You're book critiques consumer Christianity but you doing so by selling a Christian book. How do you reconcile that?
My wife asked me this repeatedly while I was in the process of writing it, and it's something I hear frequently. "Aren't you being a hypocrite?" (If I had a dime....) I think the key is to understand the difference between consumption and consumerism. Consumption is a behavior that we must engage to survive. We must consumer food, water, air, and other resources. And many of us consume books, media, websites, etc. The Divine Commodity is not a critique of consumption (a behavior), but consumerism (a worldview). Consumerism is a way of viewing yourself and the world, and I believe it stands it opposition to the worldview taught by Christ. Consumerism places the consumer at the center of the cosmos, and affirms that the goal of life is to satisfy one's unmet desires, and avoid discomfort, by consuming goods, experiences, and other people. When this gets applied to Christian faith it warps our understanding of self, mission, church, worship, community, and even God.
You state that the church today lacks imagination. What does that mean?
Working for Leadership Journal, I've gotten around to a lot of churches and ministry conferences. Everyone seems to agree that the church in North America is struggling, and the explanations tend to fall into two categories--church leaders are told they either lack the right resources or they lack motivation. I disagree. We are the most resourced Christians that have ever lived (nearly $7 billion a year in Christian books and merchandise alone), and I don't believe the men and women I know in ministry are lazy. They care deeply about Christ's church and his mission. (Sadly many of these ministry conferences are driving sales of new resources or burdening pastors with shame and guilt, but failing to turn the tide of decline in the American church.)
I think our true deficit is imagination. We've embraced the mission of Christ, but we simply cannot wrap our minds around how to do what Jesus envisions. Without having "the mind of Christ" but desiring to be faithful to his command to "go and make disciples," we reinterpret the mission through the only lens that makes sense to us--the one we've inherited from our consumer culture. This explains why our churches are run like corporations, our worship has become entertainment, and why Christianity has become more of a brand than a counter-cultural calling. What we need are imaginations illuminated by God's Spirit to see a new way. That's what my book seeks to unveil by prescribing spiritual disciplines of re-formation and new ways of thinking about faith, church, mission, and God.
Explain the title. How has God become a commodity?
A commodity is something that is not valued for what it is, but for what it may be exchanged for. A subsistence farmer values rice because of its inherent rice-ness; because his family eats it to survive. But once he grows more than enough rice for survival, it becomes a commodity. He doesn't value the surplus rice because it's rice, but because it may be exchanged for something else--tools, clothing, etc.
So it is with God. Those holding a consumer world view see everything as a commodity--assigning value based not on a thing or person's inherent identity, but their usefulness to the consumer. In Consumer Christianity God has not inherent value apart from what he can do for me. As one sociologist studying American faith has put it, our God isn't the one revealed in Scripture--almighty and holy--but a consumer deity part divine butler and part cosmic therapist. Unfortunately many churches are failing to deconstruct this warped understanding of God, and in their attempts to attract religious consumers they may actually be reinforcing the idea that the individual, not God, is the center of the universe.
The art and story of Vincent van Gogh runs throughout the book. What connection does he have to modern consumerism?
In truth van Gogh has no direct connection to modern consumerism, but he plays a critical function in my book. Few people know that van Gogh was a devout Christian who studied to be a pastor and served as a missionary. But he later had a significant falling out with the institutional church. Still, his faith endured and is reflected in many of his paintings. His story of wrestling with faith and a culturally-captivated form of Christianity parallels my struggle and the struggle I've heard from many of my peers.
In addition, van Gogh's art--apart from being stirringly beautiful--is also a window into our imaginations. He expresses biblical truths in a form beyond the didactic. I really consider him a prophet-painter. His paintings help take the reader into the realm of imagination that I believe is so lacking in our churches today.
What is something church leaders can do right away to begin combating the influence of consumerism in their churches?
I think we can start returning the prophetic voice to the pulpit. Consumerism has banished many of these leader to the wilderness--or the ivory tower of academia--where few can hear their call to repentance, surrender, and renewal. They make us too uncomfortable, and when attracting a large crowd is the definition of a successful ministry, those pastors with prophetic inklings are never going to make the cut.
That being said, there is hope. I believe a lot of folks--particularly the younger generation of evangelicals--are longing for preaching that moves beyond the positive. They recognize that sometimes the only way to reach the positive is by traversing the negative--that the only way to new life is through the cross. I believe preaching, at its best, should inspire. It should pull away the curtain of shadow and darkness that covers our eyes so that we can behold a vision of the beauty of Christ and his kingdom. This requires two things. First, it means naming the lies and distortions (the dark curtain) that veil our sight. Second, it requires the illumination of that which is right and true and beautiful about God.
I am convinced that the most opaque curtain in North America blocking our view of God is consumerism. Therefore, it is our responsibility as preachers to name this darkness, show how it is warping our view, and pull it back from the eyes of our people. But critiquing the darkness is never enough. Once the curtain is removed, we must shine the light and illuminate a flaming vision of life with Christ in his kingdom. This is the inspiring sight that should fill our people and lift them to new heights. We must help them see the treasure in the field for which they would sell all they have to buy. This is what I hope to accomplish, with God's help, whenever I ascend to the pulpit, and it is why I was compelled to write The Divine Commodity.
