Materialism, and my own idolatry.

This is something that I wrote a few months back that I want to post as a sort of addition to my last post - it continues to ring true.

First off I would like to state that this is NOT in any way an attack against those of you who use Apple products, as I myself own and use them. I would much prefer to use certain clothing companies (like Abercrombie & Fitch) for my example here, but I was not lucky enough to come across an article written about them (or there absolutely disgusting marketing techniques).

I came across a news piece on BBC.com that I would like to comment on. I get most of my world news from BBC.com, and for the most part find their reporting to be fairly decent. Good reporting seems extremely difficult to come by these days, and it takes much wisdom and discernment (two things in which I am often times lacking) to actually decipher through what is being reported to us, and find that bit of truth. With that said, now on to the news.

There was an article on BBC.com talking about the business (and possibly cultural?) phenomenon of Apple products. The piece focused mainly on the iPod, which is Apples MP3 player. The article begins with:

"To enter the Apple store in Manhattan is to enter a temple. Beneath its high vault, swish thin young men and women dressed from head to foot in black. They hold objects in their hands, strange white and silver objects, objects of devotion which they present to lay visitors, to the uninitiated who wander in from Prince Street seeking retail solace. At the top of a set of broad stairs in the sunlit store is an auditorium, a circle of seats much like those in a chapel, where one of the black-clad priests stands and delivers an encomium to the objects. There is reverence and a sense of being part of a movement."

The article then goes on to discuss other things, ending with this:

"To watch the throng at the Apple store in Manhattan is to witness an amazing business phenomenon. A company has managed to turn its product into an object of adoration, into something people want to buy whether they need it or not, something they want to buy as something that defines themselves. And that is very good business indeed."

I was sickened in my stomach (and also in my heart) when reading this article, which can be found in its entirety at the following link : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4464735.stm.
I began to wonder how this could be.

How can it be that we as a society have moved so far away from the teachings of Jesus that we allow ourselves to literally worship objects? There is an enormous amount of truth in the final paragraph of the BBC.com article. We often times allow ourselves to worship and be defined by mere objects. How many people do you know who will spend incredible amounts of money in order to wear Abercrombie & Fitch clothing, because it "defines" them? How many people will spend money that they don't have in order to buy products that they really don't need, simply because these products "define" them? So many of us will buy these types of clothes and products not because we actually need them, but because of the image that is associated with those who own, use and wear them.

The things we do to portray ourselves in a certain way and as having a certain image has gone so far. Our materialism, consumerism, and the coveting, adoring and worshiping of objects, seemingly know no limits! Where has this come from?

I refuse to believe that this is simply a product of social conditioning. If I accept that this all stems from social conditioning then I am accepting that the Church no longer has any influence in our society and culture. I am accepting that the Church no longer is a transforming agent of society. I am accepting that the Church no longer produces men and women with a Biblical worldview. If I accept that this is simply a product of social conditioning then I must ask, where is the Church? I do not want to believe that this is simply a product of social conditioning, because I still have faith that the Church can be a transforming agent in our society, our culture, our nation and our world.

So where is this coming from, and why do we allow it to not only continue but to flourish?

Or have we as believers become so desensitized to the sins of our culture and society that we no longer view these as evils?

This is not about whether or not it is OK to own and use these types of products - of course it is. This is about understanding that at the very moment we allow ourselves to turn any object into an object of adoration and worship, an object that "defines" us - in that moment we have strayed from the teachings of Jesus. In that moment we are not allowing the teachings of Jesus to influence us or our lifestyles any longer, and we have become idolatrous people.

As I write this I am wondering what objects I have done this with in the past, and am doing this with now. For me it could be nearly anything, even the very ministry I am involved with. Oh God, how often I must hurt You, as my own hypocrisy knows no limits!

There are billions of people living in absolute poverty all around the world. There are millions of people living in extreme poverty in America. There are thousands of people living in poverty in my hometown in East Tennessee. As believers we each have a responsibility to seek justice for the poor and oppressed. We are called to not only live evangelistically, but to also be Christians who take our social responsibility seriously. Yes evangelism is very important, but seeking justice for the poor and oppressed is also important - these two things can never be separated. If we allow ourselves to live materialistically and to covet, worship and adore mere objects, we are not seeking justice for the poor. We are not caring for the poor. We are not loving the poor. Jesus said that He came to preach the Good News to the poor, and His lifestyle represented this in words as well as in deeds. Let us all strive together to do the same!

Lord make us a people who seek to live our lives as an offering to You. Help us to live sacrificially so that others may know Your goodness, Your mercy, Your grace, and Your intense concern for the poor among us. Help us Jesus to be more like You.

With love to you all,

M. Pascal

Corduroy Pants

I had an enlightening experience a few nights ago. I went to a straight-up 100% East Tennessee style pig-pickin’ right here in Paris, France. I always knew that the French considered themselves to be highly cultured people, but it was not until I participated in this Parisian pig-pickin’ that I actually accepted the reality of this profound truth in its entirety. I have truly been enlightened!

The evening did lead me into spending a bit of time reflecting on some things. Let me explain.

I love pig-pickin’s and this one pair of corduroy pants that I have. I have been going to pig-pickin’s for as long as I can remember, and have had this pair of pants since high school (I graduated high school in 1997, if any of you are wondering.). They were green when I bought them, but now they are somewhere between green and grey. They are all ripped up at the bottom from where they have been dragging on the ground for over eight years. The section of pants that covers the gluteus maximus area is extremely thin and every time I wear them or wash them I think to myself, “this could be it for my somewhere between green and grey corduroy pants.”

I was wearing them while feasting on the wonderfully seasoned and perfectly cooked pork, in a beautiful garden at a home in a suburb a bit south of downtown Paris last Thursday evening. After we finished eating, we were all sitting around the fire and as I got up to help bring some more logs over I heard something rip – I thought it was my pants. I tried to find the tear, but couldn’t. It was pretty dark outside and I figured that it must not have been a very big rip seeing how I could not even locate it.

I stayed for another hour or so before leaving and during this time I found my thoughts wandering between the here-and-now conversations that were taking place and my corduroy pants that I thought I had ripped, again. I found myself thinking how sad I would be if the rip was too large to patch up. Of course I knew a day would come when the pants would be completely worn out and I would not be able to continue wearing them, but I wasn’t prepared for that to happen last Thursday evening. I do like these somewhere between green and grey corduroy pants an awful lot.

It was then that I began to think how difficult it is for the man or woman who finds comfort in worldly attachments to admit his or her complete and absolute need for God. How difficult it is for the person who places his or her trust in worldly treasures to store up treasures in Heaven. How difficult it is for the person who finds his or her identity in clothes, cars, computers, etc. to find their true identity in God.

Let us each seek to give up whatever sort of attachments we may have with worldly things that distract us from relying solely on Him. Let us each seek to be more eternally orientated, not filling our storage sheds on earth with meaningless toys, but storing up treasures in Heaven. Let us each seek to never find our identity in the clothes we wear or the things we use and buy but to only find our true identity in God and in God alone. Let us each as God to search our hearts in these matters.

I ask Him to search mine first.

Learning to be Content

I've been thinking a bit lately about what it means to be content in all circumstances. The Apostle Paul said:

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." Philippians 4:11-12

Paul says he has learned that in whatever situation (and I tend to believe he has the authority and experience to truly speak about all circumstances), he is to be content. He did not say that he is to be content only in some or most situations, but in all situations. I am under the opinion, that we are called to the same.

Oh how far I have to go in this regard.

And so here I am, writing this from Paris, a city often times regarded as the most beautiful in the world. Not to sound overly black and white in my thinking and speaking (writing), but I believe this to be true.

I spent the entire month of August walking past Notre Dame Cathedral and through the Luxembourg Gardens each morning and afternoon on my way to and from class - to and from class at one of the "most prestigious private universities in France."

I have been eating wonderful French cheeses and drinking incredible French wines. I have had meals that consist of gourmet delicacies including caviar and escargot. I have gone for evening strolls along the Seine, and down the Champs Elysees.

I truly am in the most beautiful city in the world.

And yet I find myself longing to be back in North Africa, living among the poor.

Several people have told me that I need to "lighten up a bit" and "enjoy this opportunity that God has given and blessed me with." They probably are correct.

However the point I am seeking to make (mainly to myself, but also for others) is that we often times find ourselves places in which we normally would not choose to be, and yet God not only desires for us, but also calls us to be content in these circumstances.

There are people who due to health, family, financial and various other reasons, have had to leave the ministry in which they felt that God had called them. I have met some of these people and have found them to be content in their present circumstances.

There are those who desperately desire to go overseas and serve, and for some reason God is asking them to stay, or to wait. I have met some of these people and have found them to be content in their present circumstances.

There are believers all around the world being beaten and tortured in prisons simply because of their faith in Christ. I have also met some of these blessed people, and have found them to be truly content in their present circumstances.

Each of these people has ministered to and taught me about being content in all circumstances.

And yet I still must cry out and say…

Oh how far I have to go in learning to be content in all circumstances! When I am hungry and when I am filled. When I am rich and when I am poor. When I am accepted and when I am rejected. When I am understood and when I am gravely misunderstood. When I have community and when I am all alone. When I can sense that God is with me and when I feel completely abandoned by Him.

Yes, I have a long ways to go.

Peace,

Matthew Pascal