The Compact
Out of the Retail Rat Race
I think this is a great example of what followers of Jesus could do as subversive resistence to culture. If you read through the article, there are kingdom elements all over the place. Check this out:
"Compacters can get as much as they want from thrift shops, Craigslist, freecycle.org, eBay and flea markets, as long as the items are secondhand. And when they're in doubt, they turn to their fellow Compacters for guidance.
"We had a little crisis when Matt and Sarah had to replace their shower curtain liner and we said no," said Perry, who lives in Bernal Heights. "But we put the word out and someone found one for them. It's like the Amish -- we help each other out. We raise a barn every week."
That almost sounds like the book of Acts.
I think this is a great example of what followers of Jesus could do as subversive resistence to culture. If you read through the article, there are kingdom elements all over the place. Check this out:
"Compacters can get as much as they want from thrift shops, Craigslist, freecycle.org, eBay and flea markets, as long as the items are secondhand. And when they're in doubt, they turn to their fellow Compacters for guidance.
"We had a little crisis when Matt and Sarah had to replace their shower curtain liner and we said no," said Perry, who lives in Bernal Heights. "But we put the word out and someone found one for them. It's like the Amish -- we help each other out. We raise a barn every week."
That almost sounds like the book of Acts.
posted by Mike Bishop at 8:32 AM
1 Comments:
He said "You can't serve God and money." In light of that I would have to agree that the crutched lifestyle of consumerism where we are defined by what our idle passions consume stands as a chief paradigm (among others) in our culture that opposes Christ and His work in and through us. Anyone seeking to withdraw from that, or radically set themselves apart from a mindset that encourages self-worship via 'retail therapy' (Christian or not) is going to experience a degree of joyful freedom from the slavery of serving the idol that burns within but is never satisfied, even if they don't realize that this is why they feel so much better. We are so accustomed to consumerism that we can't even see it easily for the destructive thing it is to our relationships. We often complain silently that we feel shallow and "as a beast before Him" and yet refuse to fully accept that our state is a result of clinging to 'harmless' things other than Him. What is cool about the Compact is that they not only have made a resolve to stand against a harmful aspect of the culture, but that they somehow keep each other accountable and supported in it. How much I need that! Not just about consumerism, but what seems to be a hundred other enemies arrayed against Christ within and amongst us.
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