FROM THE EDITORS February 16, 2009 Issue

A THOUGHT-MODEL WORTH BUYING INTO

LIVING IN A CONSUMERIST CULTURE means being marketed to, paraded with brands, encouraged to buy and buy again, and educated to think that people are defined by the products they purchase. Some would say this is the ultimate economic model. And, yes, one indication of a healthy economy is the ongoing exchange of goods and services. But one common marketing model is built on the permise of selling satisfaction and then breeding dissatisfaction—the idea that you want a particular product, and eventually you'll need more. Several questions underlie this marketing model that can influence the consummer. Questions like: How does this product define me? What will it give me? What do I have to do to get it? How long will it last? Can I have it right now?

A recent Christianity Today article, "Jesus is not a brand" by Tyler Wigg-Stevenson (January 2009), pointed out that with so many people accustomed to such a consumer mentality, it can be difficult to separate this from our religious lives. He puts forward this sobering observation: "In a marketing culture, the Truth becomes a product. People will encounter it with the same consumerist worldview with which they encounter every other product in the American marketplace."

A closer look at how a consumerist approach applies to our thinking on a daily basis—and impacts our spiritual lives—can be eye-opening, especially when the "product" is something as sacred as our understanding of God or Jesus' teachings. The same article pointed out: "Genuinely passionate faith is rooted in recognizing who Christ really is. Brand zealotry, by contrast, is self-centered ...."

Send a comment to the editors

This is the end of the issue. Ready to explore further?

Online features Audio