Consumer Christianity

Both Dallas Willard in The Great Omission and J.P. Moreland in The Kingdom Triangle touch on the tendency of western Christianity (and perhaps Americans in particular) to convert true Christianity to a consumer-driven Christianity.  The two authors discuss the issue using different terms — Moreland talks about the empty-self syndrome and Willard about the twisted use of the term "spirituality" — but they are certainly communicating a similar message:

We have allowed our consumer-driven culture to convert true Christianity, which is always associated with obedience to the commands of Christ, into an anemic, malnourished substitute.  Instead of denying ourselves and following Christ, we fill ourselves with the lousy (but oh so titillating) substitutes the world has to offer — materialism, the cult of celebrity, entertainment, the chase after adrenaline and the feeling of happiness.  

We treat our faith, our spirituality, as a consumer good or a consumer experience, and move from one church to another, one concert to another, one video to another, being entertained, stirred emotionally and maybe even challenged a bit.  But at the end of the day, we allow these experiences of spirituality to take the place of a real faith that determines how we live and infiltrates every arena of our existence.  

This challenges me not only on a personal level but also as a church leader because I have no doubt that I have contributed to the epidemic by playing to a culture that looks for experience over substance.