[Insert Cool Title]: The Rebel Sell
We’ve wandered through nationalism, Puritanism, evangelicalism, capitalism, and consumerism (with some dabbling in fascism, socialism, and Catholicism). Our readings suggest those are not mutually exclusive terms, but concepts and realities that weave throughout one another. If we think of our readings this semester as one long text, The Rebel Sell seems to fit nicely as a sequel to our introduction to consumer culture in Miller’s and Cavanaugh’s texts. Whereas Miller and Cavanaugh introduce us to mainstream consumerism, Heath & Potter suggest that the inverse (or back door), the countercultural idea, is still consumerism (and the dominant driver, at that).
I am not ready to agree with Heath & Potter fully. They often appear to set up the countercultural idea as a straw man, and speak in hyperbole.[1] As I read, I felt as if they see every issue besetting our nation (and Canada) today as caused or shaped by the counterculture. Heath & Potter suggest that within our consumer culture, the countercultural idea is actually dominant over “mainstream society.” Or at least it imagines itself to be (yes, I personified it). I’m not convinced that all ethical/environmental purchases fit with their critique of the countercultural idea that consumerism is based on social identity. Personally, much of what I buy (or don’t buy) is not public or posted on social media, and is done with the motivation to honor God’s people and God’s creation. I see it as faithfulness, and not mutually exclusive of government regulation. I was also frustrated with their dismissal of early Christians’ “reinterpretations” of Jesus’ death and “resurrection”, likening them to residents of Plato’s cave; and pigeonholing today’s Christians as waiting around for Christ to get us out of here.[2]
That being said, I do believe their argument generally holds water. Countercultural rebels resist institutional structures, boundaries, and rules, so products and experiences are easily 
marketed to them to feed the idea that they aren’t conforming (the worst label for a rebel). We all want to stand out as different, as special and authentic, so we look for the social markers (à la Miller) that help us stand out, feeding the consumer culture.[3]
Let me give an example from within the church. Giving voice to the countercultural idea, Heath & Potter suggest the church is viewed with suspicion, part of mainstream society, a bureaucratic institution. They argue, “priests and ministers are… especially unsuited to the spiritual demands of the modern world. They can’t resolve conflicts between individuals and institutions because they represent the very institutions that are thought to be causing the problems in the first place. If the Church teaches morality, but morality is nothing but a system of repressive rules and regulations, then the Church has nothing to offer.”[4] When I first read that, I resisted agreeing with it. But as I chewed on it more, I relented. If their hypothesis is accurate, it supports the trend in the American church towards the “juvenilization” of the church; that is, “the process by which the religious beliefs, practices, and developmental characteristics of adolescents become accepted as appropriate for adults.” [5] According to the author of Juvenilization of the American Church, Thomas Bergler, “youth-friendly versions of the faith” were created to contextualize (my word) the gospel for young people in the 1950s.[6] What unintentionally emerged, however, were not “relevant” youth groups in “traditional” churches, but “youth and adults [alike] embracing immature versions of the faith.”[7]
This evening, I attended our church’s Ash Wednesday service, and was, of course, processing this week’s reading. I think the service’s goal was to say, “this ain’t your daddy’s church; we are cool, hipster.” We stood as a group in the entryway of the church, singing “me & Jesus” songs with the lights low, led by a guitarist and cajón player. The leader prayed, “God, we just come to you tonight to just worship you…” Our instructions were then to move amongst stations throughout the building on our own: “the only rules are… there are no rules.” Each station was an individualized interaction: scripture appeared on a monitor, we’d wash our hands or mold some playdoh, and move at our own pace. [When I chose to visit the ashes station, I wondered if I’d be placing the ashes on my own forehead. Thankfully, one of our ministers served that role]. I finally ended by visiting the “communion station”, to rip and dip the bread into the juice on my own, just me and Jesus. It was completely opposite from traditional Episcopal and other high-church Ash Wednesday services I’ve previously attended. Bergler might explain the juvenilization phenomena as a desire to contextualize the faith but inadvertently practicing poor theology, whereas Heath & Potter would approach it as a countercultural commodification of the mainstream religious institution. I don’t think those explanations need to be mutually exclusive.
I imagine many other examples could be shared to show how the countercultural idea has shaped our churches in North America. And perhaps Heath’s & Potter’s theory might explain why North American churches have seen a decline in membership and attendance: we’re viewed as being too mainstream institutional (and attempting to be cool & hip doesn’t seem to be effective at drawing millennials)[8]. Heath & Potter’s argument suggests that, while the countercultural idea has dominated and driven consumerism, it is actually a fallacy that can’t support itself. Their alternative is to suggest that social norms, institutional organizations, and regulations are actually useful and necessary.[9] They conclude, “civilization is built upon our willingness to accept rules and to curtail the pursuit of our individual interest out of deference to the needs and interests of other.”[10] In other words, the role of the institutional church is invaluable for a viable culture.
[1] One example: “The greatest innovation of the counterculture came with the suggestion that there was some unifying thread to all these [Native American] cultures” (272). Really, the greatest?
[2] Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter, The Rebel Sell: How the Counterculture Became Consumer Culture, (Chichester: Capstone, 2006), 8, 332.
[3] Ibid., 187.
[4] Ibid., 265.
[5] When Are We Going to Grow Up? The Juvenilization of American Christianity by Thomas Bergler
[6] Ibid. Here’s a brief description by Bergler: “The house lights go down. Spinning, multicolored lights sweep the auditorium. A rock band launches into a rousing opening song. ‘Ignore everyone else, this time is just about you and Jesus,’ proclaims the lead singer. The music changes to a slow dance tune, and the people sing about falling in love with Jesus. A guitarist sporting skinny jeans and a soul patch closes the worship set with a prayer, beginning, ‘Hey God …’ The spotlight then falls on the speaker, who tells entertaining stories, cracks a few jokes, and assures everyone that ‘God is not mad at you. He loves you unconditionally.’
After worship, some members of the church sign up for the next mission trip, while others decide to join a small group where they can receive support on their faith journey.”
[7] Ibid.
[8] Washington Post: Want Millennials Back in the Pews? Stop trying to make church ‘cool’ by Rachel Held Evans
[9] Heath & Potter, 330.
[10] Ibid., 342.
About the Author
Katy Drage Lines
In God’s good Kingdom, some minister like trees, long-standing, rooted in a community. They embody words of Wendell Berry, “stay years if you would know the genius of the place.” Others, however, are called to go. Katy is one of those pilgrims. A global nomad, Katy grew up as a fifth generation Colorado native, attended college & seminary and was ordained in Tennessee, married a guy from Pennsylvania, ministered for ten years in Kenya, worked as a children’s pastor in a small church in Kentucky, and served college students in a university library in Orange County, California. She recently moved to the heart of America, Indianapolis, and has joined the Englewood Christian Church community, serving with them as Pastor of Spiritual Formation. She & her husband Kip, have two delightful boys, a college junior and high school junior.11 responses to “[Insert Cool Title]: The Rebel Sell”
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I really enjoyed this piece Katy, and I agree with what you are saying. It has been really interesting to me to observe the “emerging church” throwing out ancient practices and traditions, moving away from the creeds, the established institutional church, to rebel and “be authentic” and express itself in a new way. What has resulted has been, in many cases, a sad cliche of church, a gloopy and vacuous amorphous blob of crassness. I haven’t come across the term juvenalisation before, but it rings true.
In my tradition, we don’t even have an Ash Wednesday service – so all is not lost for you.
I hope you enjoyed the playdough…
Geoff, you’re word choices make me guffaw: “a gloopy and vacuous amorphous blob of crassness”. What a delightful image to describe the church. I’ll be pulling that phrase out to use again. 🙂
Great post Katy. The discussion on the juvenilization of the church is interesting to me. No question that greater culture impacts the church. I did not read Berger’s book, but I think that one of the signs of a more mature church is their focus. Without being too reductive, it seems that a more mature church focuses it’s energy and resources outward to impact the greater world. One that is less mature focuses inward. A consumerist culture the consumer is the center of the universe—the black hole from which nothing escapes. Enjoyed your post Katy.
Great post as always, Katy. I love the way you actually do a review of the book within your reflection. Could you teach me how to do that? Seriously?
We attended a church last week (out of town) where everyone came in with their coffee and they were wearing jeans or other very casual attire. I don’t know how much of this is the juvenalisation you mention. I do know that my sister-in-law said her church had grown to 4000 people in a few years. What do you think – is there a compromise position or should we hold to a standard of some sort of respect for the church?
Good question, Mary. I don’t know that making rules about what to wear or bring into the sanctuary/auditorium is going to be the answer. I believe the answer comes from leadership engaging in critical theology, and making choices based on deliberate theological motivations, not simply attempting to be “relevant.” But as mentioned when we read Bevans, “relevance” can be a pendulum swing.
Hi Katy
This evening, I attended our church’s Ash Wednesday service, and was, of course, processing this week’s reading. I think the service’s goal was to say, “this ain’t your daddy’s church; we are cool, hipster.”
Now that is being a rebel as defined by society. Your church has gone against the grain of traditional ASH Wednesday services.
I would love to hear more about it.
Great post, Katy. We need the church and the institutional presence it offers, as well as the relationship emphasis of drawing people to God. A challenging balance to achieve. It seems like there were some mixed messages in the book and I liked how you brought those out.
When I was reading your post, I was struck with the image of the American church feeling a bit lost in their identity. Similar to an adolescent struggling to develop their identity and autonomy yet trying to appear cool as they internally wrestle with development. Does that resonate with you?
Jennifer, that absolutely makes sense. In reality, America itself seems to be in the adolescent phase, so the fact that the church in America identifies that way as well is understandable.
Katy I enjoyed your post. The pushback on Heath and Potter was also insightful and very true. What I engaged with most was your Ash Wednesday service example. I found myself intrigued by their creativity but saddened by the way in which it was used to individualize the worship response and practice and not unify the body. This individual me and Jesus is what is hurting our churches and giving just cause to engage in worship via Facebook live and not long to have in person communion with my faith community.
Yes! The juvenilization and “just” worship (Lord, we just want to….)! What makes me sad is I have participated in sensory worship that drew all of us together as one body but the commodification of that style takes sensory worship to a place of “me” instead of “we.”
You explained much better than I the issues with Heath and Potter’s work but like you, I am ultimately in agreement with many of their thoughts and very glad they brought the discussion forward.
Katy,
loved your post…. and I really loved that you thought and talked about how the countercultural impulse has affected (or is that ‘infected’?) the church?
I always struggle to find the balance when I am trying to do something new or different in worship as I really like trying new things, but I want to be aware of not just doing something because it is different.
….A decade ago when I was attending a lot of ’emergent’ conferences and the like, it was always so surprising to me how adamant many (not all) leaders were about ‘traditional’ liturgy and worship….Of course there are lots of contexts where that is appropriate, but it always stood out to me, in part, because it felt like at least some of it was done expressly because it wasn’t expected…..they had gone so far ‘out there’ that the only was to be cool again was to be traditional….