Unwavering Conformity: A 21-day Study in StewardshipMuestra

Living with the Consequences

Repeated covenant-breaking has serious consequences. The flipside is that covenant-keeping has positive outcomes. Notice in this passage the central importance of Torah (law) and Israel's chronic recurrent problem of slipping back into all forms of idolatry.

Modern Western society is permeated to its core with idolatry, with one particular ism extending its grasp beyond any other - materialism. Unchecked materialism has so infiltrated Christianity and other religious systems that it goes virtually unnoticed by the majority. Unless humanity, led by people of faith, can turn a corner quickly, the spiritual, interpersonal and societal consequences in today's interconnected world will hold us captive in ways ancient Israelites could have never conceived.

Following is a quotation from author, educator and environmentalist Bill McKibben's call for communities of faith to return God to the center of life:

“Consumption is an issue uniquely suited for faith communities. Among the institutions of our society, only the communities of faith can still posit some reason for human existences other than the constant accumulation of stuff!”

If we in religious communities are going to do anything about it, we have to recognize just how strong the consumerist ethos is. It has taken root in all of us, basically unchallenged. Fertilized by a million commercials, it has grown like a wolf tree, a tree whose canopy spreads so wide that it blots out the sun. In the same way, the consumerist ethos blots out the quiet word of God. Churches, obviously, do not have the power to compete head-on, and few of us junkies are ready to go cold turkey. But increasingly there are signs that people are asking, 'Isn't there something more than this?'

Theologian and educator Marva Dawn would answer McKibben's rhetorical question with a resounding and unapologetic yes. Dawn would assure us that churches, pastors and individual Christians who struggle with a perceived 'need' to compete with the world may rest easy. Our God has everything under control, today as in every age, no matter what its unique set of challenges:

“The kingdom is always alive and well. Many Christians refuse to accept the gimmicks, the quick-fix techniques, the appeal of success, the power of money, the lure of fame, and other cultural idolatries because they have a deep sense of profoundly countercultural call, the call to live as kingdom people.”

Try to answer the following questions as you reflect upon today's passage: how is materialism woven into the fabric of your society, what does it look like for you to live as a 'kingdom person,' and what changes could you make in your life to look more like a kingdom person?