Consumer-Driven

The following is from Scotty Smith, author and pastor.


"One of my favorite authors is J.I. Packer, who wrote the classic volume Knowing God. Being from Great Britain, he was asked, "Dr. Packer, what do you think of American piety?" In a very humble, loving, and tender way he said, "Well, certainly there are a lot of wonderful things to be encouraged about; but by and large, I see it as three thousand miles wide and three inches deep."

Certainly that metaphor can be defined and understood in many ways. I see American spirituality being superficial and not very deep in the "consumer spirit" of our day. We are a consumer-driven culture, and I find many times in our churches, Christian literature, and Christian media an unspoken assumption tht God exists to make my life more enjoyable. He exists to make my life more cope-able. He's there to come through for me. Consumerism basically asks the question, "What's in it for me?"

I long for my heart, the hearts of our church members, and the hearts of this generation to experience revival. Revival would get us back to the notion held by the Christians in the eighteenth century, those who put together the Westminster Shorter Catechism and framed the first great question: "What is the chief aim of man?" Their response was, "The chief aim of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." I would love to see my heart and the hearts of our church and this generation brought back to an other-centered experience of the gospel -- an experience in which we can truly say with joy, "I exist just to bring glory and pleasure to God. I enjoy it, and I get great benefits out of it; but those things are secondary to the joy I have of simply being His son, His daughter, being involved in the advancement of His kingdom."

Compare that to the modern attitude that basically says, "You know, God owes me. He didn't answer my prayers because I prayed for a spouse, and here I am, forty-eight and still single." I fully identify with anyone who sits in the brokenness and longing of unanswered prayer. But the point is that this culture has a consumer-driven nature that concerns me. I pray that God would be pleased to arrest this drive and bring us to a place of real freedom in Him."

Secrets of a Faith Well Lived by Christopher Coppernoll (Howard).