{"id":405,"date":"2012-09-12T12:43:10","date_gmt":"2012-09-12T11:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theoillamp.co.uk\/?p=405"},"modified":"2013-07-25T15:43:19","modified_gmt":"2013-07-25T14:43:19","slug":"guest-blog-on-consumerism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theoillamp.co.uk\/?p=405","title":{"rendered":"Guest blog on consumerism"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a guest blog entry from Mark Powley author of “Consumer Detox” taken from breathe<\/a> by permission.<\/p>\n

Consumerism has given us many globally recognisable shapes. Creative types might think instantly of iconic design profiles: the figurine coke bottle, the Nike swish, the sleek Apple Mac. The cynical among us might suggest more sinister outlines: the increasing Western waistline, the reducing Arctic ice.<\/p>\n

But nothing the consumer mould produces is as significant as this: the way it shapes our souls. The problem with consumer culture, to put it bluntly, is not so much the products it makes \u2013 these can be ingenious, useful and, increasingly, more sustainably produced. The problem is not so much the mess it makes \u2013 this is a massive global challenge, but still only a symptom of a deeper malaise. The problem with consumer culture is the people it makes.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s make this personal. The problem is me. \u201cHi, my name\u2019s Mark and I\u2019m a consumer.\u201d The truth is that I am hugely shaped by my addiction to stuff. I am formed by my fear of a dull, reduced life. I am defined by the ever-present danger of lagging too far behind the consumer pack. Funnily enough, I don\u2019t feel addicted. But, at the same time, I really don\u2019t want to be the only person who hasn\u2019t seen Avatar in 3D \/ hasn\u2019t been skiing \/ isn\u2019t culturally up to date (delete as appropriate). All this is deeply formational, and the shape it gives me is a rushed, dissatisfied and self-focussed life.<\/p>\n

God is, of course, in the formation business too. He has a particular shape in mind for us \u2013 \u2018to be conformed to the image of his Son\u2019 (Romans 8:29). It\u2019s an image of suffering and glory, as Paul makes clear throughout Romans 8. It\u2019s an image of generosity and blessing (at times \u2018poor, yet making many rich\u2019 \u2013 2 Corinthians 6:10 \u2013 easy now, Paul!). Eugene Peterson calls it \u2018the soaring and swooping life of grace\u2019. Or we could say \u2018less stuff, more life\u2019.<\/p>\n

Six years ago, inspired in many ways by the writers at LICC, I co-founded The Breathe Network to answer the question: how do we become Christ-shaped rather than just consumer-shaped? If we\u2019ve learned one thing so far on the journey it\u2019s the importance of just starting somewhere. So then, why not begin with a simple life audit: where do I invest more imagination \u2013 in shopping or in scripture? What do I hope most for my children \u2013 personal success or the life Jesus describes as \u2018blessed\u2019? What is going to shape me today \u2013 the genius of consumerism or the generosity of Christ?<\/p>\n

Mark<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a guest blog entry from Mark Powley author of “Consumer Detox” taken from breathe by permission. Consumerism has given us many globally recognisable shapes. 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