Numerous books have been assigned for us to read up to this point, but Vincent J. Miller\u2019s book, \u201cConsuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture\u201d is finally one that I can \u201cbuy\u201d into. Sorry, I had to say it. I am sure as ministers and church leaders, we all have a myriad of problems that we see arising in our churches; however, I truly believe that money has always been one\u2026not the greatest\u2026but definitely one of the greatest, obstacles the church has worked to overcome. I was deep in the pages of Consuming Religion, constantly comparing in my mind the different attitudes between the woman who gave her last mite and Ananias and Sapphira who held back at the last second because the lure of the money took hold. I also kept thinking about the couple from church that came in one day and shared their excitement over winning $1000 dollars at the car race track (mind you, this was the same couple that the church had recently helped numerous times with finances recently up to that point), and they were so excited to give $100 back to God out of their winnings; which was awesome\u2026that is, until they revealed to me that they donated $300 back to the track to help them remodel. Sadly, they did not understand the lesson that could\u2026no, should have been learned there. The reality is that even the church cannot deny living in a material world\u2026a point the author makes so vehemently throughout this entire text.<\/p>\n
Miller does an excellent job of shining light about the obstacles that have been erected as a means of building this concept of consumerism as a barrier that has risen within Christian-based communities. From war to women entering to the workplace to materialism in general, there seems to be a distinct line of cause and effect scenarios for building to this point. \u201cAs the twentieth century opened, he writes, print advertisements shifted from being primarily textual to include more illustrations. This shift served to support sometimes outlandish promises that often played more to the emotions than to common sense.\u201d[1]<\/a> One of the foundation principles was commodification; \u201can account of decline and loss.\u201d[2]<\/a> There were times when I could see this as a financial situation, or rather a world-view; however, at other times it seemed to a prevalent status within the decline of church involvement and financial interaction. Churches are dying because people love money\u2026a cautionary thing to do according to scripture. It is worse than that though, in that they seem to trust money as the only real answer they see to fulfilling their happiness. When God is not the supplier of our perceived needs, then we remove the support to His church, and we fund our lives under different promises. Currently in my own congregation, though we are active with mission work and other ministries, we currently have more money set aside for building modification than our ministries\u2026and sadly, it is almost a necessary thing to do because people judge a church by the paint on their walls rather than the sermons that are preached.<\/p>\n \u201cMiller argues that religion and religious artifacts have become items that function in the marketplace.\u201d[3]<\/a> Though we have seen historically that even the church is responsible for placing too much emphasis on maintaining items and giving them value; for primary example all of the professed artifacts used to lure soldiers during the crusades. Materialism has flared its nasty face and the world loves it. Luis Oviedo does point out there though there is a great problem facing the church here, Miller gives areas of optimistic hope; \u201cThe book concludes with a more prescriptive chapter; a proposal of strategies to cope with the challenges described.\u201d[4]<\/a> There are numerous books that see problems in ministry yet, many fail to see the potential for improvement; I believe Miller still believes this is a possible fix; I am not sure I share his optimism. I often preach that the world\u2026and the church is included in this\u2026has a \u201cheart-condition.\u201d We fail to trust God like we should, and that trust therefore gets placed in terrible things. Though we see those shimmering rays of hope when someone obeys the Gospel, sadly there seems to be more leaving the church because of its \u201climitations\u201d than joining the church because they desire a home in Heaven.<\/p>\n Miller presented the concept of the \u201ccafeteria mentality\u201d[5]<\/a> of religion. I was raised to believe that God supplied all of our NEEDS. However, today if people do not find everything they \u201cWANT\u201d, then they just move down the road to another church. This \u201csupply and demand Christianity\u201d has forced churches to either conform to the desires of congregation\u2019s wants, or they risk closing their doors for good. As a result, we have started to see this surge of homogenized, non-bible based, completely accommodating churches that spend more time pleasing man than they spend pleasing God. I would love to see this problem fixed, but the church is going to have to rebuild their desire to return to God and deny their false gods of money.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Miller, Vincent J. Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture.<\/em> New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003.<\/p>\n Oviedo, Lluis. Consuming Religion Review.<\/em> n.d. http:\/\/catholicbooksreview.org\/2004\/miller.htm (accessed January 27, 2018).<\/p>\n Wilder, Courtney. “Vincent J Miller, Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture.” The Journal of Religion<\/em>, October 2005: 681-682.<\/p>\n Zagano, Phyllis. “Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture (Review).” Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality<\/em>, 2005: 119-122.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Zagano, Phyllis. “Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture (Review).” Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality<\/em>, 2005: P 119-122.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Miller, Vincent J. Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture.<\/em> New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003. P 113.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Wilder, Courtney. “Vincent J Miller, Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture.” The Journal of Religion<\/em>, October 2005: 681-682.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nBibliography<\/h1>\n