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Pressing in on us from all sides, the cultural influences that attempt to shape the philosophies by which we live are real and powerful. But, says Stuart McAllister, so is the call to be shaped by Christ . . .
For more than a decade, I travelled behind the iron curtain, smuggling Bibles across borders and distributing Christian literature. During the communist years, I experienced the power of propaganda from the communist system. Banners, fliers, and billboards were covered with slogans such as "workers of the world unite" or "towards the socialist dream." Television was dominated by endless political and documentary programs proclaiming the power, beauty, and wisdom of the communist system.
Most of us have never been exposed to this sort of overt propaganda, and yet we live our lives daily bombarded by information, ideas, and images urging us to buy something. Propaganda is an instrument of manipulation and attitude formation. There are times when I wonder if advertising is really so different.
The psychology of fulfilment serves as one of the key pillars in shaping our thinking-and advertisers know this well. From food to soap to cars to clothing, we are bombarded with images of all the things we need to have the kind of life that promises to make us happy. And the subtle or often not-so-subtle message in the midst of it is "you deserve this." We learn from an early age that we are entitled to the best; we need to work hard and earn our way up, but doing so, we should be good to ourselves, look after number one, and enjoy the fruit of our labours. This we learn to see as normal (as cultures have been learning for centuries).
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a parable about a successful businessman. In fact, the businessman was so successful that he had run out of storage space for all of his stuff. But he had an idea. "This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry'" (Luke 12:18-19). But breaking into the story this man had written for himself, God requires an accounting. "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'" (12:20). Like all inquiries voiced in Scripture, this is a good one!
The problem with boundless consumption is not only that we squander far more than is necessary, but that we fail to realize we are sawing off the branch that we are sitting on. The pattern of all idolatry is that the idol ends up consuming the consumer. Like the man in Jesus's story, we are running in a race against our own futility.
The story of Christianity we are invited to enter into, offers a powerful alternative. God in His wisdom calls us to an abundant life, and then instructs us to store treasures up in heaven. He calls us to know the depths of the riches of His goodness, and then explains that man does not live on bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God. Christ bids us to follow Him, and then warns that all is required of us-even our very lives. His instruction illumines the truth that what we buy depends on what we value, and this gets at the worldview that lies under our decisions. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).
Pressing in on us from all sides, the cultural influences that attempt to shape the philosophies by which we live are real and powerful. But so is the call to be shaped by Christ: "Then Jesus said to His disciples: 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes... But seek His kingdom, and all things will be added unto you as well" (Luke 12:22-23, 31).
Let us ask ourselves: what do our habits of consumption reveal about us? And if we see problems with what lies beneath, can it really be that another string of purchases will be the solution? Consider taking root in something deeper, something lasting, something that takes commitment, and yet is free of charge. Jim Elliot who gave his life to bring good news to a secluded people said it well: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
[Taken from Slices of Infinity: 23 February 2006]
Stuart McAllister is director of training and special projects for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
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