{"id":34014,"date":"2023-11-09T18:48:31","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T02:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=34014"},"modified":"2023-11-09T18:56:21","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T02:56:21","slug":"faith-vs-fortune-the-tension-between-religion-and-shopping-sprees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/faith-vs-fortune-the-tension-between-religion-and-shopping-sprees\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith vs. Fortune the tension between religion and shopping sprees"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Journeying through the intersection of faith and capitalism can sometimes feel like wandering through a marketplace, where each vendor seems to promote their own version of salvation. In <em>Evangelicalism and Capitalism; A Reparative Account and Diagnosis<\/em>,[1] Jason Clark provides a thought provoking analysis of this junction examining the occasionally conflicting relationship between these two realms.<\/p>\n<p>Clark\u2019s analogy of the &#8220;resonance machine&#8221; is both clever and insightful. It vividly illustrates the interaction between these two forces. His proposition that the interplay between evangelical faith and capitalist ideology is a reciprocal amplification and reinforcement of each other[2] can be seen on broadcast TV, in popular literature and taught in places of higher education. The question it leaves you with is what is the true intention of this interplay?<\/p>\n<p>Vincent Miller&#8217;s book, <em>Consuming Religion,<\/em> offers an alternate perspective on this topic. Miller doesn&#8217;t shy away from exposing how the sacred becomes a consumable, where symbols are reduced to treats that can be consumed at will[3]. This viewpoint is both unsettling and undeniable, revealing how our market driven society has a tendency to assimilate the divine[4].<\/p>\n<p>The conversation between these texts is not much of a debate as it is an in-depth exploration of the intricacies of religious customs. Clark\u2019s footnotes guide us through his argument prompting us to ponder whether our faith traditions can stay true, to their essence amidst the hustle and bustle of the marketplace.<\/p>\n<p>At first, I read both texts with an eye to spot the criticism of how faith and capitalism have become these strange bedfellows. But after a second and third reading, it became clearer to me that Clark and Miller are not playing the role of critics; they&#8217;re like explorers of culture charting the landscape where faith and finance intersect \u2014 and sometimes clash. The takeaway is we as individuals should take a look at how our own actions might either reinforce or challenge the influences of the market.<\/p>\n<p>Clark cites Pete Ward\u2019s work, <em>Liquid Church<\/em>, which offers a further perspective presenting the notion community can adapt to the trends of consumerism almost like a clump of play dough can be shaped how we like it in the moment and reshaped as pop culture changes. While this might serve everything from church attendance to the ability to promote mission it can also potentially sacrifice depth and lasting significance of faith in the process.[5] This idea invites us to ponder these questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Can the essence of evangelical faith survive in a consumerist culture?<\/li>\n<li>What does it mean for our spiritual lives to be merchandised alongside the latest gadgets and trends?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When considering these questions we arrive at a point; the commercialization of spirituality, in a world where consumer values increasingly shape our lives. Clarks explanation of the &#8220;Liquid Church&#8221; based on Pete Ward&#8217;s ideas suggests that it might adapt well to the evolving patterns of society. What are the consequences?<\/p>\n<p>While adaptability is practical it raises concerns about experiences resembling fast fashion trends that fill our wardrobes briefly before being replaced by the next big thing. This creates a contrast with faith practices that traditionally prioritize the eternal over the temporary. Thus we must ask ourselves; How can we uphold integrity that remains unaffected by market trends and cannot be bought?<\/p>\n<p>Miller&#8217;s observations prompt us to confront the truth about our participation in a system that often reduces sacredness to transactions. It goes beyond decision making; it challenges aspects of existence and communal unity.[6]<\/p>\n<p>In this system we are urged to contemplate the resistance against the commercialization of our beliefs. The question prompts us to consider ways in which we can establish faith communities that remain unaffected by consumerism.<\/p>\n<p>We can only be encouraged in this system to reflect on the notion of resisting the commercialization of our beliefs. The writings of Clark and Miller point us in a direction to examine how our faith is expressed and experienced. The prompt is to contemplate ways in which we can foster communities of faith that can withstand the influence of consumerism[7].<\/p>\n<p>The combination of faith and capitalist culture shouldn&#8217;t be seen as a problem that needs to be solved. Rather, as a balance that we need to manage. It&#8217;s about finding a way to honor our roots while still engaging with the realities of the world around us. Instead of rejecting capitalism perhaps the solution lies in approaching it thoughtfully and selectively.<\/p>\n<p>[1] Jason Clark, <em>Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis<\/em>, (George Fox University, year of publication), 198-236.<\/p>\n<p>[2] Clark, <em>Evangelicalism and Capitalism<\/em>, 200-201.<\/p>\n<p>[3] Vincent Miller, Consuming Religion, <em>The Continuum International Publishing Group<\/em>, 2003, 39<\/p>\n<p>[4] Clark, <em>Evangelicalism and Capitalism<\/em>, 214-215.<\/p>\n<p>[5] Pete Ward, as cited in Clark, <em>Evangelicalism and Capitalism<\/em>, 236.<\/p>\n<p>[6] Miller, <em>Consuming Religion<\/em>, 57.<\/p>\n<p>[7] Clark, <em>Evangelicalism and Capitalism<\/em>, 235-236.<\/p>\n<p>How I used AI in this post<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>My rhythm for these posts is to do a first pass on Monday, a second pass on Tuesday and then read and write on Thursdays. On Wednesday of this week I discovered I had bought, AND READ, the wrong <em>Consuming Religion<\/em>. I bought a book of the same title by Kathryn Lofton. I was very impressed Jason had us read a book that included essays exploring the likes of Britney Spears and the Kardashians. In retrospect that should have been my first clue. After Google proved fruitless, I turned to AI to ask where I could find a copy of Miller&#8217;s <em>Consuming Religion<\/em> in Toronto. It said I could use my Toronto Library Membership to checkout a virtual copy from the Internet Archive. I could and I was able to read it Wednesday and Thursday<\/li>\n<li>I was very interested in the idea of &#8220;Fluid Church&#8221; after these readings. I asked AI to compare the ideas of Pete Ward to a paper I had written in during my masters about polarities. I did this because I wanted to write about the intersection of faith and capitalism as not a problem to be solved but a problem to be managed. It helped me see where I had written that had some similarities to Ward&#8217;s concept.<\/li>\n<li>And finally, headlines are so important so I asked AI to give me some ideas with different themes. I really liked these ones:\n<ul>\n<li>You Won\u2019t Believe How Evangelical Faith Is Clashing with Capitalism!<\/li>\n<li>When Jesus Met Wall Street: A Divine Comedy of Economics<\/li>\n<li>Can Spirituality Survive in the Age of Consumerism? Let&#8217;s Discuss!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>I used those examples to inspire my title<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Journeying through the intersection of faith and capitalism can sometimes feel like wandering through a marketplace, where each vendor seems to promote their own version of salvation. In Evangelicalism and Capitalism; A Reparative Account and Diagnosis,[1] Jason Clark provides a thought provoking analysis of this junction examining the occasionally conflicting relationship between these two realms. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"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":[2489,467,255],"class_list":["post-34014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-dlgp02","tag-clark","tag-miller","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34014","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\/175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34014"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34023,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34014\/revisions\/34023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}