Did anyone celebrate “Buy Nothing Day”? I love this idea, especially since I loath the fact that USA Inc. (read: corporate America) uses baby Jesus for its own powerful, consumeristic, economic ends. And the Church goes along with it!
I’ve always found it incredibly ironic when people on the right end of the Christian spectrum scream and whine when USA Inc. takes the “Christ out of Christmas” when USA Inc. uses Christmas to rake in MILLIONS. Why aren’t we up in arms that Best Buy sells TV’s in the name of a historic celebration of the birth of the Savior of the World? Crazy and Ironic!
Anyway, personally I am torn, because I want an iPod Touch from my parents 🙂 But also because this is a time when my family and I DO celebrate the invasion of God to earth in Jesus and give gifts to each other out of love. We don’t go all out for birthdays and Christmas is that one time when we gather together to love each other through gift giving…or maybe I’m just making excuses to justify receiving, opening, and playing with a new iPod Touch.
Irony number two: “Buy Nothing Day” is NOT a Church movement to reclaim Christmas for its historic purpose, the celebration of the God-with-us-God invasion. Nope. It’s promoted by a “liberal” anti-consumerist organization called Adbusters. I wrote about them in appreciation before and think this is a fantastic opportunity to embrace and partner with the Other in an effort to wrestle the Christmas from Walmart and the like.
While I love this time of year and the opportunity to spend time with my family and love them through gifts, I also wish the Church would demand Christmas back from USA Inc. What’s more, it seems like the Other is doing a better job of that than we are. Go figure…
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Jeremy-
well I just posted a really long comment, but it appears that it has been eaten by the internet and is vanished forever. The gist of it was this: 1. I agree there are issues Christians and non-Christians can united together and rally around. 2. I am curious whether or not there will indeed be a shift in regular old middle American evangelical churches toward embracing values that have previously been considered issues of value to the political left 3. Considering your background and experience in DC, I was wondering whether or not you are able to see things from purely a faith perspective now or if you are still hyper aware of political ideology and how certain issues and ideas are considered conservative or liberal/progressive. I studied politics and still have a difficult time resisting the temptation to categorize various moral stands as political issues. Anti-consumerism for me still seems like a topic of progressive politics first, and a faith issue second. Does that make sense? Sorry if i am being unclear- my first comment was much more articulately worded. Anyway, I would love to read your thoughts on all this! peace
I HATE it when that happens…I’ve had that happen way too many times and the 2nd time is never quite as good or clever, but I appreciated and understood your comment nonetheless 🙂
About my categories: yeah it’s hard for me not to, and in naming Adbusters “liberal” I meant that in no way a negative way, just a category, which I think you already realized. In DC everything was categorized and packaged into their little boxes, but even thought I HATE being categoried (is that a word?) myself I still do it :p
But I do think you are on to something that the things which traditional evangelicalism labeled “them” is now becoming “us” and that is a very encouraging thing. If its real and beautiful and truthful then it should never be packaged as a “them” or “conservative” thing or “liberal” thing, but a God thing. All Truth is God’s Truth, whether one category claims it or labels it one way or another.
So with the notion of consumerism, which clearly flies in the face of Jesus’ teachings against storing for yourself treasures on earth, thats a moral and sin issue ANY “flavor” of Christianity (I had that idea, but lets face: Christianity is divided and grouped up!) can rally around. So whether it is a platform and rallying point for progressive political types, it’s still a God issue that any Christian can rally around…
What’s more, even if it is a rallying point for the Other (meaning, non-Christian activists) I think it would be a beautiful thing to partner with them by joining hands and locking arms in opposition to this issue. And as I wrote in the post, it seems like this “Other” is doing a hell of a lot better job at protesting it than we are!
Does this make sense? I hope I didn’t offend with labeling it “liberal” but I only meant it as a convenient category rather than a bordering thing. I read some from your blog and it seems like you’ve been involved in the OPPOSITE political spectrum than I have with protests and what not. How cool 🙂 Care to share anything from that experience regarding this issue and how we as the church might protest consumerism during this season?
Thoughts?
-jeremy
I didn’t buy anything the day after Thanksgiving, but I never do. It’s not a virtue of moving toward a less consumerist lifestyle. It’s that I can’t stand the crowds and noise and all the Christmas stuff that’s already everywhere.
I’m with RLP. “Black Friday” is for amateur shoppers the same way New Years Eve is for amateur drinkers. 😉
Seriously, I never shop the day after Thanksgiving. I love celebrating ADVENT. As in, “wait for it!” I taught the “wait for it” concept to my choir a few years ago, then one year we had a temp pastor who wanted a lot of Christmas carols during Advent. They all looked at me on Dec 24th and said: “we’re sick of singing Christmas music. We get it now… next year we celebrate Advent!”
May you and your readers be spared too much Christmas muzak, and may you all enjoy the anticipation Advent brings!
Ha! That’s funny Peg. Yeah I was starbucking which is probably the only reason I wasn’t shopping on Buy-Nothing-Black-Friday-Day.
And, yes, Advent is what I’m hoping for this year…not rushing to buy and consuming, but waiting for the celebration of the birth of the savior.
-jeremy