{"id":33981,"date":"2023-11-07T21:01:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T05:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=33981"},"modified":"2023-11-08T08:56:26","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T16:56:26","slug":"bamboo-beds-mallard-ducks-and-12-oreos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/bamboo-beds-mallard-ducks-and-12-oreos\/","title":{"rendered":"Bamboo Beds, Mallard Ducks, and $12 Oreos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maybe it\u2019s jetlag. My head is spinning following my recent trip to Bali, Indonesia. Memories of my life there 34-years ago are frequent companions. Moments of grief turned to joy, memories of God\u2019s provision, and reconnection with people I hold dear fill my thoughts. Needless-to-say memories of bamboo beds, mallard ducks, and Oreos sparked by our reading were completely unexpected. What does my title have to do with Vincent Miller\u2019s, Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture, <\/em>you might ask? I hope to explain.<\/p>\n

Consumer Culture<\/em><\/p>\n

The first six chapters of Miller\u2019s book took us through the history and development of our modern day consumer culture and how it changes our relationship with religious beliefs, narratives, and symbols.[1]<\/a> Following Bebbington, Weber, and Polanyi it was a helpful addition to understanding my place between two \u201cworlds.\u201d Miller considers our culture of consumerism a \u201ccultural infrastructure\u201d of its own, using all things cultural as \u201ccontent\u201d which are then commodified, distributed, and consumed. Following Polanyi\u2019s identification of labor, land, and money as commodities, Miller\u2019s particular concern is the commodification of religion, culture, self, and others.[2]<\/a> We are on sacred ground as issues of faith, and as Fukuyama detailed, identity and dignity, are being targeted.[3]<\/a> This raises the issue of exploitation. Concerns regarding fair trade, sweat shops, worker rights, child labor, etc. come to mind. Our drive to consume will consume and dehumanize us if this \u2018spirit,\u2019 as Weber indicated, goes unchecked.[4]<\/a> I am unsettled as I reminisce and consider my response.<\/p>\n

Who am I Fighting for?<\/em><\/p>\n

In Chapter 7, Miller concludes with a focus on responding to the problems of living in a consumer culture. It is important to note that Miller does not view our consumer culture simply as a \u201cclash of beliefs, values, or cultures that pits consumerism against Christianity\u201d though obviously conflicts arise.[5]<\/a> I find that thought intriguing. If I am not at war with the enemy of consumerism, what or who am I fighting against? Maybe I am asking the wrong question. After all, consumerism and capitalism are not going anywhere. Might not the better question be, who am I fighting for? Should there be a fight or a different kind of response? Dr. Clark points out, \u201c\u2026we understand Christianity as neither renouncing the world, nor leaving it to its relentless drive to consumption.\u201d[6]<\/a> This moves me to a more personal question. How can my choices as a consumer better address the needs of those exploited by a culture that commodifies their existence in pursuit of more?<\/p>\n

The Single-Family Home and the \u201cAmerican Dream\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

I was intrigued by the shifts Miller described in the US. Specifically, how the single-family home and the \u201cAmerica Dream\u201d became major players in our consumption habits.[7]<\/a> These two cultural ideals became commodities. Ideals I cherish while at the same time live with the demands, disruptions, and tensions that modern consumerism has created for the attainment, enjoyment, and justification of my dreams. Miller, writing of the single-family home notes the unexpected challenges that emerged, \u201csocial isolation, narrowed political and social concern, and the fragmentation of culture.\u201d[8]<\/a> Is the \u201cAmerican dream\u201d turning into a nightmare creating ever-widening disconnection between us while tainting our Christian witness?<\/p>\n

Between Two \u201cWorlds\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So where do bamboo beds, mallard ducks, and $12 Oreos fit into this? \u00a0Due to a number of challenges my year in Bali was financially difficult. When I arrived in Bali the summer of 1989 I had not lived in my own home for several months. In fact, most of our time in Indonesia we lived communally in guest houses, shared homes, and with Indonesian families. We had a glorious 10-months in our own home in Jakarta and I was longing for private space for my little family. My \u201cculture\u201d of the single-family home was screaming loudly.<\/p>\n

Upon renting a simple house we needed basic furniture. Most pieces were gifted by Indonesian friends, but we needed a bed. The cheapest available was an over-sized and very uncomfortable bamboo bed, complete with a hot pink foam mattress. It cost $200, a small fortune at the time. A year later, I spotted that same bed on sale in a department store in Singapore for a whopping $2500!<\/p>\n

We had many visitors come to Bali. They loved shopping at the artisan markets. Beautifully hand-carved and painted mallard ducks were all the rage. They ranged in price from $3-$10. I was genuinely concerned for the young children who painted them. Today, organizations come along-side Balinese artisans to promote fair-trade practices. Here is one example. https:\/\/www.novica.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Food was cheap and delicious in Bali. A generous friend supplied us with kilos of fresh shrimp and flats of coca-cola, while our garden kept us in over-abundant supply of bananas. Trips to the local supermarket were rare. On one such outing I spotted the package of $12 Oreos.<\/p>\n

I am struck by the price we pay for things; and the misplaced value and meaning they represent.<\/p>\n

My financial and living situation is much different today. My home in the US is a gracious story of God\u2019s provision, my father\u2019s time and skill, and my father-in-law\u2019s generosity. I have benefited from the care and concern of others within two vastly different \u201cworlds\u201d while offering care and support to others. It is a beautiful and complex tension to hold.<\/p>\n

Dr. Clark states, \u201cWe will only know who we really are by the re-ordering of our agency, the transfer of object and subject of self, in relationship to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.\u201d[9]<\/a> This sparks my imagination and helps me notice the \u201cislands of social care\u201d in my current context and opens up space to consider my responses and involvement.<\/p>\n

My choices will not change the trajectory of the commoditization of culture or religion. I will always value my experiences of communal living and generous welcome, while enjoying my single-family lifestyle. I must regularly pause to seek a balanced and intentional response to consuming and living out my faith in a conscientious and Christ-honoring manner. The $12 Oreos remained on the shelf and the bamboo bed given away. Though the mallard duck was never purchased, over the years I supported local artisans throughout SE Asia. I kept several pieces as reminders of a cherished life. I want my consuming habits to reflect my values, show concern for the well-being of others, and respect the cultures which I encounter. I\u2019m a work in progress.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Vincent J. Miller, Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture<\/em> (New York: Continuum, 2008), 3.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Vincent J. Miller, Consuming Religion, <\/em>77.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Francis Fukuyama, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment<\/em> (New York: Picador, 2018), 9-10.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Max Weber and Stephen Kalberg,\u00a0The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: The Revised 1920 Edition<\/em>\u00a0(New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), 76.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Vincent J. Miller, Consuming Religion, <\/em>179.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Jason Paul Clark, \u201cEvangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship\u201d (DMIN diss., George Fox University, Newberg,2018), 202-203.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/digitalcommons.georgefox.edu\/gfes\/132<\/a><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Miller, Consuming Religion, <\/em>46.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Ibid., 48.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Jason Paul Clark, Evangelicalism and Capitalism<\/em>, 236.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maybe it\u2019s jetlag. My head is spinning following my recent trip to Bali, Indonesia. Memories of my life there 34-years ago are frequent companions. Moments of grief turned to joy, memories of God\u2019s provision, and reconnection with people I hold dear fill my thoughts. Needless-to-say memories of bamboo beds, mallard ducks, and Oreos sparked by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2310],"tags":[2904],"class_list":["post-33981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-dlgp02-miller-clark","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/184"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33981"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33995,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33981\/revisions\/33995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}