Purpose Driven Commercialism
Having written about Grand Schemes and hinted at my dislike of the Rick Warren philosophy as espoused in his "Purpose Driven....." series of books, I discover that churches around the country are participating in a "40 Days of Purpose" campign based on the "Purpose Driven Life" book.
I came across this in a review:
"And then, of course, there’s the whole “40 Days of Purpose” marketing campaign. While much of this may be the brainchild of the publisher (rather than the author), there is still something a bit unnerving about a book title that includes a registered trademark. Purpose Driven is no longer just a life motto, it is a corporate slogan. Log on to Zondervan’s Web site and you’ll find a host of Purpose Driven paraphernalia—from wall hangings to Bible covers."
This ties in with some thoughts I had recently after receiving a Christian media magazine through the post. So many CDs, videos, books - all Christian!!! All with their price tag!!! It's as if being a Christian means you have to have a spending power commensurate with all the stuff that gets pumped out of the publishers every month. I remember reading Keith Green's biography and being struck by the time when he decided that if his recordings of worship music were truly a form of worship then it would be immoral to charge for them, so he gave them away. This is why I have a problem with "Alpha" courses - they are making a church rich. Basically I find the commercialism attached to "Christian" media repulsive. I know people will say that these folks have to live, but maybe I disagree with people making their living out of such things. Maybe they ought to have a proper job making tents or something if they need money to live. Where this leaves church ministers I don't know; maybe I'm wondering why we need them as well! Comments welcome.
I came across this in a review:
"And then, of course, there’s the whole “40 Days of Purpose” marketing campaign. While much of this may be the brainchild of the publisher (rather than the author), there is still something a bit unnerving about a book title that includes a registered trademark. Purpose Driven is no longer just a life motto, it is a corporate slogan. Log on to Zondervan’s Web site and you’ll find a host of Purpose Driven paraphernalia—from wall hangings to Bible covers."
This ties in with some thoughts I had recently after receiving a Christian media magazine through the post. So many CDs, videos, books - all Christian!!! All with their price tag!!! It's as if being a Christian means you have to have a spending power commensurate with all the stuff that gets pumped out of the publishers every month. I remember reading Keith Green's biography and being struck by the time when he decided that if his recordings of worship music were truly a form of worship then it would be immoral to charge for them, so he gave them away. This is why I have a problem with "Alpha" courses - they are making a church rich. Basically I find the commercialism attached to "Christian" media repulsive. I know people will say that these folks have to live, but maybe I disagree with people making their living out of such things. Maybe they ought to have a proper job making tents or something if they need money to live. Where this leaves church ministers I don't know; maybe I'm wondering why we need them as well! Comments welcome.
posted by Peter and Heather King at 2:15 pm
2 Comments:
always figured that christianity, church, worship, faith, being christlike etc, etc is all about GIFT. problem is we all got used to receiving so much that we forgot about the giving bit and we ended up making christianity (and church especially) into some form of grand transaction.
commercial spin-offs are therefore likely in such a climate!
imagine church as a place where GIFT is a central principle. we give away the space for worship rather than seeing as a space to receive, we give the space for people to learn about God, we give the space to be community...
posted by: Barky
markbarkaway@fish.co.uk
Fantastic thought Mark! It took me a few moments to latch into what you are saying, but I believe you've hit the nail on the head. If it's all about giving rather than receiving or acquiring then it all begins to make sense. Boy, do I miss you guys!
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