I want to introduce you to an Instagram page called ‘PreachersNSneakers’. It was set up about a year ago and part of its purpose for existing is to inform people of the shoes (or ‘sneakers’) that well known preachers wear while preaching - along with the price of them. I have found it very challenging to view these images as they stir up an unwanted feeling in me - maybe wrongfully but even so. It’s hard to relate to a preacher that is spending over $700 on a pair of shoes, something tells me it doesn’t quite align with how Jesus lived. “Hey Abii, get that plank out of your own eye yeah?”. Yes I need to be careful, ultimately I can’t judge their spending or even pretend to understand their hearts but a quote from an article in the New York Times put good words to my feelings. “I just feel like if you’re struggling to pay for rent or your next meal…it sends an incredibly confusing and maybe even offensive message that is not necessary and possibly distracting.” Jamie Tworkowski (Founder of To Write Love On Her Arms, a nonprofit that helps people struggling with addiction and depression.)
I’m not mentioning this to judge them, in fact I’m desperately trying not to. I just find it a very useful illustration when trying to open up a conversation that I have struggled to talk openly with anyone in church about. And that is the topic of consumerism.
In some of my other blog posts I have mentioned that I studied Graphic Design ay University. While learning about typography and grids I was also learning about branding and audience. One of the modules that fascinated me was ‘Consumerism’. It hooked me because of how immoral I found it. It might sound extreme to write that, maybe it is, but I can’t help but feel this way. Learning about the manipulation of advertising to purely generate profit made me sick. Even more so when I started noticing my own insecurities and buying habits. I felt dirty. What disturbed me the most was that behaviour I was learning about I could see being mirrored in the church.
Consumerism
/kənˈsjuːmərɪz(ə)m/
DEROGATORY
'the preoccupation of society with the acquisition of consumer goods'
It’s a big topic. A topic that can be quite complex in some areas and yet so basic in others. The impacts of it range from phycological to environmental ones. We don’t just consume physical tangible objects either. Ideologies can be consumed which just opens up a load more other interesting tangents. I’m not going to be able to condense all of my feelings into this one letter of thoughts but I’d like to touch on a few points. The consumerism phenomenon, or what we see it as now, started increasing largely after the second world war. When rationing became less, people began buying inessential items. At some point things became necessities rather than luxury’s and time has allowed it to be ingrained in our culture. Enter branding. There is an undeniable correlation between branding and consumerism. Again, another huge topic but essentially by branding something you are trying to make it clearly distinguishable between another brand and encouraging customer loyalty. You create a personality. You create beliefs. You create an an artificial being that possesses impactful power.
"In a world that is telling us to be who we are, who are we? Theres a fine line between having things that help express your personality and having them because they define it."
It’s my belief that as humans we are insecure. There may be varying degrees and thresholds of our insecurities but not one of us can say with certainty and truth that we can do everything impeccably. I’ve noticed that the theme of ‘identity’ seems to follow me wherever I go. I guess anyone who is leaving home and trying to find who they are is on a life-long journey of discovery and one word that haunts that journey of learning is ‘identity’. But I see it in others too, perhaps not individuals but generations. In a world that is telling us to be who we are, who are we? Theres a fine line between having things that help express your personality and having them because they define it. Clothings brands such as Nike, Hollister, Ralph Lauren, and other acceptable street wear is known mostly through popularity and celebrity endorsement. It often adds status. There is nothing wrong with wearing these brands, I admit I have some branded clothing. But if it becomes something we ‘need’ or ‘can’t be seen without’ then maybe we need a check our motives. This can quickly melt into idolatry and worship. This can be painful and may take some time - I was unaware of my denial for a long time.
"At that moment the identity crisis in this generation felt so apparent to me. They (and I) were buying their Christian identity from Christians."
Last year I was helping out at a Christian festival when I overheard the event organisers mention that their merchandise had been selling quicker than any other year they had ran this festival. Their words were spoke with warmth and were met with positive return. However I couldn’t quite take that in with the same enthusiasm. For sure it’s great that those people were engaging with the festival however, my impression of their motives were somewhat different. I doubted very much that their purchases had much to do with their faith but rather more because their generation was used to buying blindly.T-shirts worn by the worship leaders, so visible to everyone on that stage, had sold out. I didn’t think that was by chance. I thought about it a little in that moment. Then a little bit more later that day. I wondered why it was bothering me so much? It shouldn’t, right? It’s not my life, I have no control over it. People are free to spend ther money as they like and I should try hard not to judge that. Then I realised why it bothered me. It was the same reason this module had bothered me at University. The reason their merchandise had sold so well felt largely due to consumerism.Their decision to spend money on this branded clothing was not based on the necessity of fabric on their skin, but from the desire to be accepted into Christian culture through the means of consumerism. The drive to to fit in and have that sense of belonging. At that moment the identity crisis in this generation felt so apparent to me. They were buying their Christian identity from Christians [to which I am guilty of doing also]. It was a paradox that didn’t make any sense - and not in a cool ‘upside-down kingdom’ kind of way…
I have good friends who work for Christian companies and some of that involves designing clothing. I don’t want to criticise their purpose at all, I think their reasoning for selling these products is valid. What I’m concerned about are the reasoning for buying and adorning such designed graphic tees. Branding is less about capitalising, less about commercialising (although it is sewn into the fabric of these messy tapestries) and more about lifestyle. It’s about exposing the void they have convinced you that exists in your life, and filling it with their products (does this remind anyone else of Genesis 3?). But instead of helping your insecurities, consumerism feeds them. It consumes you, a vapid tool to help drown sorrows that often have been manufactured. Resulting in a deepening, wider vault. They do not satisfy. Everything is ephemeral, it’s all short lived. It fades. Materialism doesn’t satisfy, and we know this (See John 4:13). Am I anti clothing? No I’m not. Am I anti-branding? I haven’t decided on this yet. As said earlier, branding is complex. In my thoughts so far it’s not something I find myself being able to take sides on easily. Anything can technically be branded - but thats a topic for another time. Branding, specifically clothing, is about selling you a style of life that you can attain through such purchases. But you can’t attain a christian lifestyle, you have to live it. And it’s a hard path. Uneasy and unwanted at times.
"Theres a status we create with clothing, Jesus broke that…we have to be super careful with what we’re communicating with it."
It’s becoming increasingly easier to ‘look like a christian’ from the outside whilst staying in the comfort of our own branded hoodie. There’s an irony in sporting an ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ t-shirt from a popular Christin brand whilst your brother is next to you is metaphorically, or literally, shirtless (James 2:15-16). Please don’t take this as me being anti-christian clothing, I myself have some t-shirts adorned with logos however , I just want to open up a conversation about consumerism and the western church. I have to say there is by no means anything wrong with wearing a t-shirt with a christian message on. But what are we telling the rest of the world with this? If our contribution to spreading the gospel is the fabric on our skin then theres something wrong. Before our garments share the gospel, our hearts need to. We need to stop wearing things because they are easy and convenient and wear them because we truly believe. Theres a status we create with clothing, Jesus broke that…we have to be super careful with what we’re communicating with it.
"Not only can it be misleading to those inside the church but its attractive to those outside of it - attractive to the world for all the wrong reasons."
There’s an ego of individualism that is being told to us through most advertising. Encouraging individuality, differentiation and popularity - in other words selfishness. It’s trying to alter our value system and if we don’t have that rooted in love, grace and peace, it’s easy to let it slowly sink into our thinking. In church we can too easily become swept up in popular preachers, movements, worships bands…. this comes with a dangerous temptation to idolise. With bands comes music albums and often merchandise. When you’re attending a worship conference and they’re only sining songs from the new album that so happens to have been released that day it’s hard not be a little cynical. Probably impossible. They may or may not be great songs but there is an element of manipulation there. The problem is we can’t help that our emotions are woven into music, it’s a sacred part of melody and rhythm. So we like the music whether we do or don’t. - Do I need prayer for this? Am I just being negative? I hope not. But you see what I’m trying to say.
Branding is such a big part of mega churches such as Hillsong, Bethel and Elevation. For the latter they even abandoned the term ‘services’ and instead call their Sunday gathering ‘experiences’. I’ve listened to a few conversations of people who were in such churches but have since left. I recommend them, they're eye opening. As well as branding their church, the preachers also brand themselves (see ‘PreachersNSneakers’). Again, I am not anti branding of churches but it seems there is a very fine line between this being suitable and this being seductive. Not only can it be misleading to those inside the church but its attractive to those outside of it - attractive to the world for all the wrong reasons. Design can be trendy, funky, cool and while it is good practise to be giving God the best of our skills and talents, this can also be abused. I appreciate good design, design that pushes boundaries, looks beautiful and makes statements. But sometimes when I look at the Instagram accounts of these mega churches that have a budget for design I see a discontentment with the artwork, it’s constantly changing and shifting with the latest block heavy typeface and retro grain. Christianity isn’t trendy, it’s a complete 180 on what most people believe. It's attractive but not for obvious reasons.
"Sometimes we have the power and responsibility to create our own meaning. Sometimes we have to seek it. Ultimately our meaning comes from love and our meaning is love, and right now our meaning is love on earth, not between 'earth' and ourselves"
It’s not our job to make our faith look trendy. it’s not our job to make our faith seem easy. In reality our faith makes us holy. We stand out. By definition we are ‘christ-like’ We’re differentiated. And churches have capitalised on that. Taken advantage of that statement that aligns too perfectly with that of a Brands defenition. Branding their church with merchandise and fancy design. Is all branding bad? Probably not, I haven’t been able to justify either side yet. In conclusion, consumerism is comfortable. It deflects any sort of resistance. Challenging it is a force that not everyone has the energy or will to fight. With emerging christian brands we have to ask ourselves, are we encouraging this toxic consumerism? Are you prepared to look stupid for the Gospel? If that mean not buying branded clothing, would you? I don’t think I have this all right. I’m probably wrong about some things here. In a way I hope I am. What I am hoping is that this can open up some conversations in church, giving an insight into how at least some of us must feel.
I’m aware this may sound and feel like an attack, or carry a negative vibe. I don’t mean this. I’m actually really excited about what this might awaken in the church, or indeed in our individual lives and our walk with Jesus. I’m smiling at the thought that people might resonate with this and the potential positive mental health impact battling this topic may unlock.
Sometimes we have the power and responsibility to create our own meaning. Sometimes we have to seek it. Ultimately our meaning comes from love and our meaning is love, and right now our meaning is love on earth, not between 'earth' and ourselves.
Let the church be branded with kindness, not logos.
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