James Henley
Apr 08, 2015
Christian Community in aConsumerist Culture
An exploration of the implications of a consumerist culture on the forming and shaping of Christian communities of
emerging adults
James Henley
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IN A CONSUMERIST CULTURE
An exploration of the implications of a consumerist culture on the forming and shaping of Christian communities of emerging adults
JAMES HENLEY
AcknowledgementsSpecial thanks to the Revd Dr Ian Davies for his corrections, contributions and inspiring dialogue, and to friends and family for their helpful comments.
AbstractOver recent times, consumerism has become increasingly prevalent within UK society. Increases in amounts of consumer products and advertising, and the rise of the internet and social networking have led to the emergence of a prevailing consumerist culture – that is, a culture where the principal driving force is that of consumption. This culture has an effect on the way people relate to each other, how they attempt to achieve success and self-fulfilment, and the way their own sense of identity is constructed. This culture also inevitably has an effect on the way Christian communities function and on their understanding of Christian beliefs and values. This is especially true of a current generation of emerging adults (18-25 year olds), who are one of the first groups to have grown up within this consumerist culture.
This dissertation attempts to explore the implications of a consumerist culture on the forming and shaping of Christian communities of emerging adults. It utilises three key concepts from Bauman’s ‘Consuming Life’ (2007): commoditisation, privatisation and subjectivity fetishism, to develop an understanding of such a culture. The theological implications of these concepts are then explored, suggesting the implications of a consumerist culture on an understanding of God and Christian community. A tension is highlighted between the need to engage in the workings of such a culture, and the need to maintain a distinctive sense of Christian identity and values. This is a tension between a strategy of transcendence or withdrawal, and one of immanence or accommodation.
Finally, three key tensions are discussed, which those seeking to create and maintain Christian communities of emerging adults must attempt to understand and manage. Some initial ideas and theological resources are discussed which can be utilised in order to address these tensions within the mission and worship of such a community.
Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................2
Chapter 1: A Consumerist Culture...............................................................5
Chapter 2: Theological Implications........................................................11
Chapter 3: Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture..........18
Conclusion...........................................................................................................26
Bibliography.......................................................................................................30
Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
IntroductionIn the UK, we live in a culture where consumer choice abounds. The buying and selling of products
lies at the very core of western, capitalist culture, which holds consumption as one of its defining
characteristics. As Julie Kelly (2003, p.3) asserts, we find ourselves within ‘a society in which we do
not work to live, but work to shop, and where shopping is an “experience” not based on need but on
desire and pleasure.’ The current emerging generation of adults is one of the first groups who have
been born into and grown up within this consumerist culture, and, I would argue, form the first
generation of indigenous consumers.
This consumerist culture has implications for religious belief, in particular for a Christian faith
which has historically positioned itself as the traditional cultural or folk religion in the UK.
Sociologist, Steven Miles (1998, cited Bartholomew, 2000, p.2) asserts that consumerism itself ‘is
arguably the religion of the late twentieth century’, and similarly the sociologist/theologian, Alan
Storkey (2000, p.100), argues that ‘it is the chief rival to God in our time’. It is because of these
assertions that the examination of this consumerist culture is a necessary task which needs to be
undertaken, especially by those involved in work with the young people who are growing up within
it.
This dissertation is an attempt to begin an exploration of consumerist culture and its implications
for the forming and shaping of Christian communities of emerging adults. It is an exploratory study
with the three aims of: (1) exploring the key concepts that characterise a consumerist culture, (2)
examining the theological implications of those characteristics, and (3) beginning to sketch out
some of the practical responses which could be utilised by those involved in cultivating Christian
community amongst young, emerging adults.
Personal Perspective and Context
This dissertation will be inevitably influenced and informed by my own personal context and
perspectives. In particular, it is shaped by my own work to provide leadership for ‘The Lab’, a
Christian community, in Newport, South Wales, comprised primarily of young people between the
ages of 18 and 25. The Lab is an attempt to develop a community which is relevant to its context
within the culture around it and engages with it. It is also a group of young people who inevitably
find themselves having to face the challenge of integrating their own consumer desires with their
own understanding of their Christian faith.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
Defining Terms
Because of the conceptual, abstract nature of this particular work, there are a number of different
sociological and theological terms which are utilised at different points throughout, and which will
be explained and described during the main body of the dissertation. However, there are several
terms which are used from the outset, and which provide a framework for the bounds of the study
itself. These are explained below.
Emerging Adult
In their study, Smith and Snell (2009, p.4) use the term ‘emerging adult’ to describe a young person
between the ages of 18 and 23, describing a period of life when young people are emerging with
new found freedom as adults, but are still often in full-time education, receiving support from their
parents or family, and/or in other ways still not yet ‘emerged’ as a full-grown adult. For the
purposes of this dissertation, to fit in with the National Youth Agency definition of a young person
as someone up to the age of 25, I will use the term emerging adult to refer to someone between the
ages of 18 and 25.
Consumerist Culture
A consumerist culture is a culture in which the ‘principal propelling force’ is that of consumption
(Bauman Z. , 2007, p.28). Christopher Kiesling (1978, cited Brunk, 2008, p.291) describes
consumerism as:
a complex consisting of: 1) an economic system which places an extremely high value on the incessant production and consumption of material goods and services at an even higher level of physical convenience and comfort; 2) an accompanying mentality which assumes that such a system is the best or only one possible; and 3) a related tendency or even drive to find much, sometimes most, though rarely all human fulfilment in providing and consuming these material goods and services.
Kiesling’s definition is helpful since it traces the effects of the consumerist system on mainstream
culture from surface observation, through to a more hidden sub-conscious meaning, to the
implications which come from the external economic system described being incorporated into the
worldview of the individual. This also provides us with a helpful understanding of the nature of
culture itself as a multi-layered phenomenon. For the purposes of this dissertation, the term,
consumerist culture, is used to describe the incorporation of this ‘consumerist system’ into both
external and internal aspects of society.
Christian community
The term Christian community describes a group of people seeking to live out their Christian beliefs
together. This term is used rather than the term, ‘church’, in order to place an emphasis on the
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
relationships and sense of shared identity which characterise the word community, as well as to
emphasise that this may refer to communities of young adults who exist outside of the structures of
the institutional, established church.
Overview
‘Chapter One: A Consumerist Culture’ offers an exploration of some of the key concepts and
processes which characterise a consumer culture. This forms a framework and understanding of
the workings of a consumerist culture which is vital in order to begin to examine it theologically.
‘Chapter Two: Theological Implications’ begins this theological examination and discussion, and
indicates some of the theological implications of contextualising Christian theology and tradition
within a consumerist culture. Finally, ‘Chapter Three: Christian Community in a Consumerist
Culture’ draws the previous two chapters together and present the key challenges which a
consumerist culture presents to forming Christian community, as well as beginning to sketch out a
practical response or responses.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
Chapter 1: A Consumerist CultureThe purpose of this opening chapter is to begin to explore the effects and processes which are
characteristic of a consumerist culture – that is, a culture where the ‘principal propelling force’ is
consumption (Bauman Z. , 2007, p.28). A complete description of the different characteristics of
such a culture would take far more room than this dissertation allows, so for the purposes of this
exploratory study I will focus on three key concepts drawn from Zygmunt Bauman’s (2007)
‘Consuming Life’. These are commoditisation, privatisation, and subjectivity fetishism.
I will attempt to explore each concept, beginning by defining it in an abstract sense and drawing
observations about the nature of a consumerist culture in general. I will then attempt to draw links
from the abstract and general to the specific, practical research of others who have focussed
specifically on the effects of such a culture on Christian communities and on young adults. This will
form the groundwork for chapter two where I will consider a theological response based on the
observations found in this chapter.
1. Commoditisation
‘Commoditisation’ is the core process of a consumerist culture. If a culture is primarily built upon
the promotion and consumption of goods, then it is logical that the key process in that culture
would be commoditisation, that is, the transformation of goods, services and ultimately people into
commodities.
Furthermore, if the ultimate goal of such a culture is to increase the value and desirability of its
goods, then the promotion and marketing of those goods will also be hugely important. Not only
will people find themselves becoming commodities, but in order to participate in society they will
also need to be able to promote and market themselves in order to increase the value and
desirability of their product.
[People] are enticed, nudged, or forced to promote an attractive and desirable commodity, and so to try as hard as they can, and using the best means at their disposal, to enhance the market value of the goods they sell. And the commodity they are prompted to put on the market, promote and sell is themselves.
They are, simultaneously, promoters of commodities and the commodities they promote. (Bauman, 2007, p.6)
So the main purpose for the promotion of the self is this attempt to regain identity and value
through being identified as a commodity worth consuming by other consumers. This attempt to
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
gain identity through consumption has been identified by a number of researchers who bring a
more practical perspective. Tom Beaudoin (2003, p.5) calls this aspect of consumerist culture the
‘branding economy’ and contends that, ‘we make an identity for ourselves, and an identity is made
for us by our relationships to consumer goods’. He adds that the products that we consume ‘do
“identity work” for us, transmitting messages about ourselves to ourselves and others.’
Promoters & Commodities
Bauman (2007, p.6) argues that, in order to be able to achieve success on a societal level, people are
forced first and foremost to ‘recast themselves as commodities’. Drawing on Cartesian philosophy,
he asserts that this integration of a person into the consumerist culture causes him/her to cease to
be able to be an ‘object’ – able to impartially observe the system from the outside (Bauman, 2007,
pp.11-12). Instead, s/he is forced to become a ‘subject’ within the system itself, becoming a
commodity to be bought into and promoted.
This re-emergence as a commodity ironically must also mean a loss of identity and individuality,
even though individual recognition is the goal of the commoditisation process. Once they become a
commodity, the individual is dissolved into the veritable ‘sea’ of other commodities from which
consumers have to choose. Because of this dissolution of individual identity and meaning, people
are then compelled to re-discover identity by consuming other commodities, in an incessant
attempt to rise above the sea of other commodities around them.
The task of the consumers therefore, and the principle motive prompting them to engage in incessant consumer activity, is the task of… making themselves stand out from the mass of indistinguishable objects… and so catching the eye of [other] consumers... (Bauman, 2007, p.12)
It might be useful to understand this sea of commodities using the metaphor of a pond full of fish.
Small, inconsequential fish attempt to eat other fish in order to gain in size and importance, but
only with the ultimate goal of appearing more attractive a prospect to the other fish around them.
Ultimately, unfortunately there will always be bigger fish – and all the fish inevitably end up just
looking the same in spite of their attempts at individuality.
The Commoditisation of Culture
Vincent J. Miller (2000, p.285) describes the change that occurs when elements of culture itself
become commodities, observing that, ‘Culture is lifted from its background status as the social given
in which we dwell and [is] objectified. We experience it as something we can choose, modify and
enjoy.’ This new ability to choose the cultural backdrop within which to live effectively creates a
market for culture where different ‘mix and match’ elements such as worldview, ethical
perspectives and, of course, religious beliefs can be ‘put on’ and tried out for size, or taken off and
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
discarded if they are no longer helpful or of use. Elements that don’t fit or are too restricting can
easily be discarded and replaced with other better value elements.
Miller (2005, p.72) describes two key characteristics of a cultural element recast as a commodity,
‘abstraction’ and ‘reification’. He argues that, ‘they are abstracted from their conditions of
production, presented as objects valuable in themselves, shorn of their interrelations with the other
symbols, beliefs, and practices that determine their meaning and function’. This abstraction and
disconnection of meaning then results in a need for reification, where new ‘stand-alone’ meanings
can be attributed, often at odds with the element’s original meaning or significance. These newly
objectified cultural elements are ‘more susceptible to manipulation and misappropriation, free-
floating signifiers that can be put to uses unrelated, indeed contradictory, to the meanings they
bear.’
2. Privatisation
A second key process that Bauman identifies as part of a consumerist culture is privatisation. On a
structural or political level, Bauman (2007, p.9) describes how governmental responsibility is
increasingly being abdicated, ‘through wholly or in part “contracting out” to private businesses the
essential institutional framework of service provision crucial for keeping labour sellable… As, for
instance, in the case of schooling and housing, care in old age, and a growing number of medical
services.’ This privatisation process is also linked to another process, which is ‘deregulation’ – the
‘flattening out’ of hierarchies and dissolution of rules and regulations to govern systems.
Both of these structural-level processes link within to the personal-level process of
‘individualisation’ and the dissolution of an objective sense of morality. Bauman (2007, p.49)
describes individualisation as ‘a far advanced deregulation and de-routinization of human conduct,
directly related to a weakening and/or crumbling of human bonds’. This increasingly rapid process
of individuals isolating themselves from a sense of community or belonging also has a huge effect
for the changing way in which Christian communities function.
Abstraction and Fragmentation of Meaning
Miller (2005) argues that the abstraction and reification which characterise the commoditisation
process are inherently responsible for creating a disconnection between different commodities, and
ultimately different people. Each commodity is required to have a calculable individual value,
separate and independent to any outside influences or factors, and thus is required to be a ‘stand-
alone’ product in its own right. This shift to self-containment removes any sense of value, or on a
personal level any sense of purpose, from relationships and connections which may previously
have provided value, purpose or meaning.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
The result of this shift is a profound sense of disconnection. However, the previous methods of
attempting to find meaning or identity, by building and cultivating relationships, are no longer
viable. Relationships, which previously may have been incredibly fulfilling, are now reduced simply
to interactions between consumers and commodities. So it is those consumer-commodity
interactions that the inhabitants of a consumerist culture attempt to utilise in order to regain their
own identity and purpose.
If a consumerist culture primarily functions as a market or as a sea of different commodities which
can be consumed, then that paints a pretty bleak picture of humanity. Humans are reduced simply
to commodities to be consumed and consumers to consume them. Therefore, in order to ease the
human conscience, it is inevitable that individuals will create for themselves a reality where life is
about more than just consumption. Instead of consumer choices being accepted for what they are,
instead individuals might try to justify them by suggesting that they have some deeper emotional
benefit or effect. Bauman (2007, pp.13-15) labels this ‘subjectivity fetishism’, which is the third key
concept being utilised to make sense of a complex conceptual area.
3. Subjectivity Fetishism
Subjectivity fetishism, Bauman (2007, p.15) argues, is a human product of a consumerist culture,
which allows ‘the buying and selling of tokens deployed in the construction of identity… to be
effaced from the appearance of the final product.’ Rather than simply understanding commodities
for what they are, instead they are elevated to a higher, idealised status. Commodities don’t just
fulfil a need or a task – instead they are able to make us better people, give us better lives and
satisfy our deepest desires.
Mark Sayers, uses a different term – ‘hyperreality’ (sic) – to describe this. Using a term coined by
philosopher Jean Baudrillard, for Sayers (2008, p.7), ‘hyperreality means that often we cannot tell
the difference between what advertising tells us about products, places and people and what they
are like in the real world’. Hyperreality describes the false aspirations that are created when young
adults are unable to tell the difference between the advertising messages in which they are
encouraged to buy goods and services, and the reality of the goods and services themselves.
For both Sayers and Bauman, the implications of this phenomenon are clear. As Bauman (2007,
p.15) writes, ‘What is assumed to be the materialization of the inner truth of self is in fact an
idealization of the material traces of consumer choices.’ A different sociologist, Krishan Kumar
(1999 cited Sayers, 2008, p.7), explains it like this:
Our world has become so saturated with images and symbols that a new ‘electronic reality’ has been created, whose effect is to obliterate any sense of an objective
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
reality lying behind the images and symbols. In this ‘simulated’ world, images become objects, rather than reflecting them; reality becomes hyper-reality. In hyper-reality it is no longer possible to distinguish the imaginary from the real… the true from the false.
For young adults, this hyperreality or subjectivity fetishism results in confusion and a deep-set
frustration as the fulfilment which is promised from buying the right products does not materialise.
Returning to the fish metaphor, rather than confronting the reality that there is no way out of the
pond and learning to instead be fulfilled with their pond-life existence, the fish have chosen to
pursue the ideal that if they just consume enough of the other fish, or if they just consume the right
fish, then they will find a way out. But, for the purposes of our metaphor, the simple reality is that
there is no way out of the consumer pond. Commodities are commodities – in reality they do not
provide us with any real sense of identity or fulfilment, only in a subjective reality or hyperreality
which has been created for us.
Relationships and the Search for Belonging
This subjectivity fetishism, John Drane (2000, p.26) argues, is part of a widespread ‘search for
transcendence’ amongst people living in a consumerist culture. Drane (2000, pp.24-25) writes that,
‘Because of the collapse of traditional relational networks, and the way that material success has
become a culturally approved sign of worthwhile achievement, people… are struggling to establish
themselves as individuals of true worth.’ This breakdown of relational bonds, Miller (2005) would
argue, is a result of the abstraction process mentioned above, where identity is supposed to be no
longer found in relationships between people but instead as something self-contained and self-
actualised.
The problem is that, whilst fulfilment is no longer found in relationships, it is still something which
must be actualised through relationships. As Bauman (2007, p.82) writes, ‘In the words of Michel
Maffesoli, “I am who I am because others recognise me as such”’. This need for relational
recognition is still something which is needed for people to find fulfilment, even though that
fulfilment might not actually be found in the relationships themselves. Within a consumerist
culture, people feel required to promote their own commodity, and consumption by others
provides the recognition required for a sense of fulfilment.
This recognition, Bauman (2007, p.83) argues, translates into a sense of ‘belonging’. However, this
belonging doesn’t come through finding collective identity with a group or other individuals, but
through a sense of being possessed by others as a commodity worth consuming. This possession,
which is only fully realised once it becomes public knowledge, is what, at least fleetingly, brings the
much needed sense of belonging. The unspeakable alternative to public recognition and possession,
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
Bauman argues, is ‘a succession of rejections or an ultimate exclusion’ from the consumerist
system, and ultimately from society as a whole.
Conclusion
What has been argued in this chapter it that the core process of a consumerist culture is that of
commoditisation, where goods and products, and ultimately people and even elements of the
culture itself are turned into commodities to be bought and sold. Drawing upon this argument, it is
useful to understand a consumerist culture as a sea where all the commodities are different fish.
The ultimate aim of each fish is thus to make itself attractive enough to be consumed by other, more
powerful fish. By consuming other fish which are deemed to be attractive enough or useful enough,
each fish is then able to become more attractive to the others.
Within a consumerist culture, relationships between people are reduced to mere interactions
between consumers and commodities. This is a highly privatised and individualised reality, which
is centred on achieving a personal sense of fulfilment through achieving recognition from others.
However, in order to gain some form of meaning or fulfilment from the consumerist system,
meaning is instead ascribed to the consumer interactions themselves. This subjectivity fetishism
asserts that the products we buy into are able to make us better, make our lives better, and bring us
fulfilment.
These core concepts form a conceptual model to build an understanding of the workings of a
consumerist culture. Utilising this framework, chapter two will seek to understand and explore the
theological implications of an all-pervasive consumerist culture. This theological framework will
then form a basis from which to begin to sketch a response, in chapter three.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
Chapter 2: Theological ImplicationsFollowing on from the conceptual groundwork attempted in the previous chapter, the aim of this
chapter is to attempt to begin to sketch out what might be the theological implications of the
concepts and mechanisms that have been argued characterise a consumerist culture. This
theological task will then form a foundation from which one might begin discussing the response
which Christian communities can make to the opportunities and threats of living within a
consumerist culture.
The Dangers of a Value-based Critique
Substantive theological work effort has gone into a critique of the values and aims of a prevailing
consumerist culture. Concepts such as individualism, commoditisation and an emphasis on
aesthetics have been examined and judged from a biblical viewpoint. However, there is a danger
that this kind of critique falls short of an examination and understanding of the key processes
which lie at the heart of consumerist culture itself by instead focusing on a critique of that culture’s
surface values and effects. Miller (2000, p.277) describes further the danger of a narrow critique
resulting from a lack of understanding of the functions of a consumerist culture itself:
At the heart of this problem lies a simplistic conception of culture as a system of beliefs. Such an approach comes easily to theologians and pontiffs, who are accustomed to arguing the vital importance of conceptual distinctions for the life of the Christian community. In addition to meanings and beliefs, an adequate understanding of culture must address the underlying structures in which meanings are formed and received. If beliefs and meanings are the contents of culture, these structures are the forms in which they are cast.
In order to be able to begin a critique of a consumerist culture, Miller argues, any attempt needs to
address the structures or rather, I would argue, processes, at the very heart of such a culture from
which all elements of meaning and identity for that culture are derived. Using Bauman’s
observations from Cartesian philosophy which were discussed in the previous chapter, in order to
offer a critique of a consumerist culture we cannot work under the assumption that we are able to
remain objective observers outside of the consumerist system. Instead, we must seek to understand
the place of theologies and beliefs as a subject within that system, and critically examine the
processes or structures in which a consumerist culture forms and moulds those theologies and
beliefs as it draws them into itself. Hence the ensuing attempt to explore and develop an
understanding of the theological implications of the key concepts that lie behind a consumerist
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culture, which will once again draw on the three key ideas discussed in the previous chapter:
commoditisation, privatisation and subjectivity fetishism.
1. The Commoditisation of God
As described earlier, the key process of a consumerist culture is that of commoditisation where
goods and services, and ultimately people, become commodities with a price and value. Therefore
in order to understand the place of faith and religion within a consumerist culture, we must explore
what it means for religion itself to become a subject of the commoditisation process. What are the
theological and practical implications of faith itself becoming a commodity to be bought and sold?
This ‘commoditisation of God’ has led to the integration of consumer choice, and thus the range of
different motivating factors which are involved in choosing a product, into the process of forming
religious beliefs. Motivating factors such as personal gain, branding and marketing, and ‘value for
money’ are criticised as bad motives by some Christian communities, whilst others actively
embrace and utilise them in order to gain new members. Is a robust theological response then
about choosing which motives are good, and which are unacceptable?
On the other hand, is the problem with the process of commoditisation itself? Does a god which has
become a commodity still have the power to bring any real ontological fulfilment or
transformation? It is in answering such questions that one is confronted with one of the deeper
challenges of a consumerist culture, that is the dissolution of the identity and meaning of God
himself, as he becomes absorbed into a culture which is recast as a nameless sea of commodities.
Commoditisation and Contextualisation
The recasting of God as a commodity seems to be the most criticised effect of a consumerist culture
by contemporary theologians. As Skye Jethani (2009, p.38) writes, ‘The god of Consumer
Christianity does not inspire awe and wonder because he is nothing more than a commodity to be
used for our personal satisfaction and self-achievement.’ Whilst this argument is clearly compelling
– a commoditised God results in a consumer Christianity – it perhaps fails to explore fully the
power of understanding God, and indeed Christ, as part of the consumerist system itself.
The Liberation theologian Leonardo Boff (1980, p.43) writes that in attempting to approach Jesus,
‘we come to him with that which we are and have, inserted into an unavoidable socio-historical
context.’ He makes the point that, as we ourselves are unable to separate ourselves from the context
in which we find ourselves, so we are unable to avoid projecting that same context onto Christ
himself. This is a vital element of the Incarnation, where Jesus Christ as God becomes subject to the
world and the cultural context into which he was born. Perhaps the Christ who is recast as a
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commodity is a Christ who is incarnated into the consumerist system, becoming subject to the
processes of the system itself.
It is inevitable that our understanding of Jesus is affected and shaped by our own experiences and
our own culture. As Boff (1980, p.5) argues:
‘No matter how much [we] attempt to abstract from [ourselves] as subjects, [we] can never escape the self and arrive at the object. For this reason, every life of Jesus will necessarily partly reflect the life of its author.’
Therefore, perhaps it is inevitable that, for a consumerist culture, Christ is recast as a commodity to
be chosen and consumed. Perhaps then, rather than attempting to avoid the inevitable, it is more
pertinent to explore more fully the implications of a culture that has this ‘image’ of Jesus.
God as a Commodity
Understanding God as a commodity raises interesting questions about the nature of worship for
those who choose to follow him. If, within a consumerist culture, value is attributed through the
consumption of commodities, then surely this is a model for the way that culture should worship as
well. Worship to God would be expressed by ‘consuming him’. Jethani (2009, p.37) is critical of this
way of relating to God:
In a consumer worldview he [God] has no intrinsic value apart from his usefulness to us. He is a tool we employ, a force we control, and a resource we plunder. We ascribe value to him (the literal meaning of the word “worship”) based not on who he is, but on what he can do for us.
Drawing on Bauman’s (2007, p.83) observations around the idea of ‘recognition’, which were
explored in chapter one, perhaps the consumerist form of worship to God is that of recognition and
possession. Within a consumerist culture, the primary way of ascribing worth is the public
possession of the commodity which is being sought after. This raises an interesting question about
what it would look like to ‘possess’ God as a commodity of ultimate value.
This possession and consumption is also what establishes a sense of identity for the consumer.
Therefore the consumption and possession of God as a commodity also implies that identity for the
consumer is gained from the consumption of that commodity. Christian consumers who choose to
consume God will also gain a sense of identity from him. However, as observed in chapter one, this
identity gained through consumption is unable to bring a sense of fulfilment for the consumer. This
fulfilment is only able to come through consumption by others.
Could God then also be presented as the consumer within the consumerist paradigm? Surely the
love of God for the world, and for each individual which is expressed through the biblical narrative
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and the death and resurrection of Jesus, is an example of the recognition and possession explained
above. God could easily be presented as the ultimate consumer, who places high enough value on
people as commodities to pay a huge price in order to possess them as his own. Perhaps then,
within a consumerist culture, God can be modelled as both the consumed and the consumer.
2. A Privatised God
Within a consumerist culture, the way relationships function is an important concern. This is
especially true since the notion of culture itself is defined by a sense of shared identity, worldview,
and inevitably relationship, between people. If such a culture is characterised by processes of
privatisation and individualisation, then what does this mean for a contextual understanding of
God?
Whilst the broader privatisation of society has been primarily about achieving greater efficiency,
something similar can be said about its parallels on a personal level. Individualised values and
beliefs allow a greater efficiency, as there is no need to compromise in order to fit in with the beliefs
of others. Within a highly individualised culture, everyone can believe whatever works for them. As
Nigel Scotland (2000, p.145) argues, ‘Thus the starting point of many has become my needs, my self-
interest and my satisfaction.’
This need for individualised beliefs creates a need for an individualised God, that is, a God who is
multi-faceted so as to fit in with everyone’s understanding. There are both positives and negatives
to this plurality. Whilst it creates a more transcendental understanding of a God who is bigger than
a single understanding or viewpoint, at the same time God is fragmented, limited to ‘what works’
for each individual within their own personal worldview and experience. In this sense, an
individualised God becomes both bigger and smaller at the same time.
The Abstraction of Meaning
As discussed in chapter one, this individualisation of culture has significant implications for the way
in which identity and meaning is understood within a consumerist culture. The abstraction of
meaning (Miller, 2005), which takes place as cultural elements are recast as stand-alone
commodities which have a self-contained identity and meaning, must clearly also have some
application to understanding God within a consumerist culture.
As mention previously, this abstraction is a removal of cultural elements ‘from their interrelations
with other symbols, beliefs, and practices that determine their meaning and function’ (Miller, 2005,
p.72). Within the consumerist framework, God is expected, just like any other commodity, to be
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
presented as a single, all-inclusive package. According to Miller (2005, p.83), this abstraction can be
seen within recent popular theology:
Much of the appeal of the transcendental and existential theologies of figures such as Karl Rahner and Paul Tillich can be traced to their projects distinguishing the essence of the Christian faith from the cultural particulars of traditions which had become increasingly unintelligible to modern believers. This task is… essentially one of abstraction.
What this abstraction means is the fragmentation of the many different images and understandings
of God, and of all the different narratives, symbols and traditions which help to build up that
understanding. God is no longer able to be understood within the context of a broader faith
tradition and narrative, as any sense of his meaning or identity is required to be self-contained.
3. God and Subjectivity Fetishism
For the consumer, subjectivity fetishism (Bauman Z. , 2007, pp.17-20) reflects a controllable,
constructed reality, or hyperreality (Sayers, 2008), in which the commodities which are consumed
are ‘lifted up’ as being able to bring the existential fulfilment and meaning which the consumer
craves. This reality, Bauman (2007, p.20) argues, is entirely an invention of the culture in order to
present itself as an end in itself; capable of filling the void for self-fulfilment which the process of
commoditisation – which all elements of the culture are subjected to – creates.
It is obvious, then, that this subjectivity fetishism must have an effect on the way the participants in
a consumerist culture understand God. What place is there for God within this constructed reality –
if any? And, if there is a place for some understanding of God, what shape does it take?
Sayers (2008, pp.98-104) compares this ‘lifting up’ of commodities to the worship of idols,
suggesting that the hyperreality (sic) which is created by the consumer is, in itself, a elaborate form
of idolatry. He draws on Eugene Peterson’s (2005 cited Sayers, 2008, p.101) definition; ‘Idols are
non-gods and as such are much more congenial to us than God, for we not only have the pleasure of
making them… but also of controlling them’. For Sayers, this notion of control is crucial.
Effectively, in applying an existential narrative over the top of the consumerist system, the
consumer is able to mask the reality that even the very workings of culture itself have become
commoditised. Because of this, they are then, with impunity, able to apply the same complete
control that is afforded to the consumer in any consumer transaction to the whole of life, culture
and inevitably also spirituality. In the most critical sense, it could be argued that consumerist
culture has traded an unpredictable God for its own gods which can be controlled. The ultimate
power, though, behind these controllable gods are the participants in a consumerist culture itself –
us.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
If God has a place within the concept of subjectivity fetishism, then it is a place which can be
carefully controlled and defined. And the worship, or consumption, of God has, as its chief goal, self-
fulfilment, and self-actualisation. This is the same treatment as would be applied to any other
commodity which is chosen for consumption. Any inability to achieve this goal is then blamed on
‘the inadequacy, unsoundness or defectiveness of a wrongly chosen commodity’ (Bauman, 2007,
p.20).
Moving Forward: The Art of Subversion
It is obvious that the vocabulary used when describing the theological implications of a consumerist
culture is very different to the language of Christian theological tradition. However, it is important,
in order to make sense of God within a consumerist culture, to understand his place within it. It is
clear that in subjecting God to the processes of such a culture, there are both clear positives and
negatives.
So, how might we begin to build a response to a consumerist culture, which both embraces a God
who is actively involved in the workings of culture, but which also attempts to challenge the aspects
of that culture which appear to be contrary to those equally important elements of a biblical
understanding of God? Isolation is clearly an almost impossible option, especially when attempting
to sketch a model of Christian community with emerging adults who are already entirely
indigenous to such a consumerist culture. However, participating in such a society or culture at all
means unavoidably allowing ourselves, our community life and ultimately even the God we
worship, to become subjects of the culture, and therefore to be dissolved into the sea of
commodities which constitutes a consumerist culture. This is a key question for those seeking to
form Christian communities in a consumerist culture – to what extent can a Christian community
participate in such a culture, whilst still maintaining a distinctive Christian identity?
However, in the Incarnation we find ourselves with the image of a God who, in the person of Jesus,
becomes entirely contextualised within culture as a man. And yet, rather than being forced to relent
to the workings of that culture, Jesus was able to remain distinctive and to subvert it entirely in
many different ways, but perhaps fundamentally through his death and resurrection. Perhaps, in
going on to try and build a model for cultural engagement, there is something useful which can be
learned from the ‘art of subversion’ which Jesus practiced.
Conclusion
Drawing on the previous exploration of a consumerist culture in chapter one, this chapter has
explored the theological implications of such a culture. Rather than attempting to offer a theological
critique based on the values it espouses, I have sought to instead ‘follow through’ some of the core
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
processes or identifying characteristics of a consumerist culture and explore their inevitable
implications for our understanding of God. Hence this argument has focused on exploring how the
three key concepts of commoditisation, privatisation and subjectivity fetishism inevitably affect the
way God is viewed within a consumerist culture.
The process of commoditisation sees God recast as a commodity to be bought and sold, where he is
worshipped by being consumed or possessed by spiritual consumers. A privatised, individualised
culture means an image of God who inevitably is supposed to be about fulfilling the needs of the
consumer, and whose identity is fragmented in order for individual consumers to choose the parts
they most prefer. Finally, a culture which embraces subjectivity fetishism is one in which God is a
commodity, and is entirely controllable by those who choose to worship him.
Within all three of these concepts, the end-product is a God who is ultimately about bringing self-
fulfilment and self-worth to each individual follower. So, whilst trying to build a contextual
understanding of a God who is intimately involved in the workings of a consumerist culture, it is
clear that any theological response must also be able to challenge or subvert that culture. This
understanding will form the basic premise for chapter three, where this dissertation moves on to
explore what a Christian community of young adults could look like which would provide a
practical, theological response to the consumerist culture in which it finds itself.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
Chapter 3: Christian Community in a Consumerist CultureThis dissertation has set out to explore the implications of a consumerist culture on the forming
and shaping of Christian communities of emerging adults. So far, the key conceptual ideas which
characterise a consumerist culture have been expounded (chapter one), and then explored from a
theological perspective (chapter two). This final chapter aims to draw on this previous work in
order to demonstrate the key concerns which need to be addressed for Christian communities that
find themselves within a consumerist culture. Building on previous conceptual ideas, this final
chapter seeks to suggest how the practical running and shaping of Christian community is affected
by attempting to dwell within a wider consumerist culture.
Before attempting to highlight some practical implications for growing Christian communities
within a consumerist culture, there are some initial concerns which need to be set out.
Shaping Community and Culture
As stated in the introduction, this dissertation is concerned primarily with the forming and shaping
of Christian community. This means that whatever practical conclusions are reached, they should
be concerned with the functioning of communities of people, rather than with individuals. Because
of this, and because of the abstract nature of this dissertation, the conclusions reached will
primarily be concerned with the way in which a communal culture can be created or shaped by
those involved in Christian communities which addresses the implications of a wider consumerist
culture.
Similarly, rather than making suggestions about specific areas of community life, these conclusions
are ventured as core values or ideas which will define the way a Christian community itself
functions. These core values can then be developed through ‘praxis’, that is, through the application
of these core values into the specific activities which take place in the mission and worship of a
Christian community of emerging adults.
Transcendence and Immanence
The primary question facing a Christian community which seeks to participate within a consumerist
culture, which has been raised thus far, is about whether to employ a strategy of transcendence or
immanence. That is, whether to choose to isolate itself from the wider culture in order to maintain
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
an alternative, transcendent culture; or to choose to participate fully within the culture, allowing
itself to become fully subject to the workings and processes of that culture. This same dilemma is
also reflected in a theological understanding of a God who is both transcendent and immanent, who
exists entirely above and beyond the limitations of human culture, and yet at the same time chooses
to engage within it, most evidently through the Incarnation.
The real negative of a strategy of absolute transcendence, or withdrawal, is that, whilst perhaps
more faithfully preserving Christian tradition and values, it dispenses with any ability for a
Christian community to engage with, or even engage in mission within, the culture around it. There
are no reference points for those involved in the community to make sense of, or understand, the
culture around them, and, of concern since we are exploring community with emerging adults,
there is no way for those individuals who are indigenous to a consumerist culture to make sense of
their Christian faith within it. This can lead to an understanding of faith which is privatised and
compartmentalised, where Christian belief becomes something for Christians to out in private and
separate to the rest of their lives. Concurrently, as previously mentioned, the main danger of a
strategy of absolute immanence, or accommodation, is that it means the Christian community
allowing itself to become entirely subject to the culture around it, and in the case of a consumerist
culture, to face the danger of complete dissolution into the sea of commodities of which it is
comprised.
A successful solution then, to the problem of Christian community within a consumerist culture,
will take into account both ‘sides of the coin’, transcendence and immanence, and will hold some
kind of tension or relationship between the two. This tension between different values, I would
argue, might create a creative space for a Christian community of emerging adults to engage and
interact with a wider culture of consumerism in a way which is dynamic, and has the power to be
relevant and challenging to the culture around it, even perhaps to engage prophetically with it.
Critical Tensions
Based on the research and exploration allowed within this study, I would assert that there are three
critical dichotomies which create tension between Christian tradition and theology and the
workings of a consumerist culture. These are (1) the self vs. the other; (2) community vs. the
individual; and (3) objectivity vs. subjectivity. What follows is a description of each of these
tensions, and suggestions for how Christian communities of emerging adults might seek to engage
with them and manage them creatively.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
1. The Self vs. the Other
The first dichotomy or tension, that must be addressed when forming Christian community, is a
tension between the ‘self’ and the ‘other’. As stated previously, a consumerist culture is one which is
inevitably focussed on the self. A highly individualised and commoditized culture results in a
culture where ‘the starting point of many has become my needs, my self-interest and my
satisfaction.’ (Scotland, 2000, p.145). Yet this would seem to be contrary to the biblical ethics which
lie at the heart of Christianity about putting others first, and Jesus’ command to ‘love your
neighbour as yourself’ (Mt 22:39 NIV), which advocates a subversive use of power based on service
from below, rather than giving commands or orders from above. So, somehow a Christian
community seeking to live faithfully within a consumerist culture must be able to deal with this
tension between self-motivation and a motivation for others.
This tension between the self and the other is also ultimately a tension between the desirable role
of consumer and the undesirable role of being the commodity, subject to the processes of
commoditisation and depersonalisation. Whilst to be a consumer is to utilise others in order to
achieve self-fulfilment, and to have the power to choose to publicly recognise or denounce others,
to be a commodity is the less desirable but unfortunately necessary role of being utilised by others,
but with the hope of achieving recognition and possession by others in the process as a valuable
commodity worth consuming. It is within this tension that the participants in a consumerist culture
find themselves, wanting to be able to consume, but unfortunately having to be consumed in order
to achieve self-fulfilment.
As previously argued, this deeply felt need for self-fulfilment or self-actualisation – that is, some
kind of life achievement which will result in happiness and contentment – is one of the key
motivators at the heart of a consumerist culture. This is an endless search for self-discovery, which
seems to be rarely actually achieved. As mentioned previously, however, whilst this fulfilment
might be entirely based on the self, it is still achieved through the recognition of, and association
with, others. It is this dislocation between the self and the other which needs to be addressed by
any Christian community which finds itself within a consumerist culture, re-establishing a healthy
relationship between the need for self-fulfilment and the need for compassion and interaction with
others.
If, in a consumerist culture, self-fulfilment is still achieved through the recognition of being a
commodity worthy of possession by others, then perhaps it is through this mechanism that
Christian communities can intervene by cultivating a culture of acceptance based on some other
motivation than perceived value or worth. Maybe, for a Christian community of emerging adults, a
healthy culture of public recognition and possession should be developed where the motivation
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
isn’t the value of the individual being possessed, but instead a value which is placed on them as a
child of God. Or perhaps they could practice an inverse process, where possession and recognition
of a person is asserted prior to calculating their value to the community or to individuals within the
community. Either way, in this situation the role of the Christian community is to provide an
alternative voice, which subverts the value-based motivations of a consumerist culture, by ascribing
value based on ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’, on an individual’s identity rather than their functionality.
This value is ascribed based on God’s perspective and/or by asserting that the possession and
recognition of the community are not dependent on the personal achievement or value of the
individual.
This same dichotomy between the self and other people can also be applied between the self and
God. The tension between an approach to God based on self-motivation and one based on self-
giving needs to be found, where God is perhaps understood in terms of being both commodity and
consumer, as well as being entirely above and beyond the restraints of culture, and worthy of
worship for who he is, not simply based on the individual dividends which may result from it.
Whereas, for the participants in a consumerist culture, there is a clear desire to be the consumer
and to resist becoming a commodity to be used by others, I would argue that for God the price of
becoming a divine commodity is one he is willing to pay in order to redeem and have relationship
with his people. Based on this, the Incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection could be re-
contextualised to present an image of a God who places himself entirely at the mercy of his people,
to be entirely consumed of his life on the cross, but who ultimately could not be limited or dissolved
by the sea of commodities.
2. Community vs. the Individual
Two of the key de-stabling factors of a consumerist culture are a re-casting and breakdown of the
function and importance of interpersonal relationships, and at the same time a profound loss of a
sense of individual identity. An increasingly rapid process of individualisation, coupled with the
commoditisation of the individuals within a consumerist culture, means that people define their
identity much less by a sense of relationship to others, and much more in terms of their own
personal brand as a commodity. This breakdown of community and relationships was heralded by
Margaret Thatcher (1987):
…And who is society? There is no such thing. There are individual men and women, and there are families… and people look to themselves first. It’s our duty to look after ourselves and then also to help look after our neighbour.
The society we now find ourselves in, if it hasn’t already been dissolved entirely as Thatcher
asserts, is one which is highly individualised. However, this individualisation seemingly stands in
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
opposition to the process of commoditisation itself, where the individual’s own sense of identity is
dissolved as they find themselves as just one in a sea of other identical commodities.
It makes sense then that one of the key tensions that must be addressed, in forming and shaping
Christian communities within a consumerist culture, is a tension between an identity which is
constructed based on community, and a self-contained identity built primarily by the individual.
Shane Claiborne (2006, p.135) observes how increasingly attractive the notion of individualism has
become:
For everything in this world tries to pull us away from community, pushes us to choose ourselves over others, to choose independence over interdependence, to choose great things over small things, to choose going fast alone over going far together.
Within a consumerist culture, the need for individuals to be privatised, self-contained commodities
has resulted in a culture where achievement and recognition is primarily for the individual rather
than for communities working together. However, the biblical narrative provides a very different
understanding, where, whilst individual stories are picked out, the primary focus of the narrative
both in the Old and New Testaments is on a community or a people group. Individuals are
recognised primarily for the role they played in a narrative for which the bigger picture is the story
of God and his people, either the people of Israel or the early church community. This is perhaps
contrary to some contemporary understandings of Christianity where faith is reduced simply to the
relationship between ‘me and God’.
Perhaps this relationship between individuals and the wider community found in the bible could
form a basis for a revised understanding of the relationship between the individuals found in a
consumerist culture and the communities of which they are a part. So often Christian community
can become nameless and faceless, becoming not unlike the sea of commodities explored earlier,
where individuals are ‘absorbed’ into the community at the cost of their own sense of identity.
Christian communities within a consumerist culture perhaps need to explore and understand what
it means to be a ‘community of individuals’, where both shared, collective identity and individual
identity and achievement is celebrated; and where the relationship between the two is re-
connected and re-understood, and perhaps even redeemed through a new model of community.
Perhaps a theological starting point for this re-integration of community and the individual is with
an understanding of the Trinity. Boff (2000, p.64) describes the Trinity in these terms:
Each divine Person shares fully in the other two: in life, love and communion… Although equal in sharing in life and love, each Person is distinct from the others… But this distinction allows for communion and mutual self-giving. The Persons are
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
distinct so as to be able to give out of their wealth to the others and to form eternal communion and divine community.
A theology of the Trinity presents a deeply stirring image of what Christian community could be,
with the ability to inspire and challenge. This image of perfect community also perhaps stirs up
what is a deep human need; perhaps one reason for the huge impact of ‘The Shack’ (Young, 2008),
an international bestselling work of ‘theological fiction’ which prominently presents God as Trinity.
In practice, for a Christian community of emerging adults, perhaps this would mean creating a
community culture which celebrates individual achievement, but also which actively encourages
and provides space for individual skills and gifts to be expressed within the life and worship of the
community. This utilisation of individual gifts, though, must happen in such a way that individual
identity can be expressed and showcased rather than identity being lost or absorbed into the wider
community’s identity. Perhaps a good metaphor to understand this would be that of a mosaic,
where brightly coloured and sometimes intricately designed tiles go together to create a rich and
colourful piece of art.
This kind of community creates an environment where individual identity is subject to
collaboration rather than competition, creating a cycle where individual identity enriches the
shared identity of the community, which then increases the value of the community itself for those
who are ‘buying into’ it. This creates a kind of ‘identity economy’ which links self-gain and self-
giving, where the two feed into one another. A balance between giving and receiving is created
where each inevitably leads to the other, and where individual identity inevitably informs the
identity of the community and vice versa.
3. Objectivity vs. Subjectivity
The third dichotomy which Christian communities within a consumerist culture should address is
between objectivity and subjectivity, that is, a tension between an understanding of reality and
society as something which is subjective and something which is objective. As explored in chapters
one and two, a key concept within a consumerist culture, as observed by Bauman (2007, pp.17-20),
is subjectivity fetishism; that is, an obsession or fixation with an individual subjective reality which
is created and controlled by the individual. It is within this environment then that, in forming and
developing Christian community, the tension needs to be managed between a prevailing preference
for the subjective, and a need for some kind of shared, objective understanding of the nature of
reality.
Berger and Luckmann (1966), assert that a social understanding of reality is constructed both
subjectively, through individual interpretation and internalisation, and objectively, through the
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
externalisation of societal values and creation of structure. Whilst historically, Christian
communities have tended towards creating a very clear, objective understanding of reality through
techniques such as the conceptual systematising of theology, through to the creation of
organisational and even physical structures, and rigid ecclesiologies. This preference, towards what
Berger and Luckmann (1966, pp.65-109) describe as ‘institutionalization’ (sic), is something which
is in opposition to the prevailing preference within a consumerist culture towards subjectivity.
The concern of those involved in developing Christian communities of emerging adults within a
consumerist culture, then, should be how to relate a historical preference for objectivity to the
cultural preference for subjectivity, and indeed a mistrust of the objective or even ‘totalising’ nature
of institutionalisation. This requires a stance of both challenging the cultural norm which, as argued
previously in chapter two, clearly has its own limitations, and re-connecting it with an objective
approach to theology and ecclesiology which is trustworthy and has room within itself for
individuality, innovation and ultimately subjectivity.
So how could this tension, between objectivity and subjectivity, be worked out in a more practical
sense? In recent times, substantive theological effort has been put into a more organic or ‘liquid’
framework for ecclesiology (Ward, 2002). Gibbs and Bolger (2006, pp.113-114) take time to
describe the ‘liquid church’ phenomenon. In the words of Ian Mobsby (2006 cited Gibbs & Bolger,
2006, p.114), who was interviewed during their research, ‘“Fluid or liquid forms of church reflect
networks of people. As cultural expressions are now fluid and networked, place or geography are
far less important these days.”’ So, this flexible ecclesiology creates space for Christian communities
which are shaped by the subjective, for instance the individual availability, understanding and
preferences of their members.
This need to manage a tension between objectivity and subjectivity goes further than the shape and
organisation of the Christian community itself, though, to a need to address the way that
community affirms and constructs an understanding of God himself. There is a need to create space
for the subjective, personal theology of individuals, and to celebrate it, whilst at the same time
creating a structure which affirms a collective, more objective understanding of God. This collective
theology could be termed ‘orthodoxy’, drawing on the historical, theological understanding of the
need for a structure which presents collectively held, ‘right’ belief.
That structure, within itself, should also be able to pose a healthy challenge to subjective
experiences and opinions, perhaps through creating a stage for ‘free’ theological dialogue to take
place, rather than a form of restricted or prescriptive discussion which can often characterise
Christian communities. This way, each individual’s understanding can be challenged, and itself
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
challenge the subjective understandings of others, as well as at the same time informing a fluid,
communal theological understanding. There is a need, however, for this communal orthodoxy, as
well as being multi-faceted, to also be integrated rather than fragmented; with an understanding of
individual parts making up a whole picture rather than individual parts which are each
independent and self-containing.
Summary
This concluding chapter has sought to present some key implications for creating and maintaining
Christian community in a consumerist culture. I have argued that the key question for Christian
communities is whether to pursue a strategy of transcendence/withdrawal, choosing to
differentiate itself from a consumerist culture, or of immanence/accommodation, choosing to
absorb itself into the culture. These two extremes are helpful, in that they enable us to understand
engaging in a consumerist culture to be about managing the tension between the seemingly
incessant demands of the prevailing culture, and the distinctiveness of the Christian narrative and
tradition.
Drawing on this, this chapter has suggested three critical tensions which exist between Christian
tradition and the workings of a consumerist culture. Those tensions are between (1) the self and
the other, (2) community and the individual, and (3) an objective and subjective view of reality. In
each case, I have suggested some initial practical and theological resources for Christian
communities of emerging adults to draw on, when seeking to engage in the tension between a
consumerist culture and a historic faith tradition.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
ConclusionConsumerism is quickly becoming the prevailing culture of the twenty-first century. Although
Western society seems to have been building towards this since the beginning of the twentieth
century, it is the current generation of emerging adults who most embody and exemplify what it
means to be indigenous to a consumerist culture. Smith and Snell (2009, p.67), amongst others,
reach the same conclusion that consumerism is part of the very identity of the current generation of
emerging adults.
[Our] interviewers could not, no matter how hard they pushed, get emerging adults to express any serious concerns about any aspect of mass-consumer materialism… There should be no limits to what people might buy and own, and consuming products is often a great source of satisfaction that helps to define ultimate goals in life.
This is the prevailing culture in which those seeking to grow and develop Christian community find
themselves, in particular those either specifically aimed at, or working with, emerging adults; and it
is the challenge of how to engage with and participate in this kind of culture which, I believe, will
define a new generation of Christian communities. Therefore, it is of vital importance that this
culture is studied by those seeking to undertake mission and ministry within it. Furthermore, a
fuller understanding needs to be developed of the theological implications of the concepts and
processes which define a consumerist culture, with a view to developing a greater practical
awareness of the specific challenges of forming and nurturing Christian communities within it. This
dissertation has been a brief, exploratory study concerned with the humble, but nevertheless
important, beginnings of that task.
1. Key Concepts
The starting point of this exploration was to begin to develop an understanding of the key
processes and conceptual ideas which characterise a consumerist culture. Drawing on the work of
sociologist, Zygmunt Bauman (2007), chapter one was concerned with exploring three key
concepts at the heart of such a culture: commoditisation, privatisation and subjectivity fetishism.
The process of commoditization lies at the core of a consumerist culture, where goods, services, and
even people and elements of the culture itself, are recast as commodities to be bought and traded.
For those individuals who find themselves within such a culture, the only alternative to complete
social isolation is to allow themselves to become a commodity for others to ‘buy into’. However, this
need to be commoditised also creates the need to promote oneself as a commodity worth buying, in
order to achieve a sense of self-worth.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
A second key concept, privatisation, relates to the breaking down of connections between the
subjects of a consumerist culture as they become commoditised. This process is expressed on a
personal level as individualisation, where the bonds between people are disconnected and
dislocated as they are reduced to simple consumer interactions between commodities. As the bonds
which connect elements are broken down the result is an abstraction of meaning (Miller, 2005),
where individuals, as commodities, are removed from their original context and instead forced to
become independent, self-contained commodities.
Finally, subjectivity fetishism is a concept which refers to the subjective reality which is created by
the consumer in order to gain some form of fulfilment from the consumerist system. In the absence
of a sense of connection or relationship with others, meaning is instead ascribed to consumer
interactions themselves. This subjectivity fetishism represents the ideology that the products we
buy are more than just simple commodities, but are able instead to make us into better people and
bring us fulfilment.
2. Theological Implications
Drawing on the framework created by the three concepts explored in chapter one, the next task
was to develop an understanding of the theological implications of those concepts. Whilst work has
been done to provide a theological critique of the values of a consumerist culture, the danger of a
critique on this level is that it only barely penetrates the surface of the complex workings of such a
culture. Therefore, this study set out to explore the implications of contextualising Christian belief
within the very workings and core functions of the culture itself described in chapter one.
It was asserted that within a consumerist culture, the main motivation for the religious believer is
the achievement of a sense of self-worth or self-fulfilment. The primary example of this is in the
commoditisation process itself, which not only affects people but also the very elements of culture,
including religion and spirituality. Therefore, within a consumerist culture, God himself can be
recast as a commodity to be consumed by his worshippers for their own self-fulfilment. However,
God can also be understood as a consumer within the consumerist system, where he can ascribe
ultimate value to his followers by choosing to consume them as commodities worth possessing.
Secondly, the process of privatisation results in the construction of a highly individualised God, also
affirming an understanding of a God who exists primarily for the fulfilment of the individual. As
well as this, a highly individualised culture means a God who is personalised to fit the experience
and understanding of each individual. Finally, the concept of subjectivity fetishism allows for an
understanding of a God who is subjective to each person’s understanding, allowing each individual
to have control over their own ‘image’ of God.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
It is obvious that these implications of a God who is contextualised within a consumerist culture
look very different to an understanding of God which is traditionally understood within orthodox
Christian theology. This raises an important, but difficult, challenge for Christian communities
seeking to engage with such a culture. Do they choose to attempt to isolate themselves from the
culture, choosing instead to assert an understanding of a God who transcends culture, or should
they choose to participate fully in the culture, but in the process allow their understanding of an
immanent God to become subject to the full workings of that culture?
3. Critical Tensions
The final stage of this dissertation, in chapter three, attempted to sketch out more fully the
challenge which faces those attempting to form Christian communities within a consumerist culture
amongst emerging adults. This would mean to suggest some possible solutions, or ways to manage
the tension between a strategy of immanence/accommodation and a strategy of
transcendence/withdrawal. The result was to suggest three critical tensions – dichotomies which
were found to exist between Christian tradition and theology and the key concepts of a consumerist
culture.
These three tensions are between (1) the self and the other, (2) community and the individual, and
(3) objectivity and subjectivity. Firstly, the tension needs to be managed between a desire for self-
actualisation and self-fulfilment, and the need to have compassion and fulfilment found in putting
others first. Within this tension, both other individuals and God could comprise the ‘other’.
Secondly, a tension exists which needs to be resolved between a shared community identity and the
affirmation and encouragement of individual identity. This means cultivating a community identity
which is shaped and moulded by the individualised contributions of each member, somewhat like a
mosaic where each small tile makes up the whole, complete picture. Finally, consideration needs to
be given to the tension between an objective understanding of reality, routed in accepted structures
and externalised values, and a subjective understanding of reality, which is subject to the
perspective and experience of individuals. Managing this tension has implications for the way the
structures and values of Christian communities are expressed, as well as for the way the
community’s theology is constructed and produced.
Final Thoughts
Although limited by the bounds of an undergraduate dissertation, this study has sought to begin the
task of understanding the place of Christian community within a consumerist culture, particularly
amongst an emerging generation of young adults. Whilst the concepts and ideas which have been
explored could easily have been taken further and subjected to more intense theological
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
examination, what is presented in this piece of work is a starting point from which to begin to
understand the implications of pursuing Christian community in a culture which is highly alien
compared to the context in which earlier Christian communities emerged.
On a personal level, the conclusions reached here will fuel and inspire future study and in particular
will affect my own work attempting to form and shape community with emerging adults. In
addition to this, I believe that there are also implications raised within this dissertation for others
who are involved in shaping Christian faith and practice in the future, who are involved in work
with young people, or who are involved in community development work within a highly
individualised, consumerist culture such as, I believe, the context in which we find ourselves in the
UK.
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Christian Community in a Consumerist Culture
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