Enigma, Bricolage, and the Commodification of Christianity
“A commodity is a basic good used in commerce that is interchangeable with other commodities of the same type.”[1] Thus to treat something as a commodity…as if that something “can be bought and sold”[2] like any other commodity is to commodify that thing. “When we relate to cultural and religious traditions as commodities, they lose their power to inform the concrete practice of life.”[3] This idea forms the foundation for Vincent Miller’s Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture.[4] I’m going to mention how some Christians may be pushing away from this tractor beam – countering the commodification of Christian faith – by returning to a more liturgical approach to Christian formation, but first we need to make a comparison with popular culture.
1990s pop/dance/other music and a loss of origins
Ah, the 1990s. Strangely, I remember EXACTLY where I was when I first heard Enigma’s “Return to Innocence.” My wife and I were headed west, driving through Tulsa, Oklahoma on I-44 in the fall of 1994. We were driving to our soon-to-be home of Albuquerque, NM. Much to my wife’s chagrin, I tirelessly scanned through radio station after radio station in our 1993 Chevy Corsica, trying to find just the right song, when there it was. I remember thinking, this is an interesting sound…who blended these genres together? I did not know, until reading Miller’s Consuming Religion almost three decades later, that what I was listening to was the “haunting sample of Difang Kuo singing a traditional Ami harvest song.”[5] Whether it was Enigma’s “Return to Innocence,” Dolores O’Riordan bellowing out her Celtic yodels in “Dreams” a year earlier, Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell drawing inspiration from a spoon-playing street performer, or Richard Melville Hall – yes, Moby – mixing spirituals to EDM club sounds (Miller highlights Moby’s work as an example of the “long history of white artists and producers profiting more from the work of black artists than do the artists themselves.”[6]), so much of the music of the 90s epitomized “bricolage.” I’ll come back to that French word in a minute. Much like the way we listened to “the melody and rhythms of a song without concerning ourselves about its origins,”[7] so did…and does… our culture commodify religion, including Christianity.
Bricolage
Miller does a deep dive into the way consumer culture interacts with and “changes our relationship with religious beliefs, narratives, and symbols.”[8] Instead of a Christianity steeped in history, we often experience, particularly in the West, a Christianity shaped by isms…celebrity-ism, populism, consumerism, isolationism, individualism, and materialism. Without a place to call home, a commodified (see definition above) Christianity is forced to make things up along the way. A make-shift “do-it-yourself”[9] Christianity, sometimes showcasing “a splendid bricolage of…radical elements of many traditions.”[10] Okay, so Miller was referring to the “solidarity community” in D.C., a “diverse community of activists” in the nation’s capital with that particular “bricolage” reference.[11] But this description fits with much of Western Christianity’s present identity in so many ways – an identity parked at the intersection of evangelicalism and capitalism in an individualistic freeway absent of deep, remembered history.
I think of my own story. If bricolage means “the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available”[12] (thanks Wikipedia!), then that certainly resonates with my own background. I’m quite sure that “bricolage” is how I assembled my theology in the 1990s and early 2000s. A little bit of this tradition here. Or that tradition there. Having grown up in a non-denominational non-tradition (unless a reaction to the Jesus movement of the 1970s is a “tradition”), I piecemealed my way into licensure in one denomination, only to be ordained in another. And then…I went to a theological seminary in yet ANOTHER tradition. In a matter of ten years, I’m pretty sure I managed to traverse every major offshoot of the protestant reformation. Bought the shirts. Had the ichthus (yes, we had one on our old Corsica). Went to a cool Bible Study. Read the books. Listened to P.O.D. Had the mugs. I was rockin’ Bebbington’s quadrilateral.[13]
Efforts to counter Christianity’s commodification
Some (not all, and probably not as many as I think) Christians in the West have moved toward a more ancient or liturgical approach to their own daily and weekly prayer and Bible-intake rhythms, both individually and often in community. Miller writes, “The ritual aspects of liturgy provide a way for participants to enact doctrines as members of a broader believing community.”[14]
Even as I write “have moved toward,” I’m sure there are aspects of “bricolage” and “consumerism” in such a movement. However, bricolage aside, I see language more akin to a “Rule of Life”[15] popping up in spaces where “quiet time” or “personal devotions” once occupied the spiritual formation nomenclature of the past. This could be because some Christians are consciously (or subconsciously) trying to “counter the abstracting effects of commodifcation”[16] in their own Christian faith. Is this a fad? I know one of the church planters in our presbytery uses the Daily Office to engage with his friends and neighbors. Is this a reaction? “Consumer culture seems endlessly capable of turning critique into a marketing hook.”[17] Time will tell. Whether they are praying The Daily Office, weaving the Heidelberg Catechism into their daily routines, or frequenting Evensong services, the possibility of a liturgical approach to counter what they believe to be more individualistic and commodified approaches…is worth the shift. Perhaps such a shift will help Christians remember and find hope in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Perhaps this is where we “might find needed relief from the perverted liturgies of capitalism. And Evangelicals might find a more faithful living of life for Jesus Christ.”[18]
[1] See https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/commodity.asp (accessed on 11.3.23)
[2] See https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/commodification (accessed on 11.3.23)
[3] Miller, Vincent J., Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice In a Consumer Culture, (New York: Continuum, 2003), 13.
[4] Ibid., 13
[5] Ibid., 3.
[6] Ibid., 74
[7] Ibid., 3
[8] Ibid., 3
[9] Ibid., 177
[10] Ibid., 177
[11] Ibid., 177
[12] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricolage, (accessed on 11.3.23)
[13] Bebbington, D.W., Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s, London and New York: Routledge, 1989, Kindle version, 2 of 367
[14] Miller, 201
[15] See https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/skip-resolutions-make-rule-life/.
[16] Miller, 201
[17] Ibid., 2
[18] Clark, Jason Paul, “Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship” (2018). Faculty Publications – Portland Seminary. 132. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gfes/132, 236.
About the Author
Travis Vaughn
18 responses to “Enigma, Bricolage, and the Commodification of Christianity”
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Bricolage. THANK YOU for unpacking that for me. As I read that word repeatedly in Miller and Clark, I didn’t feel like I had a grasp of what they were trying to say.
I, like you, assembled a theology that, though based in a single tradition (a young tradition of a 70 year old denomination) was really a hodge-podge of anything that sounded good to me. I saw it as a feature, not a bug. But at 54, I’m realizing I may have picked up some ugly ideas/throughs/practices along the way.
I guess my question about ancient practices is whether they are life-giving, connect-to-the-vine things or whether people are doing them to ‘put in their time’? If it’s the first, I’m all for it. If it’s the second, I fear that some trade their check-off-the-boxes-quiet-time for Lectio Divina or Evensong.
Travis, truly, thanks for your well written blog. It was encouraging, challenging and extra points for throwing in P.O.D.
Thank you, Tim.
Honestly, I don’t believe I had ever used or heard the word “bricolage” until reading Miller. Fascinating word, really.
Concerning the more ancient practices… Like you, I do wonder about the motive behind the turn, among some people. Personally speaking, I appreciate elements of Ignatian spirituality that I have been exposed to in recent years, along with other practices. Currently, I’ve been using Jonathan Gibson’s “Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship,” but that is for my personal worship. I have experienced Evensong and Lectio Divina, but that has not become a routine practice. I do understand the shift, however, and I’m thankful for it.
Like you, I have similar questions (connecting to the vine / life giving vs. checking the boxes).
Travis,
Whoa! You really hit the nail on the head with this one. I was struggling to articulate it and you captured it, you state, “But this description fits with much of Western Christianity’s present identity in so many ways – an identity parked at the intersection of evangelicalism and capitalism in an individualistic freeway absent of deep, remembered history.” Yes, this is exactly where we are. Honestly, the reality of this makes me feel a bit hopeless because I don’t know how to fix it.
I agree with Tim, thank you for better explaining Bricolage…you made it clearer to me.
Thank you, Jonita.
I attempted to use “bricolage” in a conversation this afternoon. I’m not sure if it connected, and I’m not sure if I am using it in the best way. At least not yet – ha!
Regarding feeling hopeless about the commodification of Christianity in the West, I have similar concerns and I’m also not sure how it will be fixed. Have you read Todd Henley’s post yet? He does a masterful job (using a story as an example) at highlighting just how deep the chasm is in our culture’s lack of history and loss of origins. See the “Unawareness” part of his post.
I laughed out loud when I read that you used it in conversation. I wonder did the other person understand or just pretend to understand. Thanks for pointing me to Todd’s post. It was an excellent read.
I really appreciated your post, especially the way you set up a more liturgical approach as an antidote to the commodification of religion. Obviously, anything can be corrupted, or in this case commodified, but there does seem to be more stability, maybe I could say more staying power, to the ancient church practices. The liturgy is so grounding by virtue of its constancy, and a welcome change from the all-too-prevalent cafeteria-style Christianity.
“Cafeteria-style Christianity.” That is indeed what is so prevalent. I’m curious as to how this plays out in a setting like where you all are in France.
Regarding the ancient practices having more “staying power”… I think this is what my Anglican friends, including those who have left certain denominations (and some “non-denominational” tribes), would say they are experiencing. I still have so much to learn here. One of my guests in season one of my podcast back in 2021 talked about his journey from serving in a large non-denominational church to eventually becoming an Anglican priest and planting a local Anglican church. Having now read Miller on the subject of commodification and Christianity, I would enjoy doing that interview again in a more informed way.
You’re right, Travis, that a “cafeteria style” approach is very different here in France, mostly because we just don’t have the plethora of choices that exist in the States. In my city, Lille, we actually have quite a few churches to chose from (one “mega” church in the area which has about 300 people and then maybe 15-ish small churches ranging anywhere from 15 to 75 people on a given Sunday). But there are many “church deserts” in France, that is places with no evangelical church within reasonable driving distance.
I also appreciated your discussion around Bricolage. A couple of thoughts…
– How does our tendency to weave ourselves into the various cultures we are in impact our identities as Christians? Even as I write the question, I think I am discovering another source to the polarization we see in Christianity (and everywhere).
– you said: “Without a place to call home, a commodified (see definition above) Christianity is forced to make things up along the way.” Thinking about the fact that this world is not intended to be our home… do you think that this tendency to make our own way is helping or hindering an eternal mindset?
Jen, this is such a great question. In the first part of your question, you state, “Thinking about the fact that this world is not intended to be our home…” I also have been thinking about that a great deal, really over the past decade. Along the way, I have come across some authors and theological perspectives that have added much to this conversation. I’m thinking of Michael Witmer’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” Miroslav Volf’s “A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good,” and a few other authors who address this topic.
Regarding the second part of your question (“do you think that this tendency to make our own way is helping or hindering an eternal mindset?”)… I think that the “making of our own way,” if you mean “bricolage,” is less helpful and actually quite distracting from following the way of Jesus and leaning into a deep and rooted faith.
Is “bricolage” what you meant in the second part of your question?
I so enjoy your writing style Travis.
You’ve taken me down memory lane with your pop references. Let’s go P.O.D.!
This reply won’t be very deep, but I gotta give a couple documentary shout outs (watched these last night after a full day of my Design Workshop…I was so tired!).
“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” – a Netflix film about DJ Steve Aoki.
“Squaring the Circle” – a Netflix film about HipGnosis, the design duo behind the 20th Century’s most iconic album covers.
Both are gems! You’re welcome.
🙂
Thanks, John. Jason Clark’s feedback a couple of weeks ago, when I was on the “hot-seat”, was super helpful. I consciously thought about “signposting” in this particular post. Now in my 50’s, I’m still discovering my “voice” when it comes to writing style. I imagine it will continue to morph. Reading your blogposts along with the other students’ posts has certainly helped, too!
I WILL watch those two documentaries. I’ve heard of DJ Steve Aoki (and saw the Netflix documentary advertised, somewhere?), but I’ve not heard of the latter. Having not yet watched Aoki’s documentary, I wonder if Miller would have grouped Aoki’s material into the same category as he did with Moby’s. I wonder if Miller would have considered Aoki’s work to be “bricolage?”
Hi Travis,
I also appreciate how you explained Bricolage and defined commodities for us. I think our spiritual journeys are very similar. I must admit I am unfamiliar with the music you mentioned. I’m missing a few decades! Ironically I spent the 1990s and 2000s in Cambodia and Vietnam where western music was stuck in the 1970’s. I have heard enough ABBA to last a life time!
You mentioned practices such as the Daily of Office and the Rule of Life as ways of countering consumerism. I have found the same shift in my life wanting a more tangible process and means of transformation and spiritual growth. I don’t know that I thought about these practices in terms of counter methods and wonder about fads. The true heart of these practices change us so engaging with them in a genuine manner would be reflecting on personal habits including spending. Your post gives me yet another reason to love these disciplines. I hope these practices are not just another fad. Great post!
Jenny, I also hope that these practices are not another fad. I’m sure some may consider such practices to be another “option” in a consumer-culture Christianity, but I think what Kim said is right — there seems to be more stability and more staying power with these ancient practices.
I’m sorry you missed out on music from the 90s – ha! I found Vincent Miller’s take on that era (and early 2000s) and it’s music to be very insightful. But who doesn’t love ABBA!
ABBA’s great! The song of choice in Vietnamese markets and malls was ‘Happy New Year’ 365 days a year! Hearing it even today brings back a lot of memories and joy for my family. My kids somehow managed to stay up to date, as kids do!
Travis, You wrote a helpful and in-depth piece on WHY all of what we are reading matters.
I copied an entire paragraph of yours here because I have a question and a comment:
Having grown up in a non-denominational non-tradition (unless a reaction to the Jesus movement of the 1970s is a “tradition”), I piecemealed my way into licensure in one denomination, only to be ordained in another. And then…I went to a theological seminary in yet ANOTHER tradition. In a matter of ten years, I’m pretty sure I managed to traverse every major offshoot of the protestant reformation. Bought the shirts. Had the ichthus (yes, we had one on our old Corsica). Went to a cool Bible Study. Read the books. Listened to P.O.D. Had the mugs. I was rockin’ Bebbington’s quadrilateral.[13]
I am feeling a bit sad when I read how many of us wonder if we were led by something other than the Spirit in our authentic desire to follow Jesus. Were we wrong? And then I want to ask you do you have any regrets about your journey? Would you do anything different?
Thanks, Pam. And great questions. The first question, Were we wrong?…Can “yes” and “no” be an answer? Ultimately, though maybe my/our formation was “messy,” I take solace in the answer to question 1 in the Heidelberg Catechism: “What is (my) only comfort in life and death?” Answer: “I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ…” even with a bit of “bricolage” along the way. And then regarding your second and third questions — No, I don’t really have any regrets. Of course, if I went back in time, knowing what I know now, I’d probably do a few things differently. But my journey is what it is. My story is my story. If we had more time, I’d probably unpack that a bit more. I hope I’m not sounding overly simplistic?
Wow,
What a great angle, “Bricolage.” Something new (or not so new under the sun.
For some reason, it reminded me of the many breasted figurines one can buy in Ephesus near the now destroyed Temple of Artemis.
Where there is a buck to be made, people apparently have a habit of creating a consumer layer on the onion that is religion. (Confession, I just bought a Hebrew bible in Israel for my wife, because I though it was cool).
Yet God presses on. Paul did a great speech in Ephesus, taking a swing at consumerism AND revealing the person of Jesus Christ. I rest assured that Holy Spirit Inspired folk like YOU will do the same.
Danger Will Robertson….(Lost in Space Reference) kept the Robertson family on its toes.
I guess Miller does the same.
Shalom…