d find a husky middle school boy, a little insecure about his weight, who wanted nothing more than to dance with Dusty Lawrence, the girl of his dreams, at the school dance. Now, would he ever dance with her? Nope. Would he sit on the bleachers of the school gymnasium at all five of that year’s school dances, trying to whip up the courage to ask said girl? Yes, yes, he would.
But one other thing you should know about this strapping young man is that he loved Jesus. Well, it was more of the idea of a Jesus that was saving me from the wrath of a furious and vengeful God. You’d probably notice that he loved Jesus because he was most likely wearing one of a dozen colors of the What Would Jesus Do Bracelets and a clever t-shirt, by the folks at Lifeway, with a clever twist on the latest fashion brand. We are talking about “A Breadcrumb & Fish,” the alternative to Abercrombie and Fitch,” “Jesus is King,” a rip-off of Burger King’s logo, or “Jesus: He’ll Be There For You,” a twist on the TV show Friends’ logo. And just in case you thought I was too faithful, you need only to listen to one of the hundreds of Christianese versions of the latest trends coming out of the secular music industry; DC Talk versus the Beasty Boys, Audio Adrenaline versus Nirvana, Newsboys versus U2.
“Far from being immune to the dynamics of commodification, religion is susceptible to abstraction and reification as other aspects of culture. Religious beliefs and practices are in danger of being extracted from the complex culture, institutions, and relationships that enable them to inform the shape of daily life,” argued Vincent Miller. [1]
In his work Consuming Religion, Miller takes a theological, ethical, and economic view of consumerism and consumer culture related to and within the Christian movement. He begins by framing what he means by consumer culture, examines the two-sided influence of religion and culture, and then jumps into an explanation of the commodification of culture.
For Miller, “Our countless acts of consumption and evaluation of commodities large and small train us daily to value things out of their context.”[2] He argued that our cultural structures and habits are reinforced by practices such as shopping, advertisements, constructing identity, and consuming cultural products.
But what about people of faith? Surely they do not fit into the same consumer apparatus as non-religious people. According to Miller, religious leaders’ use of secular media bypasses their traditional communal information and organizational structures. “While this may serve well as a program of centralization, it comes with a significant cost. It erodes the communal mediating structures that link the authority of the leader and the doctrines and symbols they steward to the life of the local community.”[3] Ultimately, Miller argues that the cost of welcoming these habits of interpretation and use of their tradition supplant hermeneutics and systems of formation.
I have been a minister in the local church for nearly two decades. From cultivating the spiritual lives of adolescents to journeying alongside young adults, from holding the hands of the dying to nurturing senior adults, I have witnessed the multigenerational and multi-contextual understanding of why the church exists and people’s relationships to it.
Though certainly not for all, the church has become a commodity for far too many. It is seen through the way people select a church based on the best programs, worship, events, and staff. Like an intelligent shopper clicking through their online search engine to find the best price on the products they want, many churchgoers are looking for the best bang for their buck. Of course, they will give an exchange of money for goods and services; that’s what we call a tithe. And just like every good merchant knows, the customer is always right, that is, if you want to keep them around.
So how do we do spiritual formation, especially about our unhealthy consumption and identity around stuff? When those who hold the most consumeristic lifestyle typically are the busiest and least likely to give the church much of their, how do we journey alongside people intentionally?
Miller’s work ultimately reminds us that consumer culture brings opportunities as well. “It accompanies and facilitates a great explosion of cultural agency. The doors of the archives of tradition have been opened to the masses.”[4]
[1] Miller, Vincent Jude, Consuming Religion (New York: Continuum, 2013), 105.
[2] Ibid, 71.
[3] Ibid, 106.
[4] Ibid., 225.
About the Author
Andy Hale
Associate Executive Coordinator of CBF North Carolina, CBF Podcast Creator and Host, & Professional Coach12 responses to “A Breadcrumb & Fish, Along with Other Clever Christianese Shirts of the 90s”
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Hi Andy,
I loved your illustrations. One of the trends that I am discovering about young single adults these days is that they have less and less desire to gather together. In your opinion, how does consumeristic lifestyle influence believer’s desires not to gather anymore for church gatherings? And do you have any practical suggestions on how to counteract those trends?
I think the answer is simply-complex. As easy as the solution sounds, authentic relations make the difference. When people feel valued and believe their presence brings value, the door opens for a different and more profound relationship with the church.
Andy: You ask good questions about how do we do spiritual formation in our consumer-obsessed culture. The simple answer is when Jesus said, “When I am lifted up, I will draw all….” But on a daily, weekly, monthly schedule as a leader in ministry tries to navigate this world and instill in people faith and encourage them to stay on the path with Christ, it gets a little more difficult. Books like these help though; they give us ideas and understanding. Great post.
Andy, excellent post! I relived visits to several Christian bookstores as I read. The Christian sub-culture was so obvious “back in the day.” Do you think there is more of a sub-culture today or is it less than it used to be? I also resonate with your decrying that “the church has become a commodity for far too many.” It seems every week I meet new people to church who came from another for one of many reasons that amount to consumerism. I wish there was a way to send them back to the church they left! How do you think we can minimize that more?
Roy,
Great questions. Yes, and yes.
I think the culture has shifted from products to the product of the type of church and ministry teams. How many churches are trying to replicate the latest megachurch as an act of consumerism.
A culture change begins with those leading the church. Unfortunately, the ego around congregation size, salaries, and fashionability is not easily changed.
Andy, first off, great into. I was sucked in and could imagine every scene. Thanks for sharing.
And boy, your observations and questions are TOUGH and GOOD and SPEAK TO THE HEART. What DO we do about this? I can’t imagine being a pastor for all of those reasons you stated. I say this not as pity, but sympathy, and filled with awe for those of you who serve the Church in such a way.
As you think about your own questions, what are you doing (or do you plan to do) to offset this consumerism?
See responses above.
Hey Andy, thank you for your post. Your introduction brought me right back into the ways I’ve been part of Christian consumerism as well. You end with Miller’s comment about the archives of tradition being opened now to the masses. On one level I agree with Miller that this can create agency. It seems it also feeds commodification. What role do you see we as leaders playing in this journey of agency so that the archives of tradition might hold transformational power and not simply become superficially appropriated?
Oh, that’s a brilliant question.
I think the simple and straightforward answer is authenticity. If leadership can keep that at the center of everything that we say and do, how impactful will that be in keeping our why in check.
Thank you, Andy…That is a helpful reply…pushes me as well back into last week’s reading from Northouse. I appreciate the focus on authenticity over and above a particular methodology…it pushes me to stay engaged with my own discipleship journey in a commodified world.
Andy as I read your post I found myself coming to a similar question that Elmarie asked. So I will tie it to Amos…how does Amos challenge us as leaders to engage the flock differently than what is the “practice” of other leaders of our time?
Andy, thank you for your creative and fun look at the role of Miller’s findings and their effect on church life. You ask some interesting questions. I wonder is there anyway the spiritual community could regain or gain ground on being more of an influencer of the culture than being influence by the consumer culture we now find ourselves in? And how might we do that, taking Miller’s writing into consideration?