Class 5 (Mar 10): Consumerism

Consumerism's marketing message has a way of being fixated to mind in more ways than we realize. Note that their themes of happiness, joy, peace, "the ultimate," and "the best" mirrors the good news of the gospel. At the heart of it, consumerism is another gospel. Since the fulfillment of needs is what salvation is about, consumerism is, in reality, a secular religion. 

Here's are the class resources:

• Click here to download the two-page class outline.
• Click here for the audio recording of the class.
• Click here to download The Ten Seasoning Principles bookmark.

Please post your questions, comments, and suggestions as we progress through this journey together on engaging today's cultural narratives. You can also reach us at:

• John Sittema, johns@uptownchurch.org
• Joseph Tan, joseph@uptownchurch.org

Lesson summary:

1. It is more than the purchase, there is the perceived fulfillment of being self-sufficient, smart, and feeling superior to those who did not buy.
2. Do our children get to see us sacrifice - the trading of comfort and desires for a higher purpose, for something of a greater value, for something eternal?
3. Consumerism is the most potent competitor for a Christian worldview in our culture. "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Mt 6:24) 

Food for thought:

Consumerism is also about shopping for one's own brand of customized faith:

"The majority of American adults pick and choose their religious beliefs to create, in essence, a "customized" religion rather than adopting the set of beliefs taught by a particular church, a new study found. By a three to one margin (71 percent to 26 percent), Americans say they are more likely to personally develop their own set of religious beliefs than accept a comprehensive set of beliefs taught by a church or denomination, a Barna study, released Monday, shows. "

– The Christian Post, Jan 12, 2009.

Resources recommended:

• Hidden Worldviews: Eight Cultural Stories That Shape Our Lives, by Steve Wilkens and Mark L. Sanford. Consider purchasing a copy (but it is not required).
• Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin, by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

The Transformation Model (The inside-out approach to engaging worldviews)