Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Systemic sins

From Brian McLaren's book-- Everything must change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope

Only a fraction of our sins are personal. By far the greater part are sins of neglect, sins of default, our social sin, our systemic sin, our economic sin. For these sins Christ died, and continues to die. For these sins Christ atoned, and continues to atone.... As long as evangelism presents a gospel centered on the need for personal salvation, individuals will acquire a faith that focuses on maximum benefits with minimal obligations, and we will change the costly work of Christ's atonement into the pragmatic transaction of a salvific contract.... The sanctifying grace of God in Jesus Christ is meant not just for the sinner but also for a society beset by structural sin.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Consumerism

This is a reminder for me when I'm thinking about buying yet another new camera, coz my camera is kinda broken (still functional), but more because I WANT a new one...

From Lord to Label: how consumerism undermines our faith

Christian critiques of consumerism usually focus on the dangers of idolatry—the temptation to make material goods the center of life rather than God. This, however, misses the real threat consumerism poses. My concern is not materialism, strictly speaking, or even the consumption of goods—as contingent beings, we must consume resources to survive. The problem is not consuming to live, but rather living to consume.

We find ourselves in a culture that defines our relationships and actions primarily through a matrix of consumption. As the philosopher Baudrillard explains, “Consumption is a system of meaning.” We assign value to ourselves and others based on the goods we purchase. One’s identity is now constructed by the clothes you wear, the vehicle you drive, and the music on your iPod. In short, you are what you consume.

This explains why shopping is the number one leisure activity of Americans. It occupies a role in society that once belonged only to religion—the power to give meaning and construct identity. Consumerism, as Pete Ward correctly concludes, “represents an alternative source of meaning to the Christian gospel.” No longer merely an economic system, consumerism has become the American worldview—the framework through which we interpret everything else, including God, the gospel, and church.

When we approach Christianity as consumers rather than seeing it as a comprehensive way of life, an interpretive set of beliefs and values, Christianity becomes just one more brand we consume along with Gap, Apple, and Starbucks to express identity. And the demotion of Jesus Christ from Lord to label means to live as a Christian no longer carries an expectation of obedience and good works, but rather the perpetual consumption of Christian merchandise and experiences—music, books, t-shirts, conferences, and jewelry.

Approaching Christianity as a brand (rather than a worldview) explains why the majority of people who identify themselves as born-again Christians live no differently than other Americans. According to George Barna, most churchgoers have not adopted a biblical worldview, they have simply added a Jesus fish on the bumper of their unregenerate consumer identities. As Mark Riddle observes, “Conversion in the U.S. seems to mean we’ve exchanged some of our shopping at Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, and Borders for the Christian bookstore down the street. We’ve taken our lack of purchasing control to God’s store, where we buy our office supplies in Jesus name.”

......

As a result, choosing a church today isn’t merely about finding a community to learn and live out the Christian faith. It’s about “church shopping” to find the congregation that best expresses my identity. This drives Christian leaders to differentiate their church by providing more of the features and services people want. After all, in a consumer culture the customer, not Christ, is king.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

He Loved Me

This hymn is probably listed among the top of my faves, maybe number one. It is based on based on Romans 8:35-39.

He Loved Me - Tom Fettke

He chose me --- be-fore the world was known.
He chose me --- to be His very own.
He made me, then let me choose my way.
I chose to move a-way.
He loved me --- when hope had tak-en wing.
He loved me --- when I lost ev-'ry-thing.
He bought me, redemp-tion's work was done
though Jesus Christ, His Son. 

Who-- shall sep-a-rate me from the love of God?
Shall dreams of to-mor-row,
pain, or sor-row,
Can the need of food or earth-ly pos-sess-ions,
the threat of war or man's op-pres-sion?
In all these things
vic-t'ry is our reward.
Vic-t'ry is our reward though Jesus Christ, our Lord.

#Of this I am sure,
that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor prin-ci-pal-i-ties,
nor pow-ers, nor things pres-ent,
nor things to come---

Not height, nor depth,
nor any crea-ture
Shall sep-a-rate me from the love of God.#
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Safety?

I don't mean we should get into danger deliberately, but when has Christianity become something about safety?

I've read a few different articles on social action and Christianity. When I brought this up with some Christians about what we can do for marginalised groups, I got responses like "these are work for those specially called by God", "you should not be blaming elders for not caring about these people, after all they need to be concerned about our safety"...

Why "evangelism" is for everyone, while taking care of the poor is for those with special calling??

When were Jesus and the early Christians ever concerned about their own safety?? Prophets in the Old Testament? Martyrs in Christian history??

Why should we?

Some of the articles I read recently
肥醫生@mingpao
讓我們回轉……
對「教會」反思 (一)