{"id":32023,"date":"2023-03-24T16:02:14","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T23:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=32023"},"modified":"2023-03-24T16:03:48","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T23:03:48","slug":"is-solomon-responsible-for-consumerism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/is-solomon-responsible-for-consumerism\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Solomon Responsible for Consumerism?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Us versus Them<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vincent Miller’s work in\u00a0Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture<\/em> is not an ‘Us’ (Christianity) versus ‘Them’ (Consumerism) read. Instead, Miller has taken a unique approach that provides the reader with a description of ‘Them,’ i.e., consumerism and all its tentacles in culture, and insights into how the Church has been outsmarted and weakened.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Burger King Mentality<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

One of Miller’s main arguments, and rightfully so, is that consumerism has weakened our faith.[1]<\/a> He makes his case that consumerism has caused Christianity to disconnect from traditions and other symbols of faith.[2]<\/a> As a result, the separation has plunged religion into the land of abstraction and disassociation. Miller, a Roman Catholic, takes issue with the devaluing of religious symbols and traditions to demonstrate the pervasiveness of consumer culture within religion versus a condemnation of consumer culture per se or the lack of a response from the Church. The disconnect and abstraction from traditions and symbols have created significant problems for the Church. The first is that believers have the false impression that they can live out their faith with a Burger King mentality of having it their way. One example of the Burger King mentality is the co-opting from other religious traditions and symbols such as Buddhism (chanting) or the statue of Buddha (a must-have home fashion statement) and incorporating it into the daily practice of Christian faith. The second issue is cultural appropriation in general, particularly by Disney. Cultural appropriation of religious traditions and symbols has created a vacuum for understanding the community of origin and the cultural significance of the practices and symbols, particularly as they relate to applying faith to our daily lives.[3]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Merchandising Extravaganzas<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps one of the deadliest affronts to Christianity is that commodification has turned every pain point the Church has suffered at the whim of consumerism into a merchandising extravaganza. Even more diabolical is that the Church has become a willing participant in weakening its faith traditions, symbols, and cultural appropriation. Some examples that come to mind are the merchandising sold by Churches: Christian T-Shirts with religious symbols, pastors merchandising their products\/themselves, and the ticket fees charged to attend a Christian event. But the most telling personal example was the prophetic movement that has come to the forefront in the past 10 – 15 years that teaches that everyone can prophesy without having the prerequisite theological background. This movement has sold millions of dollars on prophetic books and DVDs – a bricolage of prophetic teachings.<\/span><\/p>\n

In summary, one of the repercussions of commodification has been removing the most vital Person from the Trinity, the Holy Spirit or God’s presence, which set Christianity apart in how we practice our faith.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overcoming Commodification<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Miller outlines two primary tactics to overcome commodification: reinforce interconnections among doctrines, symbols, and practices…The aim is to stabilize both their meaning and connect them to the everyday practices of daily life.[4]<\/a> The second is to attempt to bring the popular agency or culturally literate practitioners into the ongoing conversation of Christian traditions.[5]<\/a> These literate Christian practitioners have exploded due to information technology. They have developed their theology based on the abstraction and disconnectedness discussed earlier. They, at times, need to have the requisite theological or spiritual grounding before teaching others. Miller writes that this creativity is sometimes dismissed because it requires a well-formed synthesis of religious traditions.[6]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Clark supports and expands on Miller’s recommendation to reinforce the interconnections to religious symbols; specifically, one of the symbols he focuses on is the Eucharist. Symbolically, it represents what sets Christians apart from all other religions. And so, he makes the case that “the body of Christ is displaced by commodification, and those processes obtain their impetus from competing desires within capitalist imaginations\u2026There is a dislocation of the understanding of the sign and symbol of the Eucharist that was also the undoing of the “Augustinian understanding of the relationship of the sign and symbol.”[7]<\/a> Clark correlates this to Miller’s assertion that commodification disconnects the actual meaning of the symbol and associates its significance to consumer consumption instead, thereby weakening the underpinnings of authentic faith. Lastly, Dr. Clark ties the Church to the idea of an “alternative community of desire,” formed around desire that can be mapped through the doctrine of participation – which is understood through the doctrine of the Spirit and theological anthropology\u2026This is how one can partner with the world and resist the negative sides of capitalism.[8]<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

A Final Thought:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Is King Solomon to Bear Responsibility?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The concept of alternative community resonated with me while reading Miller and Dr. Clark this week. The alternative community is one that Walter Brueggemann explores in his book\u00a0Prophetic Imagination.\u00a0<\/em>To summarize and connect Brueggemann, three insights from his research on King Solomon’s reign warrant mention.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n