Consumer Christianity

We do live in a consumer society. If I want a pair of jeans, I can choose to go to one of a number of different shops and can choose how much I want to pay, which brand I would like and what colour they should be. I can choose a £10 pair of blue jeans from Asda or I can go for the £100+ designer option, from Kendals or one of the posh shops on King Street (Manchester) or any variation in between. I believe that I have the right to buy whichever pair I can afford, and whichever I choose on the basis of fit, colour, style and even label.

I will concede that there is danger inherent in such a society, that we expect such abundant choice in everything but that choice might be harmful to us or detrimental to others - should we be able to choose how much tax we pay for services or which laws we should obey?

The Mission Shaped Church book has a section about consumer culture (p9-11) , equating consumerism with choice and calling it the dominant idolatry of capitalist societies. The report does say that the poor are unable to be consumers because they are unable to buy things. (I do wonder just how many poor people those who wrote the report know. The poor people I know are the ones most sold out to consumer culture! The ones who most earnestly desire designer labels, cable TV and holidays).

When consumerism is defined as the desire to accumulate possessions, to be seen to be as cutting edge as possible and a fixation on fashion then I would agree that it is destructive. However, when consumerism is described simply as choice (as it so often is) then I think we have to be very careful about demonising it or we will miss something very important by equating our ability to make choices with idolatry.

For those of us who are Christians, at one point (or several) we made a choice to follow Christ rather than our own paths. We made a choice to accept his sacrifice and offer of free forgiveness. Whether that was a conscious decision or one made gradually over the course of years, we did make that choice.

For those of us who are churchgoers, at one point, or several, we have made decisions about which church we will attend, what denomination we will belong to, which theology makes most sense to us, even which service we will regularly attend. We choose churches on the basis of music, preaching, liturgy, accessibility, childcare provision, traveling distance, our own family tradition and upbringing, friend's recommendation, number of people in the right age bracket, and a whole host of other reasons. Even if we were born and brought up in one church, we have at some point made the decision to stay where we are. We have all made choices, that does not mean we are all idolaters.

I'd like to apply a little more caution to an out and out denunciation of consumer culture. I think there are many positives as well as negatives that arise out of this culture we live in. I like to be able to choose which pair of jeans I will buy, rather than having to wear a one-size-fits-all pair. I also like to be able to choose the church in which I will worship.

I'd better go, I've chosen to go to the evening service tonight and if I don't leave now I will be late.