UPDATE: Jason Coker has pushed back on this post over on his blog here. While he ain't pithy, he's a smart one!

I just finished reading William Cavanaugh's Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. In this book, Cavanaugh discusses the place of the Church within "free market" economies. Pulling from Scripture as well as St. Augustine and others, he challenges the Christian to discern what responsible economic practices would be today. He further challenges the reader to be informed by our Christian tradition just as much if not more than the current marketplace. During these rough economic times, it was a timely read. And I highly recommend the book. Cavanaugh is clearly an academic writer and unashamedly Roman Catholic. This may make him unapproachable for some. But I would encourage people to give this book a shot. It is short and worth the thought provoking concepts.

I have often thought recently that the news and media today are quite... hopeless (ironic?). We are confronted constantly with how bad things are getting financially. To simply talk about cutting back, living with less, or espousing philisophical and theological alternative economic ideas isn't enough. We need tangible, practical ideas to spark imagination. Cavanaugh doesn't do enough of that in this book, but it's better than most that I've read whom I agree with conceptually but am frustrated with the little assistance they provide for imagining creative, practical application.

I had started reading Torture and Eucharist a while ago but after enjoying this book so much I have picked it back up.  With my commitments to nonviolence, I'm also looking forward to his forthcoming book, The Myth of Religous Violence.

I've updated my music and books sections on the right. Yes, I do tend to have that many books next to my bed side at any time. Just ask Brooke. And while the music list isn't encompassing, it does highlight some of the stuff I'm currently listening to in heavy rotation.

Other Stuff
M. Iafrate has started some great stuff on "'ecclesiology/ies' of DIY punk rock" over at catholicanarchy.org. Check it out. (Dude's got some good tunes too.)

Speaking of bands with banjos, check out Dark Dark Dark. Nice. They are also working on what looks to be an interesting film project with the visual artist Swoon–whose art I really dig.

And my other musical find I'm digging is Blood Red Shoes. A little Pretty Girls Make Graves with a little English refinement (another way to say more mainstream, but still good stuff).

I've been thinking about a few things since the CMA conference last weekend. They all stem from a conversation I had in the hallway with Wolfgang Simson. While I enjoyed being there this weekend, I think there are many ramifications of doing church "organically" that are not being addressed in meetings such as the one we were at this weekend.

a more just church
First, meeting in such a way as so many simple/house/organic/missional/whatever churches do, can be a strong move towards more a just (as in "justice") church simply by it's egalitarian approach to practices and rituals–removing the classism, sexism and racism that has so often existed in so many Christian traditions. As I talked with people in the halls I noticed that this is at least an instinctive reason for why many leaders turn this direction. For women leaders and wives, this seems even more of a conscious reason. It's one thing to go out and "do justice" but if your practices and mannerisms in your meetings evoke injustices for those with a less prominent voice are we accomplishing much? Remember, Jesus broke most social boundaries by involving women, the poor, diseased, unorthodox and uneducated in conversations, meals and practices. There's loads of potential for communities meeting in this model to return to this.

a more sustainable church
Another reason why the "organic" model is potentially more just is because of the approach to resources. We talked about this in the workshop that Brad Fieldhouse, Scott Wilson and I led entitled, "Transformation of a City". The low overhead necessary for faith communities such as these allows them to make their collective resources more available to where the greatest need is in a neighborhood. As well, I would think that the ecological footprint of a network of faith communities meeting in homes would be less in comparison to a typical congregation of the same number of members [I don't know for certain-someone should do some research on this]. So, these communities are potentially more sustainable economically and ecologically. I spoke about this at more length awhile back.

BUT...
But, there is one thing that seems necessary to talk about that we aren't talking about in order to go further down the path of being more deliberate about justice and sustainability in our communities: Money!

For the most part, it seems that many community leaders do not know what to do about finances in their communities. Here's several things that seemed to come up last weekend:

• How do I make living? It seems that a lot of people are asking, "Do I still get paid to do this? If so, why? What's my 'job description' now?" But not many are answering this well. I remember this came up at the Off The Map conference in 2006 during a panel discussion with Brian McLaren, Jim Henderson and George Barna. Barna gave a terrible answer that made me cringe, encouraging young people to still attend theological schools... Wow, that's useful. Thanks. Here's your door prize. Some people-like me-will still get theological degrees, yes, but that doesn't really help us in trying to reinterpret vocation in a post-Christendom context. But the truth is that this isn't an option for those with limited income usually. McLaren and Henderson didn't really respond, which was probably wise since I would assume they didn't have a good response. "I don't know," is okay until we have a better answer. I think the best response to this that I've heard so far has come from Wolfgang Simson though you may not agree with everything he says (you can order his lecture on finances here).

• How should a faith community use its resources (ie. money)? It seemed apparent in conversations following our workshop that many people have no idea how to start connecting to needs in their surrounding community. It does require a different type of skills than are not typically taught in church environments. Brad's organization, Kingdom Causes, might be helpful for some to connect with. Another So. Cal. resource would be the School for Urban Ministry. They have a class on community organizing that is superb. I would assume that CCDA would be a good resource as well. Outside the Christian community there are a ton of resources out there too.

• Money gets in the way of discipleship. Discipleship while possibly deeper and more holistic in this context has one common, major road block in the west whether in the 'burbs or in the city: consumerism. How do we break this? It seemed to me that some people were trying to say, "I don't want to be an anti-capitalist but the good life is getting in the way of discipleship." Yep. We gotta address this. Again, Wolfgang's lecture might be useful. (Just remember, he's German-he doesn't intend to agree with everyone or make them feel good) David Fitch's, The Great Giveaway, addresses this. Phil Kenneson's Life on the Vine, addresses this as well. I'm working with my friend Lee from Jubilee Economics Ministry on making something available on this subject. There's a lot of stuff out there, you've just got to look for it. This conviction is why I love Adbusters and the community around it. There is a level of creativity in addressing this that Christian community hasn't really attained yet.
  

the supernatural
The last thing that seemed to come up, time and again, was the miraculous. In fact, the conference had a few workshops on the matter. I don't know if we'll be able to get a way from this topic for awhile. With the interest in issues of justice and mercy amidst the Church we continue to read passages that allude to the supernatural occurring around justice. I quite honestly have no answers to this. My heritage hasn't really equipped me with much to work with on this subject beside plugging our ears, shutting our eyes and pretending it doesn't exist.

I know this is a scary subject for many. I don't get it either. But there are voices emerging that are blending traditions and appreciate the shifts we have seen in our culture. Bob Eckblad and Paul Alexander are blending justice with the supernatural. Blogger David Schlaginhaufen has been talking about contextualizing supernatural language in Switzerland for some time (Another Swiss, Daniel Hari gave out a handbook at the CMA event that is interesting so far-I've only read a few pages). And of course, John Wimber didn't do so bad a job of talking about this practically. Outside of the anglo community, I'm certain there are a lot of wiser voices to address this subject matter. Often it seems, this is only a weird subject for whitey.

I think that in post-colonial, post-Christendom contexts the growing majority are indifferent to the Church at best. In this case, I wonder if anything short of the supernatural will change people's mind about the existence of a Creator that is involved in creation. Matt even attested to this in our session... Just thinking out loud here.

Brooke and I recently watched both Blood Diamond and The Constant Gardener-both movies we had not yet seen. It has left some horrible images on our minds. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not taking film for fact. But having befriended local African refugees, taking classes with African immigrants and visiting God's Golden Acre I have heard stories first hand enough times to know that movies such as these are telling a story close enough to reality.

Some thoughts as I lay here sleepless:

I hope that these films and others such as Hotel Rwanda are more than entertainment. I'm not sure I understand how it could be absorbed simply as that but as I've overheard people discuss these films I realize how inoculated we are to these things. "How sad... Did you feed the cat?"

I hope that people can begin to see how global concerns such as poverty, disease, violence and hunger are all connected. I hope we can begin to see how connected these things are not only to each other somewhere on a far away continent but also to us, as Western consumers. I don't think most of us realize how our consumptive habits are connected to the destructive realities formed for others. But it is true and my hope is that films such as these can begin to expose how complicit we all are with these forces.

I hope that for those that begin to get a glimpse of this terrible reality also realize that the kingdom is connected in much the same way. As Derrick Jensen says, "We need it all." Everything counts. Every step we take towards sustainable (aka "eternal") practices, every time we stand up against injustice, every time we welcome the stranger... it matters. For so many, it seems so daunting but every little thing matters. We need only to find that one thing we can do. We don't need to be heroes. Just people of the Way.

Here in the States it seems we are bitterly enslaved to Consumerism. So much has it blinded us that we don't even see the effect of our own bondage on others... we've replaced the good news with the good life. It's one of the prophetic things Church of the Savior in DC has done in recent years by facing this head on (Gordon Cosby refers to it as 'cultural addiction'-read his handbook, Becoming the Authentic Church). From C of S's site, Inward/Outward Rick Kidd says this:

Few of us in the radical Christian movement would deny that we live in an economic system that is rooted in consumerism and unjust distribution of resources. We might also agree that this economy results in desperation and death for many. What we may not agree on is that our own participation in this economy amounts to an addiction.

For those of us who suffer from the devastation of alcohol and drug addiction or compulsive sex and gambling behavior to compare our economic behavior to these other life damaging circumstances may seem insulting. Many of us, however, who have suffered from and live with these addictive diseases, believe that our involvement in the economy of the dominant culture is no less damaging to our lives and those of our neighbors. It's not about comparing one addiction to another; it's about acknowledging any behavior over which we are powerless and which creates destruction in our individual lives and communities.

Also, go read this article, Breaking the Consumer Habit. Might be helpful.

Now I must turn in for the night.

Hirsch linked to this video and writes:
"Consumerism claims everything and in Western contexts is all-pervasive. But here’s the problem, God also claims everything ... This clash of loyalties causes the disciple some real discomfort and so it should."

I agree. This is something the Church has really got to come to terms with. It is the reason why the voices of those such as the creators of Adbusters need to be listened to. Not necessarily agreed with all the time but at a minimum they should be "heard". For this reason, when Jordon asked for book recommendations for church planters I recommended the book Affluenza as an important read.

Other helpful material might be: Walter Wink's work on the powers. Understanding how consumerism works as a power against kingdom often times would be helpful. The Powers That Be is probably the most concise version of his thesis. Foster's The Freedom of Simplicity provides reflective tools for those looking at break the bind of consumerism.

On a similar note, a few years ago, when Ed Stetzer was writing Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age he asked some of us for input on the greatest challenges to church planters in the West. I wrote what I did below. I don't think he used it so I guess it's cool to post it here:

CONSUMERISM. What frightened me most after Sept. 11, 2001 was not what seemed inevitable reoccuring violence against our country but how our politicians and media voices addressed the nation. "Keep buying stuff. Keep being consumers," this seemed to be at the center of much of what was being said to the U.S. of A. post 9-11. It chilled me to the core to realize that this what we have become: Beings of buying. The language used in such phrases as, "I'm just not getting fed enough at this church" or "We're shopping for a new church" prove how influenced by culture our church lives are. We've bought into this ideal that presents the Church as simply a dispensor of "religious goods and services" as George Hunsberger has put it.

Three years ago, I resigned from a my position at the church my wife and I attended. I had moved from part to full time staff over a few years and from Director of Administration to Young Adults Pastor. A year or so before I resigned a small group began putting their talents together in order to develop a worship service that would accomodate those people, mostly young, with a postmodern world view. What I found is that people from all walks of life, whether young or old, are more interested in being "churched" than becomming the Church. Honestly, I had never asked them to be the Church. I was so consumed with making church cool and comfortable that I had forgotten about calling people to discipleship; to be students of Jesus. I was simply adding to our culture's appeal to compartmentalize our lives. But if the Church is God's people who actively participate in his Kingdom and not a flashy person, place or event than it can not be compartmentalized. It is all emcompassing. More often than not I fear we are consumers, not the crucified and here we find one of our biggest struggles in the North American church. Will we simply give lip service to all that Jesus taught or will we dare call people to obey all that He taught? It is in the later that the heart of the Gospel lies.

No longer unemployed by a church, I found another job and my family along with other church leaders that had left their positions started meeting weekly in a home to pray, eat together and discuss what it really meant to follow Jesus. Meeting in such and everyday place began to force us to consider how our discussions impacted our everyday lives. What if we began to take the Lord's Prayer seriously? Did we really desire to see his "Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven?" What about the greatest and second greatest commandment? Do I really love my neighbor? It wasn't the fact that we met in a home that made these questions so heavy on our hearts but the fact we had started normalizing parts of out spiritual lives, bringing it into the ordinary-ness of life that was challenging. We could no longer open our spiritual box on Sunday morning for a couple hours and then pack it back up until next week. We were either trying to live this or we weren't and meeting in such intimate settings made it easy for others to know where you were at with this.

I began to discover how "me" centered my faith was when no one showed up to those meals who could play guitar. "Well, how are we going to worship!?" I had come to a place where worship was simply an emotional outlet through creative expression. The song may have said, "It's all about You" but it was always about "us." My generation has been co-opted into a mindset that says worship is CD's and big concerts... all stuff you have to buy. I began to hear my own heart expressed in the words of friends who were nominal believers, "You're little home gathering has some cool people but the church down the street has some really good worship." Once again, a component of spiritual life had been turned into a compartment. A compartment that media companies have made millions off of. But St. Paul told us in Romans 12 that being a "living sacrifice" was our "spiritual act of worship." The Scriptures were calling me back to a more holistic approach to the Gospel. A Gospel that asked for all of me. I find that others who visit our simple faith communities find this approach to the Way refreshing. You don't find many people who are vegetarian or politically liberal one day of the week. Life choices are life consuming and only Christ is life giving. If we desire to present a whole Gospel to the culture we live in we must resist the temptation to market religious gizmos and gadgets that only lead to shallow answers to life's journey. We are not to be consumers but the crucified. Our culture likes it served with sugar, but we are salt. Westerners would prefer you dim the lights on our misgivings, but we are called to shine from the top of a hill. We define ourselves not by the half truths and realities of this world but by the complete reality found in Him. So, I end with a fitting phrase most often used by musicians critical of other artists who have gone for the money rather than the art form, "Don't sell out!"

Now that I wrote this I realize that this was more 'evans on consumerism' than hirsch. Oh well, sorry for the misnomer... he inspired me.