Thermometer of America's Materialism

Over the last year I have bought more things than I can remember: taco bell, computer games, books, cd's, clothes, gifts, gas, pens, golf balls, etc... Still I desire more. I have more things than I could ever possibly need, most I will use or have used at some point but do I actually need them. Not at all. I was reading a book by Mike Yankoski: Under the Overpass. At the end of the book, and consequently end of 5 months being voluntarilary homeless, he tells of being in a store and simply wanting to buy as much as he could simply because he could. That was me, and most people I know. We buy because we can, not becasue we need to or should. Which brings us to the ipod, the thermometer of america's materialism.

I was thinking about music and ipods the other day when it occured to me that much of the purpose of having an ipod is not because one needs such a vast selection of music. Nor is it for necessity or even convenience. So often the purpose of having a 60gig ipod is for the goal of filling it. "If i can fill this 60gig ipod I will have accomplished something." Why is it that we feel the more we have the better we are, or the more we are worth? Why do we obsess about having more music, more clothes, more, more, more?

It seems that we must do soemthing about this thought process. There is no war that needs to be waged against materialism. Simply a radical change of lifestyle by Christians. Their questions and our answers will be enough.

Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Very few songs touch me the way this one does. I hope it blessed you as you read it.

The Destruction of Apologetics

Chrstian apologetics have been around since the earliest days of "The Way." As the world argued against the truth of Christianity the early followers of Christ had to respond in ways that would satisfy the intellect of thier opponents. Thus the beginning of Christian Apologetics.

In our own day and Age there are plenty of people who are seeking answers to questions that demand very reasoned, sound, intellectual answers. However there is an increasingly large population of people, especially the group that is composed of teenagers up through early to mid-thirties, who are not easily swayed by any intellectual argumet that is put forth. To some people this seems crazy because truth is truth, and that is just how things are. Someone is right and by necessity everyone else is wrong. Now that may be true but it simply doesn't connect with this generation. This generation sees truth as relative, what is true for one isn't by necessity true for all. (which completely destroys the definition of truth)

So where does this leave Christians and the Church. It leaves us in a place where we simply can't state our beliefs as truth but must live the truth we believe. Rob Bell compares Christianity to a trampoline instead of a wall. The springs are the doctrine of our faith, absoutley necessary to our faith, but they bend and stretch as we "jump." Too often Christianity seems to be a wall, and the doctrines are bricks, firm, solid, immovable, and if one is questioned or removed the the whole thing becomes unstable.

"one of the things that happens in a brick world is you spend a lot of time talking about how right you are. Which of course leads to how wrong everybody else is. Which then leads to defending the wall. It struck me reading the letter that you rarely defend a trampoline. You invite people to jump on it with you." -- Rob Bell