verge

Yesterday I visited a Christian Bookstore. As I was looking for a Bible for two kids in my youth group, a weird feeling came over me. I get the same feeling every time I enter one of these stores. I could never quite understand it until I read of a similar experience by Dan Kimball in his book The Emerging Church. Now I love to spend lots of time in bookstores, but I never browse in Christian Bookstores. Generally, I go in, get what I need and leave--quickly!

Dan Kimball writes of a shocking experience he had a few years ago when searching for a gift for a non-christian friend. Dan was taken back when he pictured his friend in that store amidst all the Christian T-shirts, music, life-size cutouts of radio personalities, the Christian baseball hats, golf balls, and tees. He noticed (as I did) all of the "niche marketing" of Bibles to every demographic: Bibles for leaders, men, women, youth, young adults as well as the "End-times" and "Athlete's" Bible. He knew it would seem foreign to his friend and he didn’t know how he would explain it to him. He was so "weirded out" by the whole experience, he left without buying anything.

Dan calls his experience an encounter with the "Christian subcultural." It could also be called "Christian consumerism," where spirituality is replaced by a good sales pitch. We are prompted to buy something that feels comfortable or fits us. This often happens in our churches as well. First, we shop for a church that fits us or offers us the most. Then, we pick and choose the services that make us feel good, rather than becoming part of the church--or adding our uniqueness to the church. In a country where people consider themselves consumers, we are becoming a church of consumers. In an effort to be "in the world" but not "of the world," we have created a Christian subculture that is alien to most in our society. Worse, a person is not accepted into the community until they accept the culture.

Is this what it means to be a follower of the Risen Jesus? Jesus changed the culture of his time not by inviting people into an exclusive group or offering them a way to feel good about themselves, but by challenging them to encounter the culture and counter the culture. He challenged the conventional thinking of the religious authorities by living in the culture, encountering the unclean, and eating with sinners. And, he countered the culture of his day and redefined it by restoring the marginalized and the outcasts to the community of God through the politics of compassion. When we create an environment which is foreign to most in our culture, what we are really saying is "you're not welcome here, unless you know our language--unless you conform," rather than accepting people for who they are--unconditionally. And, when we yield to the conventional thinking of our day (consumerism, etc.), rather than subverting it, we risk asking to be served rather than serving others.

joe harvey at 1:15 AM

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