Canon Fodder

Kirsten and I had a group of about 10 folks (including us) over last Friday to view the new Morgan Spurlock produced film What Would Jesus Buy?, which chronicles the dramatic activism of Rev. Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir. I think for the most part “a good time was had by all,” though of course the purpose of our evening was to be entertained a little bit, to be sure, but mostly to be challenged and raise awareness regarding our entrenched conspicuous consumption as mostly middle class citizens of the United States. My hope is that this would prompt some discussion among us about how to begin “being the change we want to see.” It is crystal clear to me that if as a society we got into this mess “alone” (as a result of the individualism that is as much a part of our way of life as consumerism is), the only way to get out of this mess is to pursue change together, and I vow to do all that I can to create and facilitate the kind of local community that this requires.

Anyway, below is the “Christian” study guide the Rev. Billy, et al, made available on their website, and for my part I’ll also add this link, which has some great resources as well. Oh, and one more thing, if you “don’t believe the hype,” go here and get a little perspective.

Resource Guide

“We don’t have all the answers, but I think we have the questions.” Reverend Billy

Guide Overview: What Would Jesus Buy? is a documentary film that examines the commercialization of Christmas. WWJB? challenges us to examine why we buy so much, where we buy, and how we buy all in an effort to identify what we can do about it to transform our habits and communities… not just
during Christmas, but year-round.

Let’s Start With The Basics:

Examine why you buy the things you do – and ask yourself do I really need this? Do I have something like it? Where am I going to store it?

Learn and live by a simple motto: The 3 R’s –

Reduce: Reducing the amount of waste you produce is the best way to help the environment

Reuse: Instead of throwing things away, try to find ways to use them again!

Recycle: Consuming less means you’re using what you have already and actively recycling!

Further Questions – What could you do with the extra money you save by curbing your shopping? – Can you name products in your home that you could start use again instead of buying new? – What about making your gifts? What could you make as a unique gift?

What Scripture Might Say About Consumption
It is clear that there is something to be said about consumption in the Bible. Here are several points to guide your discussion.

• How does Exodus 20: 17 that addresses the issue of coveting contribute to our understanding about consumption?
• Jesus tells a parable about the effects of giving money to several servants, traditionally called the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25: 14-30). How do you interrupt this parable? Do the passages before and after it lend any help to the meaning?
• Jesus says in his Sermon on the Mount that we ought not to worry about what we should wear or what we should eat (Matthew 6:25-34). What should we be worried about?
• Jesus cleared the Temple in Mark 11:15-18, days before he was crucified. It may be the only time that
  Jesus appears angry. Why was he angry and how does this add to a discussion on consumption?
• Hebrews 13:5 talks about living in a way that is free from the love of money and the Christian church
  has placed greed as one of the seven most deadliest sins. What is the love of money? And, as I Timothy 6:10 says, why is it the root of all evil? Does Acts 8:20 play a role?

• What did Jesus say to the rich man in Matthew 19:16-24?
  Jesus told a parable of a rich fool who built bigger and bigger barns to hoard his grain (Luke 12:13-21). What happened and what was Jesus trying to address?

What Would Jesus Buy?
We really don’t know what Jesus would buy, but they’re a few points that we can infer from Jesus and the story of Christianity.

• Greed is not good (gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins).
• Wealth should be shared so the poor can have what they need.
• Jesus cleared the Temple because merchants had taken it over.
• Jesus would probably give away more than he kept for himself.

• The Christmas story reveals Jesus in very modest (lowly) circumstances, not among the rich.

Web Resources

Evangelicals for Social Action
Sojourners
Bread for the World

Where Do You Consume?
Why should I support local merchants versus big-box stores and franchises? How can I find out about companies that participate in fair labor and trade practices and how can I participate?

• Buying local means you’re supporting your local economy.
• Look for products that are “Fair Trade Certified.” The label means they pay their workers a reasonable wage and don’t participate in child labor.

• The corporations want us to have experiences only through their products. Our neighborhoods, “commons” places like stoops and parks and streets and libraries, are disappearing into the world of big boxes and chain stores.

Further Questions – Can you name your favorite local stores? – Is it possible to not shop for one week? – How are big-box stores same and different from local stores?

Web Resources
Fair Trade Federation
Co-Op America
Sweat Free
International Justice Mission

How Do You Consume?
How can I be more aware of what I purchase and how it effects the environment around me?

• Determine your carbon footprint. Your carbon footprint is the direct effect your actions and lifestyle have on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. Go to Native Energy.
• Look at the label, where and how is your product made? Green goods are more available today from paper towels and cleaning products to clothing and housing materials.

• Find company websites and read about where and how products are made.

Further Questions
-What can you do to reduce your carbon footprint?
-What are you currently recycling?
-Are there local businesses committed to going and being green?

Web Resources
Creation Care
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Daily Green
Native Energy

What Can We Do About It?
Where do I start? What can I do in the first week, month, year?

• Beginning is important. Decide where you want to start.
• Change your lightbulbs, reduce your heat/air conditioning consumption, and buy fresh foods.
• Find other people and groups that are working toward the same ends. See what you can do together.
• Go to Reverand Billy’s website and see how you can get involved in rallies and boycotts.
• Drive less, walk more.

• Commit to only buying products that are made in America.

So I had what some Christian friends I know might call a “divine appointment” the other day. As fast-food places go, Chic-fil-A is by far one of my favorites. I like that the food somehow manages to “feel” a bit more wholesome, if not healthy. I like that they’re closed on Sundays and give their employees a break from the grind. I like too that it reminds me of home (Texas) and for many of my 15 years living elsewhere there wasn’t one around, such that when I did find one when traveling, etc. it felt like going home. Oh, and their “eat mor chikin” ad campaign with the cows has been a favorite for some time. Anyway, in keeping with their “family values,” the new Chic-fil-A near us has a “family night” every Tuesday. If an adult buys a combo, you get a kid’s combo meal for free, and they usually come around and give balloons to the kids and sometimes free ice cream. In a simple and blatantly consumeristic way, it’s kind of fun.

So I went with the “fam” this past Tuesday and had an unusual encounter. As we were sitting there eating, I noticed a guy come in who looked a bit disheveled. I watched him for a little while and saw that he approached several people to ask them for something (presumably money) and was rebuffed at every turn. Finally, perhaps in desperation, he went to the condiment stand and began pocketing a copious number of ketchup packets. That was my opportunity. I sidled up next to him and began getting some ketchup of my own (which I didn’t need). He looked at me out of the corner of his eye but didn’t say anything. So I said, “how’s it going?” He mumbled something that I didn’t hear very well and that I don’t remember now, and then asked me for some change- less than a dollar. I apologized and said I didn’t have any cash (I didn’t) but that I would be happy to buy him dinner. He quickly thanked me and we went over together to order. He got a combo meal- extra large of course, and ordered a side of cole slaw to boot. He thanked me again and we bumped fists after I paid. I then said “enjoy your meal” and went back to my table.

Naturally, I’ve thought a lot about this incident, and what follows are those thoughts, in no particular order. Part of the fun I had in doing this was in watching the reaction of the person who rang us up. She was the same girl who rang up Kirsten, Samuel, and I, and she no doubt had observed the “disheveled guy” making his rounds and being rebuffed. So she knew what was going on, and seemed pleased. Still, I’m sure that what I did was much more about “helping” me than it was about helping him. My impromptu act of slightly conspicuous, but meager, generosity didn’t solve any long-term problems for this guy. I “offered him a fish;” I didn’t “teach him to fish.” He seemed genuinely thankful for the “wholesome” meal, and for that night at least, his hunger was sated. Still, I’m sure my act served more to relieve my guilt about my way of life than it did to do any justice in regard to the guy’s misfortune.

Of course, I keep referring to the person I helped as “the guy” or “him,” etc.- and herein lies part of the problem I have with my way of life, and how it was exposed in this encounter. I didn’t even get his name! I could have, and should have, but I didn’t want to call any extra attention to what was happening, and I wasn’t quite sure how to play my part in it all. On the one hand, I think I did well playing my part. He didn’t come to our table and ask for anything so I had every opportunity to ignore it all until he went away. To use a sports analogy, I “let the game come to me,” and when a very natural moment came for me to intervene, I did so. All I had to do was seek him out and approach him in a natural way (we’re both just two guys getting ketchup). I felt good about that.

If my situation was different, though, I would have followed up. Once he sat down and began eating, I might have gone over to see if he wanted some company. I then could have introduced myself and gotten his name. I might have asked about his situation and if there was any more I could do to help- for instance, “Do you have a place to stay tonight?” Depending on what he said, again- if my situation was different- I might even have invited him over to stay in one of my (currently) 2 empty bedrooms. This is all, of course, connected to my dream for “intentional (Christian) community” in which a number of folks share one roof. I didn’t feel comfortable, for obvious reasons, inviting a stranger whose mental status, etc. was unknown to me to stay the night, knowing I had to get up early and go to work in the morning potentially leaving him there alone with my wife and young son. If there were other folks around, though, particularly other men, well that’s a different story.

Even though I’m quick to say that my street and many of those around me are very “working class,” the fact remains that I live in a de facto suburb with all of the reputed material abundance that goes along with that, and this is something I’ve felt extremely guilty about since the day we moved in. This relates to my “problem” with the ‘burbs. The relative material ease and comfort of those who live there masks, if it doesn’t cultivate, a poverty of spirit that I think makes it hard for folks to realize their neediness, particularly their need for reconciliation with God, humanity, and the world. Moreover, it’s hard to answer God’s clarion call to do justice in an environment that promotes and is made possible by subtle, but no less devastating and entrenched, injustice.

After reading Shane’s new book, I followed it up with Justice in the Burbs, which was also very good, if a bit more modest in its aim and approach. It was a good, helpful read though I struggle with its concluding implications. I like that it reminds me that doing justice is something that can and must be done wherever you happen to find yourself- and if you find yourself in the suburbs, well- “welcome to your mission field.” I like too that the mission it’s referring to is as much about the missio dei as it is about the Great Com(mission), as this is just the kind of Christian life I endeavor to live. I like that the book reminds me to start small and make incremental changes that will add up over time to bigger ones. One has to start somewhere after all. With this in mind, there is a lot that Kirsten and I are again talking about doing to change our life now, and we are thinking ahead to the bigger changes we can make in the future (with one big change coming soon, Lord willing, when our first foster child comes- whenever that will be).

Still, maybe because I tend to be an “all the way” kind of guy, I’m troubled by the “out” the book’s conclusion gives me, namely, permission to remain in the ‘burbs and do what I can from there. I think it’s just too easy to get caught up in the way of life that suburbia compels and miss most opportunities to meet, know, and love Jesus in “the least of these” altogether. This brings me back to my encounter on Tuesday. Part of what strikes me about it is that it was such a rare opportunity. You just don’t see too many “down and out” folks in Cuyahoga Falls, as suburbia is designed to isolate the “have’s” from the “have not’s.” So I was very pleased, relieved even, by this interruption to my leisure, and I am motivated to cultivate a life in which such an encounter is the rule, not the exception.

And in your own special way, don’t forget to celebrate:

For more, go here

I just happened upon the Church of Stop Shopping this morning. They’ve produced a documentary called What Would Jesus Buy? that I can’t wait to see. In fact, once it comes out on DVD I’m thinking of maybe having some folks over to watch and then talk about it. They also have a blog, which so far I’ve found funny, insightful, and inspiring. I would encourage you to check it all out.

Speaking of inspiration, this morning as I was looking at all this I was reminded of my “friends” (more acquaintances, really) at The Simple Way. If you don’t know about them and their story, I would encourage you to check them out too. I went under the “fire updates” section and watched a short video of Shane Claiborne talking about the fire and the city’s predictably oppressive and unhelpful response- and, more importantly, how Shane and the Simple Way are actually doing something about it. As I watched I was filled with a mix of emotions. I was nearly moved to tears at Shane’s passion and willingness to “simply” live in accord with his values, beliefs, and ideals. At the same time, I contemplated grabbing my nearby coffee cup and smashing it against the wall at the all-too-apparent lack of the same in me. That is, my ideals include working for peace-with-justice, for God’s shalom, and casting aside all that would hinder me from pursuing such a life. Moreover, I believe that this is how I should live- it is who I am called to be. However, I obviously don’t value such a way of life, because I continue to live in a single family, $144,000 home in a “suburb” of Akron. Kirsten and I “own” two newer cars. We have all the creature comforts you could possibly imagine, and more. What’s worse is that we even have two extra bedrooms in this home, and daily they remain unoccupied while just a few miles away multitudes struggle to keep a roof over their head, sometimes failing, sometimes “succeeding” in their efforts to remain in “substandard” (by USAmerican standards) housing. I never invite any struggling, marginalized folks to come stay with us, even as winter approaches. No, I go on living my insular, isolated “middle class life,” trapped in a system that requires me to give nearly all to sustain it. I drive an hour total everyday to work and back, continuing my pursuit of the “American dream-” whether or not I really want it. Clearly, that is what I value most, for that is what I continue to do. Yet, even as I condemn myself, many excuses, caveats, and other rationalizations come to mind- some of them legitimate, others undoubtedly not. I could offer them, but I’ll save us all the trouble.