Consumerism
is a devastating obstacle to faith. It
adversely affects the possibility of connecting non-believers to Christ, and it
negatively affects a Christian’s potential to deepen his/her relationship with
the Savior. A Consumerism mindset is a
sinful concoction of greed, selfishness, lack of faith, and idolatry. When we are locked in this “Trap of
Consumerism”, we commit the sin of greed and selfishness in gathering physical goods
for the purpose of bringing pleasure to ourselves alone. Our sin of lack of faith is evident by our
doubts that God is able or loving enough to provide for our needs; therefore, we
commit the sin of idolatry by attempting to add value and worth to ourselves
through the things we acquire.
Definition
of “The Trap of Consumerism”
A
consumer minded person acquires physical goods for the purpose of bringing
value and fulfillment to his life. This
mind set is a trap. In order to avoid
getting caught in a trap one needs to be aware that the trap is in front of him. “The Trap of Consumerism” is no different; there
are three pieces of the trap of which one needs to be aware. The epidemic history of Consumerism has been
an issue since humans began to occupy the Earth, and there are examples of it
throughout the Bible and secular history; it is only more visible because of
the fast paced advancement of modern technology. The second part of the trap, which can catch one
in the mindset of consumerism, is misuse of the desires that God embedded in each
person. These God-given desires cause a
longing for a relationship with Him, but in sin one attempts to replace God
with material goods. The third part of
“The Trap of Consumerism” is the public and aggressive advertisement campaign,
which attempts to tout the benefits of being a consumerist and ignores or lies
about the side effects. When a person is
caught in the trap it warps every aspect of his life. It affects marriage, children, occupations,
and ones relationship to the church and Jesus.
In order to have an effective apologetic conversation with a person who
has been trapped in consumerism, one must reveal the lies of consumerism and
attempt to convince the person to realign his life with Christ as the catalyst
for his value, esteem, and self worth.
History
of the “Trap of Consumerism”
The
reality of consumerism is that it has plagued Earth since the creation of the
world; in order to avoid “The Trap of Consumerism” we must be aware of its
epidemic history. Throughout the Bible are examples of people connecting to
physical items and depriving God of the honor due to Him. A typical theme of the Bible is when people
honor God with the proper place in their lives they are blessed; when they
commit sins of greed, selfishness, lack of faith, and idolatry, they are
punished.
In
the Biblical account of Adam and Eve the couple is tempted by Satan to desire
an ability that God has chosen not to give them (Genesis 3). They do not trust that God has taken care of
all of their needs, and believe that they must take matters into their own
hands in order to have the wisdom they lack and be more complete. When they take the fruit and eat of it, their
desire is for the piece of fruit to give them value, which is the honor that
only God deserves. Throughout the Bible are many examples of people committing
the sin of consumerism. While in the
wilderness, God fed His people with manna, but the Jews put more faith in the
manna than God who provided it (Exodus 16:20). In the story of the “rich young ruler”, the
man makes a conscious decision not to follow Christ because he was unable to
break his connection to wealth (Mark 10).
When God was passing the throne from King Saul to David, Saul clung to
his power and status, and attempted many times to murder David rather than
trust that God had his interest in mind as well (1 Samuel). Whether it is fruit, manna, birthrights, or
family members, the Bible is full of people who place physical goods above God. This theme of blessing and cursing is
parallel in the secular world as well.
Men who chase physical products over God tend to never be satisfied, but
those who honor God and find their value in knowing Him are blessed.
Multi-billionaire
J.D. Rockafeller was asked in an interview, “How much money is enough?”. Rockefeller answered, “One more dollar”. Men throughout history have had the misguided
attitude that accumulating stuff was more important that serving God. The
terrible atrocities of genocide, slavery, murder, and theft were often done to
add money, land, or power to the person or persons in charge. Marcus Licinius Crassus, a Roman general
during the reign of Julius Caesar, would suspiciously show up with his men to
the scene of a burning home and purchase the home on the spot for nearly
nothing. Once the deal, was done his men
would put out the fire (which they most likely started). Crassus made his fortune by remodeling and
renting the homes he acquired. Genghis
Khan, William H. Vanderbilt, Charles Ponzi, and Imelda Marcos are just a few of
the historical characters who ignored God to pursue their own greed. None of
them were ever content.
The
mindset of placing material goods above God is the same in modern history, but
the temptation to fall into “The Trap of Consumerism” is magnified by the
tremendous achievements in technology. Modern
technology and the rapid speed at which it is advancing has altered the sin of
consumerism. Although the sins of greed,
selfishness, lack of faith, and idolatry are the same, the mass-production of
cars, television sets, telephones, and computers has given us more opportunity
and temptation to commit the sin. Apple
computers is one of the biggest modern technology companies. Apple marketed its first computer, the Apple
I, in 1976. It produced newer models to
the computer in 1977 and 1980, but it was the Macintosh, which was introduced
in 1984, which “changed everything”.
Apple has invented, marketed, and sold an upgraded model to its computer
every year, and usually Apple puts out four or more different models. Apple has done a great job creating fans out
of its customers. Many people have
allowed their desire for Apple products to become an obsession. They want every product; impulsively spend
money on the newest model, and covet products of others, which they can’t
afford. When a product is new they love
it, but when a new Apple product comes out, they immediately feel that their
product is substandard. The idea that
someone might have a better product than they drives them to purchase new products.
Apple, the company, is not the problem; “The Trap of Consumerism” is. Companies like Apple can be the vehicle by
which people are more easily stuck in the trap.
People commit sins of greed and selfishness in their desires for a
certain product; they can show a lack of faith in God by believing that
purchasing a new item with bring them happiness. They commit the sin of idolatry when they begin
to find value in themselves because of the things they own.
The
Consumerism Trap-Natural Inclination
The
second component of “The Trap of Consumerism” is misuse of the natural
inclinations God implanted in us when we were created. French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, “ There is a God-shaped
vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing,
but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.” Our longing to be complete is a longing given
to us by God. He created us with this
emptiness, and it is His desire that this emptiness drives us to a relationship
with Him. We become complete when we do
so. In Acts 17, Paul the apostle is
traveling through Athens, and he sees an altar “to an unknown god”. He confronts a group of men in Athens telling
them that the god in whom they do not know but with whom they long for a connection
is the God of the Bible. Paul knows they
are chasing their natural inclinations, but in their misguided sin they are
failing to connect to the One True God. G.K.
Chesterson, a well known philosopher and Christian apologist, was quoted as
saying, “When people cease to believe in God, they do not believe in nothing;
they believe in anything!" The vacuum we have in our lives causes us to
long for happiness and lives of importance, but we will have neither until we
allow God to occupy the rightful spot in our lives. Attempting to give God’s rightful place to anything
but Him tightens the reigns of “The Trap
of Consumerism” on us.
God
is the only source of true joy, and He is only one we should choose to fill the
vacuum of joy in our lives. When you become
a new believer there is an exuberant feeling to God, which does fade; but the
joy God can bring is eternal. When we
lack faith and commit the sin of not trusting God, we will begin to look
outside of God for happiness. The sad cycle
is that the more we run to things other than God, the more our long-term happiness
runs out, which runs us to more things other than God. We can convince ourselves that the physical
item we choose can bring us happiness, and there is some truth to that. There is an allure to a shiny new purchase,
but eventually the excitement of the physical item becomes dull. I remember when I was purchasing a new
car. The weeks before I bought the car I
stared at pictures of it online. When I
finally brought it home I drove around in it for a few hours while commenting
on how smoothly it drove, how good it smelled, how much I liked the color, and
how I liked the side view mirrors. The
car truly made me happy. A few weeks
later the car no longer made me happy. It
simply became a tool I used to navigate through life. A physical item, no matter how alluring it
may be, can never replace God. God is
the sole benefactor of long-term happiness.
Man
was created with the natural inclination to want his soul to be touched by God.
The Creator of the universe desiring companionship with us is where we find
value in ourselves. We are prideful. We
attempt to replace God by finding our value outside of God. We convince ourselves that the longing in our
souls can be satisfied with the material things we have acquired. We can convince ourselves that the essence of
who we are is connected to the brand of vehicle, computer operating system, or
shoes we wear. When we do this we lie to
ourselves, commit the sin of idol worship, and are caught in “The Trap of
Consumerism”.
The
Consumerism Trap-Commercial Persuasion
Commercial
persuasion is the third part of “The Trap of Consumerism”. Modern companies use deception and tricks to
get people to buy their products. The
lies are not only unique to a singular product, but they attempt to feed a
larger widespread cultural mentality that we all need to buy more. I have identified three of these lies, which
accentuate “The Trap of Consumerism”.
The
first lie is that, “Greed is good”.
Modern advertisements’ trends attempt to convince us that being
connected to consumerism is beneficial to us.
In 2010 there was a commercial for the new Toyota Highlander. The narrator of the commercial was a young
boy who was embarrassed by his family’s “geeky-ness”. The boy is walking past his nerd father who
is washing an old ugly minivan in front of their run-down home, and he heads
into the neighbor’s yard where there is a very attractive mother, a beautiful
home, a brand new Toyota Highlander, and happy children. The point of this commercial and many like it
is that if you have lots of physical stuff you will be happy; but if not, you
are a pathetic loser.
The
second “Trap of Consumerism” lie is that you need all of the stuff you are
being sold. Some advertisers are direct
with this. “Parlor and Juke”, a hair
product company, has a flyer currently advertising “the four products you need
this summer”. A business in my hometown
is pushing “the gadget you can’t live without”.
Some companies push the idea that
you need the stuff they are selling, but they are slightly less direct. These companies use ads which show really
happy people using their product, and by comparison sad people who do not have
their product. In 1979 the company 7up
was selling its soda with the slogan “Cheer up”; they used commercials which
showed sad people who cheered up once they took a sip. Allied Carpets, Dish Network, and Geico have
all used slogans, which implied you would be a happier person with their
products.
The
phrase “you deserve” is used in many commercials today; the idea that we
deserve certain luxuries is the third lie perpetuated by ““The Trap of
Consumerism”. McDonalds tells us, “You
deserve a break today”. Doritos says,
“You deserve to be happy”. Numerous lawyers
let us know we should get the “money”, “justice”, “career”, and “compensation”
we deserve. Men’s Health magazine can
give us tips on getting the sex we deserve.
Carnival cruise lines informs us that, “You deserve a vacation”. Even “your dog deserves Alpo”. The lies we are being sold are that we are
all good people, and we all deserve the best of everything. The logical conclusion is that if we do not
have the best, then we are being wronged and taken advantage of. This kind of false thinking amplifies our
selfishness and affects all the other aspects of our life.
Negative
affects of Consumerism: Personal
A
devastating negative effect of “The Trap of Consumerism” is strife in man’s relationships,
specifically between man and family, man and work, and man and God. The narcissism caused by “The Trap of
Consumerism” encourages people to believe that he/she deserves everything his/her
heart desires. The adversity people face
when they must work out their faith, fight for their marriages, and tackle
aspects of their job seems unfair. A
person caught in “The Trap of Consumerism” (ie: a narcissistic person) can love
the newness of marriage, work, and faith; however, when adversity enters the
picture, he can see it as time to abandon the adversity and try something new. We believe we deserve the best, so when we
are not happy we get the attitude that we should upgrade
to something better. The evidence of
this is found in the rising trend of church shopping, numerous job changes, and
higher divorce rates.
Negative
affects of Consumerism: The Church
The
church does not typically help with the issue of the consumerism mindset
because the church has been and is continuing to be caught in the trap itself. The church’s mission should be driven by the
message of the Gospel; often it is driven by fear. Some churches fear that changing the way
things are done and beginning to adopt modern technology would disconnect them
from the historical traditions of the church; thus they avoid changes in technology
altogether. Other churches use every
piece of modern technology they can find for fear that people will not connect
to the Gospel if the production is not perfect.
The
printing press was used to make copies of the Bible as early as 1440; in 1517 when
Martin Luther used it to publish claims against the sins of the corporate
church, the church fought to stop him.
There was also tremendous fear over the printing press being used to
copy the Bible in the language of the people.
Many of the issues involving the printing press were wrapped up in the
Pope and his fight to keep control over the people. In modern times we have copious amount of
technological tools that can be used to share the Gospel. Some churches fear the use of this technology,
and limit the possibilities of communicating the Gospel. Social media websites such as Facebook,
twitter, and Blogspot are tools, which can be used to spread the Gospel;
however, many churches avoid or even preach against these websites. Screens and video projectors that project the
lyrics of songs, Bible verses, and sermon outlines can be very useful; although
they need to be designed tastefully; many churches refuse to use them out of
fear of anything modern. Many conflicts
have happened in the church over the issue of music. People have grown up on certain styles and a
certain playlist since they were children.
Out of fear of the reaction of the congregation many churches will only
play music they consider traditional. They
ignore the fact that the Holy Spirit is still moving and influencing music
today. In 1962, Billy and Ruth Graham saw
a need for a full-time Christian influence on the radio; they established “Blue
Ridge Broadcasting”. They did not fear
the modern medium of radio as many other Christians had. Over the past fifty years God has blessed the
Christian radio ministry. A church,
which keeps its technology low and its style historic, is not necessarily sinning. It is not caught in the “Trap of
Consumerism”. Fear is the sin of not trusting
God, and it models a poor relationship between God’s people and material
things. This type of consumer mindset is
indirect; it is replacing God with comfort, safety, and “the way things have
always been”. A church, which connects
to these things over God, is caught in “The Trap of Consumerism”. The more direct way a church falls into the
consumer mindset is when fear drives it to connect to things modern and abandon
the traditional.
The sin of some churches is not fear of changing;
in fact it’s quite the opposite. Some
churches have corporately fallen into the same “Trap of Consumerism” that
individuals have; they fear that people will only stay at their church if they
continue to have the best performance of all the churches in town. This fear drives them to spend more money
than necessary on projectors, screens, music, and even staff. It is a wonderful thing to attempt to share
the Gospel of Jesus Christ in unique and creative ways, but the fear that it
must be packaged a certain way in order to order to be accepted shows doubt in
the power of the Gospel.
An
apologetic conversation with a person caught in “The Trap of Consumerism”
God
created us with a longing in our souls for relationship. People make the mistake of connecting to material
things when this makes us feel more alone and isolated. The Christian faith offers true, genuine
community. Chasing the consumerist
mindset will bring satisfaction to our desires, but only for a short time. This satisfaction is only temporary. The only permanent solution to our longings
is a relationship with Jesus. Materialism
tells us that we are the most important person in the world, and that we
deserve everything our hearts desire. When
we realize how valueless our life is we lose hope. We find real importance when we realize that
the Creator of the universe desires to be connected to us.
In
an apologetic conversation with a person caught in “The Trap of Consumerism”,
it is imperative that we are aware that people connect to material items
because of a pointless attempt to have a life of value. Chasing material things is counterproductive;
it does not give our lives value; it only drives us farther from the only one
who can bring value in our lives. The
Christian life is the only possible way to have a life of true value. It is our responsibility to reveal to a
person caught in “The Trap of Consumerism” that fact.
Historically
Valuable People
An
apologetic conversation could begin by talking about people throughout history
who made a valuable impact on the world. Beethoven, Steve Jobs, Abraham
Lincoln, and other characters made enormous impact on the world. Some people are impacted daily because of the
work of historically valuable people; but no man, regardless of his importance,
has been able to affect the universe. Everyone
wants his or her life to have importance.
No matter how great our life is on earth, our legacy will disappear; our
impact will be minimal; we will eventually be forgotten. True value is not accomplished because of
what we own or what we’ve done. A life
can only have lasting importance if it is connected to the One who created
everything.
God
loves us
In
Louie Giglio’s book, “I Am Not, but I know I Am” he gives a list of
things Moses must have realized when he heard the voice of God. I am
not the center of everything. I am not
in control. I am not the solution. I am not all-powerful. I am not calling the shots. I am not the owner of everything. I am not the Lord. It may have been revealed to Moses the
many things he was not, but his value was found in knowing the Creator. There is nothing more amazing than the
understanding that God wants community with us.
To imagine we can find value in ourselves because we connect to an ipad
is ridiculous, when we have been invited into a connection with God. No material thing will ever give us long-term
satisfaction; it will always come up short, and we will always be unsatisfied.
The
Penalty of Sin and Jesus
The
concept of getting what we deserve greatly impacts a consumer minded person; there
is a thought that because a person is basically a good person he/she deserves
the best of everything. It is important
to boldly talk about sin and the penalty of sin because it reveals what we
really deserve. Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God”. We must abandon the
idea that we are good people. In the book
of Mark Jesus says, “for it is from
within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come- sexual immorality,
theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander,
arrogance, and folly (Mark 7:21-22)”.
Not only are we not good but also we are evil, and there is punishment
for our sins. Romans 6:23a says, “for the wages of sin is death”. We deserve nothing more than Hell. It’s not a gentle thought, but it is
important to know that God is the only one who is good. We are not good people, and we do not deserve
the best.
Our
sin requires a punishment, and we are separated from God because of it. God in His infinite love for us made a solution
to our separation from Him. “God so loved the world that gave his one and
only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life
(John 3:16)”. God sent His son Jesus to
die in our place, to satisfy the debt we could not pay. Embracing this relationship with Jesus is the
only way we will have a life of value.
Conclusion
If we
were to take a logical look at life we would realize the majority of our time
and influence should be spent on God, family, and friends. Most people live
contrary to this logic. We pursue stuff
and neglect those most important to us; in the process, we lose sight of value
in our lives. Man was created for the sole purpose of glorifying and having
relationship with God. Since creation
man has neglected his purpose and allowed “The Trap of Consumerism” to cause a
wedge between him and God. Biblical
accounts, secular history, and modern history tell the story of man seeking to
substitute their need for God with created items. Modern technology and the aggressive
advertising have advanced the unhealthy relationship between man and his stuff. Man has a yearning deep in his soul, and to
be satisfied, he must break his addiction to material goods, and pursue a
saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
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