Kingdom of God Consumerism

Found this article at the Leadership Journal site last night. It addresses the possibility in the future of the franchised church.

They already exist. Rick Warren argues in The Purpose Driven Church that this is exactly what denominations are -- simply different flavors of Christianity that suit different personalities. And also, now, there are Purpose Driven churches, Willow Creek churches, & Northpoint-style churches. Is this like having McDonald's vs. Chick-Fil-A?

The writer of this particular article asks these questions:

Is this the future of the Western church- franchised congregations of megabrands in every city with pastors serving as the local owner/operator?
[...]
What do you think? Are (these churches) and other franchised congregations the wave of the future? Are Chick-fil-A and McDonalds the right model for the church to be emulating? Are franchised mega-churches going to be the denominations of the 21st century? Or, is this consumer Christianity taken to its logical and disturbing extreme?

I have one question to add: does the 1st Corinthians passage about unity ("I'm of Apollos, I'm of Cephas, I'm of Paul, I'm of Christ...") bring anything to bear in addressing this issue? That is, in terms of churches making the statement, "I'm of Rick Warren, I'm of Bill Hybels, I'm of Christ, etc."

What say YOU?

The Un-Beattitudes

You won't find these in Matthew 5. You can call it the 21st Century American's Cultural Values:

Blessed are the wealthy, for they will never be found in need.

Blessed are those in the majority, for they will get their way.

Blessed are the well-armed and powerful, because they will win the war.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for power, prestige, prominence, and position, because they will be on top at the end.

Blessed are the complainers, because by-golly they will get EXACTLY what they desire.

Blessed are the ones who wear the right sweater and the right shoes and drive the right car, because they have it all together.

Blessed are the ambitious, for they will go far.

Blessed are you when you have a good time and when the road is smooth and easy, because that is what life is all about.

(I give credit to Jason Ashlock for these. Don't know if he got them somewhere else, but I originally heard him present these in a Harding Chapel Talk)

Consumerism & Spiritual Warfare

The great thing about not being in school anymore is that I can read & research anything I want to my heart's content. I think that's part of what I got tired of once I made it to grad school: reading & researching everyone else's subjects and going through everyone else's book lists, which didn't always match with what I was interested in digging into.

Tonight, it was The Church Between Gospel & Culture. I was reading an article by Dr. Paul Hiebert. He talked about two subjects that I've thought some about but haven't read much in-depth about.

So anyway, the two subjects he mentioned that I'd really like to read & think more about: spiritual warfare, and consumerism. (If anyone knows of any book that ties the two together, let me know!) As for spiritual warfare, I'm not interested in the Peter Wagner "territorial spirits" version -- that's just wackiness. I'm interested more in the Walter Wink institutional principalities & powers version. I read Charles Campbell's The Word Before the Powers. It introduced me to a worldview that incorporates principalities and powers, not falling into the trap of what Hiebert calls "the flaw of the excluded middle." Wink seems to be the most seminal in writing about this subject, so I added some of his books to my wishlist.

As for consumerism, it's been an interest for several years. It is such a deep flaw in American culture, and so subversive that we can hardly detect it when it is completely infecting us. Among other things, I think that it helps foster an increasing individualism in our lives & hinders us from forming authentic communities of faith. I'd really love to read a good treatment of American consumerism from a Christian perspective. Does anyone know of a good one? Not really looking to read Karl Marx or Ralph Nader, here ...