The Stonewashed Church: The Impact of Consumer Culture on Modern U</= title> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"Sn"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"middlename"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"GivenName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"time"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"date"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceType"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"place" downloadurl=3D"http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"State"/>  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple style=3D'tab-interval:.5in'> <div class=3DSection1> T= he <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Stonewashed</st1:Plac= eName> <st1:PlaceType>Church</st1:PlaceType= ></st1:place>: The Impact of Consumer Cultu= re on <o:p></o:p> M= odern <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1= :country-region> Evangelical Churches<o:p></o:= p> <= o:p> </o:p> <div align=3Dcenter> <table class=3DMsoTableGrid border=3D0 cellspacing=3D0 cellpadding=3D0 style=3D'border-collapse:collapse;mso-yfti-tbllook:480;mso-padding-alt:0in= 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'> <tr style=3D'mso-yfti-irow:0'> <td valign=3Dbottom style=3D'padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'> Walt Scalen<o:p></o:p> = <o:p> </o:p> </td> <td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'> J.B. Watson, Jr.= <o:p></o:p> = <o:p> </o:p> </td> </tr> <tr style=3D'mso-yfti-irow:1;mso-yfti-lastrow:yes'> <td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'> <st1:plac= e><st1:PlaceName>Angelina</span= ></st1:PlaceName> <st= 1:PlaceName>College= </st1:PlaceName></st1:place> & </= i><st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Stephen= </st1:PlaceName> <st= 1:PlaceName>F.<= /st1:PlaceName> <st= 1:PlaceName>Austin<= /i></st1:PlaceName> <st= 1:PlaceName>State</= i></st1:PlaceName> <st= 1:PlaceType>University</sp= an></st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p></spa= n> <o:p> </o:p> </td> <td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'> <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>= Stephen</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName>F.</spa= n></st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName>Austin<= /span></st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName>State</= span></st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>Univers= ity</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> </table> </div> </div> <div class=3DSection2> <h1>Introduc= tion<o:p></o:p></h1> <o:p> </o:p> The role of consumption in shaping hu= man societies is a long-standing concern of sociologists. The impact of consumer culture on religion has also received increasing attention in the scholarly literature. The unique context of <st1:country-region><st1:place><sp= an style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>U.S.</st1= :place></st1:country-region> evangelical churc= hes will be analyzed as a sociological case study, to assess the impact of consumption on the modern evangelical religious enterprise. One would expect that evangelical churches, as a form of moral association, would oppose the incorporation of consumer culture, but in fact, many churches and denominations have embraced this paradigm as a model for organizational success. The growing emphasis, especially in the so-called megachurches, on efficiency, predictability, calculability, substitution of “nonhuman” technology, and attempts to control uncertainty - the basic tenets of McDonaldization - represent a u= nique juxtaposition of commercial and spiritual values (Ritz= er, 2004, 2006; Drane, 2002). <o:p></o:p> Andy Crouch, a wri= ter for Christianity Today, recently applied the metaphor of “stonewashed” to contemporary practices in evangelical churches, drawing a parallel with the brilliant marketing of denim jeans in recent years. When sales of denim je= ans slowed, enterprising marketers increased sales by shifting to stonewashed denim - jeans conditioned at the factory to be well-worn. Stonewashed jeans = were a big hit with consumers (Crouch, 2005).&nbs= p; The term “stonewashed church” has been coined by the co-= authors of this paper to refer to the consumeristic church model increasingly domin= ant in conservative evangelical churches. We will examine the relevant work of social scientists and conservative evangelical leaders on the “stonewashed church.” <o:p></o:p></s= pan> Peter Berger (2005), a noted sociol= ogist of religion, has also highlighted the primacy of a consumer-based model of contemporary religious practices. In a recent articl= e, “Religion and the West,” Berger described this development: <o:= p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p= > In America, the term "religious preference" - tellingly derived from the language of<s= pan style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> consumer economics -has become par= t of the common discourse...furthermore, both in Europe and in America, there are large numbers of people who pick and choose from the religious traditions available on the market. Sociologists on both continents have noted and studied this phenomenon… Robert Wuthnow, who has analyzed a mass of American data, calls the same phenomenon "patchwork religion" (Berger, 2005:112)= .<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> In her book, Bo= rn to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consum= er Culture, sociologist Juliet Schor describes American Society’s obsession with consumption. She claims, “the architects of this culture, the companies that make, market, and advertise consumer products, have set their sights on children.” (Schor, 2004:13).&nbs= p; She argued that these companies’ marketing efforts are reaping huge dividends in terms of corporate profits, but they are also creating a culture of consumption in which “contemporary American tweens and teens have emerged as the most brand-orien= ted, consumer-involved, and materialistic generations in history” (Schor, 2004:25).<o:p></o:p> In a poignant and thoughtful essay entitled Consumerism and the New Capitalism, author= Rip Cronk claims “the traditional cultural va= lues of Western society are degenerating under the influences of corporate polit= ics, the commercialization of culture and the impact of mass media” (Cronk, 1996:1). He believes that consumerism is systematically stripping away major traditions and cultural heritage. He writes that the public is conditioned = to “fetishistically substitute consumer idea= ls for lost acculturating experiences of art, religion, and family” (Cronk, 1996:1). According to Cronk, emerging consumeristic culture has normalized manipulation and duplicity and greatly diminished human freedom. He writes, “as we bec= ome acclimated to life around the television set, collectively striving for a media-produced image, our choices are made for us.... choice is reduced to brand name... consumerism, like communism and fascism, is a secular religion restricting freedom of choice” (Cronk, 19= 96:3).<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <h1 style=3D'text-align:justify'>Conservative Evangelicals, Church Growth, and Consumer Culture= <o:p></o:p></h1> <o:p> </o:p> Few scholars disag= ree that production and consumption are fundamental to human society. The sense that consumerism, howeve= r, is a distortion of traditional economics is increasingly given currency by cultural analysts. The domina= nce of a cultural mindset that unwittingly redefines the value of people in terms = of material success, status, and possessions is often seen as problematic. Richard John = Neuhaus defines consumerism as “living in a manner that is measured by having rather than being”(Ne= uhaus, 1992:52-53). This perspective mirrors the view of Pope John Paul II, expres= sed in the Second Vatican Council, that consumerism is a “threat to the freedom of the human person to live according to the higher demands of love rather than to the lower pull of material desires” (De Souza, 1999:1). <o:p></o:p></= p> In an interview promoting the upcoming “Christianity in a Consumer Culture” Conference, to be held in Minneapolis, April 28-29, 2006, Rodney Clapp call= ed consumerism and Christianity “competing faiths” (Clapp, 2006).<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He stated “Christianity, as a faith and a way of life, affirms that humans are created ultimately for participation in the life of God.”&n= bsp; In contrast, “consumerism says we are born, live and die to consume material goods, experiences, an unending= array of novel pleasures.” A similar view is set forth by T.A. McMahon in h= is recent e-book, Consumer Christianity Part I. He writes that consumer= ism and Christianity are “antagonistic to one another.” Therefore, he finds the consumeristic orientation of the Church Growth Moveme= nt (CGM) to be shockingly ironic. He coined the term “Consumer Christianity” and defines it as “an endeavor to help Christian churches grow in size and become more effective through the application of business principles, marketing strategies, and management concepts” (McMahon, 2005:1).<o:p></o:p> It is this ironic,= even oxymoronic mixing of Christianity and consumerism so prevalent in many mode= rn evangelical churches that the co-authors of this paper find so intriguing. = How did this happen, and why are those involved so apparently oblivious to what appears to many to be an obvious inconsistency? For those stud= ying this phenomenon, it becomes readily apparent that consumerism in many evangelical churches is not just the result of cultural osmosis (the slow influence of the larger culture on the subcultures of churches), but has be= en a planned, programmed, intentional effort to reform and modernize traditional evangelical churches. This phenomenon is described as the Church Growth Movement (CGM). Historical descriptions of this movement point to the writings & lectures of theologian & former missionary Donald McGavern</sp= an> as the inspiration for the CGM (McIntosh and Engle, 2004).<o:p></o:p></= p> In 1955, McGavaran published a book entitled The Bridges of= God. He introduced his concept of cultural “contextua= lism” - essentially the notion that some measure of local cultural accommodation = is necessary in order to evangelize target populations (M= cGavaran, 1955). For example, he noted = that church structures built by missionaries should look like the architecture of the native peoples. Undoubted= ly, some measure of cultural accommodation to religious practices is inevitable; however, every religion, including Christianity, can be seen as a culture within itself. Therefore, excessive accommodation could be viewed as a thre= at to a religion’s own cultural identity. For example, every religion has distinctive ideas, beliefs, values, standards, and practices. Often the religion is associated with a particular language, distinctive art forms, d= ress styles, and so on. These characteristics serve as boundaries distinguishing those who practice a particular religion from those who do not. <o:p></o:p> Some observers sug= gest that McGavaran’s ideas have been put into practice in a manner that somewhat departed from his original intent. The i= dea of a “bridge” suggests a point of communication, and attempt to find common ground. Surely McGavaran did not in= tend a “superhighway” of cultural exchange, or even less, the replacem= ent of one culture with another. It is the opinion of the co-authors that the modern proponents of the CGM have either intentionally or unwittingly adopt= ed a corporate business model as their modus operandi for reforming evangelical churches, and that they have produced outcomes antithetical to = and inconsistent with their own religious doctrines & practices. <o:p></o:p= > The two names most associated with the CGM are Bill Hybels, Pastor= of Willowcreek Community Church located in suburban Chic= ago, and Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Community Church in suburban <= st1:City><st1:place>Los Angeles</spa= n></st1:place></st1:City>. Both have writte= n and spoken extensively about their ideas. <st1:City><st1:place>Warren</s= t1:place></st1:City> is the author of = one of the bestselling books of all time, The Purpo= se Driven Life (<st1:City><st1:place>Warren</st1:place></st1:City>, 2002). Both clai= m that thousands of churches around the world have adopted and implemented their ideas. Hybels is known for the phrase, “seeker-sensitive” and <st1:City><st1:place>Warren</s= t1:place></st1:City> has actually made= the phrase, “purpose driven” a registered trademark. Hybels is the son of a corporate executive and </span= ><st1:City><st1:place>Warren</s= t1:place></st1:City> has said in the p= ublic media that Peter Drucker, business management g= uru, has had a profound influence on his life and work. Both Hybels and Warren are persuasive, innovative, and industrious. They have built two= of the largest congregations in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1= :place></st1:country-region> Both churches cla= im very orthodox or conservative “Statements of Faith.” Over the last 15-20 years, the CGM= has profoundly influenced the way Americans “do church.” The impact= of the movement engineered by Hybels and Warren is nothing short of revolutionary. </sp= an><o:p></o:p> After reading hund= reds of articles, numerous books, reviewing endless CGM websites, viewing hours = of taped broadcasts of seeker sensitive/purpose driven churches, and personally and directly observing several churches in Eastern Texas undergo the “paradigm shift” advocated by the Saddleback and Willowcreek Associations, the co-authors are persuade= d that the central idea of the movement is simply this: the church should be viewe= d as a business. Everything follows from that basic notion. Churches are seen as “marketing” a product, and they are encouraged to do everything conceivable to make that effort successful. Pastors and their churches are promised two things. If you follow the methods, techniques, and formulas th= at have been proven successful, your attendance and your offerings will increa= se. Undoubtedly, the goals of the movement do not include the promotion of the shallowest brand of consumerism imaginable, but in many cases that is exact= ly what has happened in actual practice at the level of the individual church.= <o:p></o:p> Most conservative evangelicals do not view a business model as inherently evil. References to sacred texts are often used to buttress this line of thought. According to Biblical New Testament documents, Jesus grew up in a family business. The Apostle Peter was a fisherman, and in the course of his earthly ministry Je= sus blessed Peter’s business with abundant catches. The Apostle Paul was a tent maker, who apparently continued his work during his missionary efforts. Critics of this perspective often cite other Biblical accounts. There are two stories in the life = of Jesus, which illustrate this point. In Luke 18:18-30, a rich young ruler co= mes to Jesus and asks him what he must do to be saved. Jesus tells him to sell everything he has and give it to the poor. The young man decides otherwise,= and goes away disappointed. The moral of the story is that the young man’s possessions were actually in possession of him. In John 2:15-16, Jesus confronts the corruption and commercialization of the temple by angrily dri= ving out the “moneychangers.” In so doing he declares that they had = made his house, “ a house of merchandise.”= ; The Matthew account styles his remarks this way, “it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a robbers den̶= 1; (Matthew <st1:time Hour=3D"21" Minute=3D"12">21:12</st1:time>).<o:p></o:p> In addition, some modern business ide= as, beliefs, values, and practices seem in direct contradiction to Christian teachings. “The bottom line rules” and “the ends justify = the means” hardly represent the epitome of Biblical ethics. Manipulation, duplicity, trickery, hype, and misleading rhetoric are far too common in so= me business and marketing circles. This is not to imply that all corporations = are on an “Enron-like” road of ever-increasing corruption, but there are limited applications to church organization. Critics of CGM & simil= ar ideas frequently suggest that a careful reading of the teachings of Jesus, = the writing of the Apostles, or the works of the early Church Fathers hardly encourage the development and promotion of a profit-driven, customer-sensit= ive corporate business machine that is efficiently producing ever-increasing material assets in a church context. <o:p></o:p> <= span style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p> </o:p><= /span> <= b>Scholarly and Journalistic Assessments of the “<st1:place><st1:PlaceName= >Stonewashed</spa= n></st1:PlaceName> <st1:= PlaceType>Church</b= ></st1:PlaceType></st1:place>”<o:p></o:p>= <= b><o:p> </o:p><= /span> It is worth noting= that two of <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-re= gion>’s foremost religious scholars have made similar observations. Martin Marty has for thirty-five years been a Professor of Religious History at <st1:plac= e><st1:PlaceType>University</span= ></st1:PlaceType> of <st1:P= laceName>Chicago</= st1:PlaceName></st1:place>. He has written o= ver fifty books. He is a well-known speaker, columnist, pastor, and teacher. Th= e <st1:place><st1:PlaceType>University</span= ></st1:PlaceType> of <st1:P= laceName>Chicago</= st1:PlaceName></st1:place> has built and ded= icated a religion center in his honor. Alan Wolfe is Director of the <st1:p= lace><st1:PlaceName>Boisi</st1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eType>Center</s= t1:PlaceType></st1:place> for Religion and American Public Life at <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Boston</s= t1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eType>College</= st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. He is the author= of several books including the recently released The Transformation of Amer= ican Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith. He has also contributing edit= or of The New Republic and The Wilson Quarterly. In an article entitled, “Will Success Spoil Evangelicalism,” Marty reminds his readers that in 1927= , Richard Niebuhr described American Protestant Christian= ity as the “religion of the disinherited” (Marty, 2000). As lavish meg= achurches spring up in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:countr= y-region> at the current ra= te of approximately one every two days, Niebuhr’s</spa= n> quote is no longer descriptive (Symonds, Grow, = and Cady, 2005). Marty claims that modern evangelicalism is “nonascetic,R= 21; that the movement has shifted from “otherworldliness to this worldliness.” He calls modern evangelicals, “some of the worldl= iest citizens around.” Accor= ding to Marty, this is only one of the “many 180 degree turns, flip-flops and about-faces in the evangelical cohort during t= he time of its prosperity” (Marty, 2000:758).<o:p></o:p> = For example, in the middle of the 20th century, culturally beleaguer= ed evangelicals often made the claim that it was clear they represented the tr= uth because they were “little and despised.” Now, according to Mart= y, evangelicals claim “numbers and prosperity as the test of truth” (Marty, 2000:759). He also ob= served that evangelical churches have become less inclined to advocate a high stan= dard of conduct and are more inclined to do whatever is necessary to attract prospective customers. He writes that “prospering megachurches” do not lead their people “out of the world,” but offer an endle= ss array of entertainments and services. He claims, “those who offer, not those who demand, prosper in market-era religion” (Mar= ty, 2000:760).<o:p></o:p> = According to Marty, evangelicals once disapproved of the popular culture; now they embrace it and imitate it. No group was more massively opposed to the sensu= al and sexual provocative nature of early rock music than evangelicals. This v= iew held firm for several decades in the 20th century, but in another reversal of position, evangelicals now imitate every conceivable form of ro= ck music, and the contemporary Christian music industry is a one billion dollar per year business. According to Marty, “the postures, gestures, costu= mes and settings that had been regarded as devilish” have now been “sanctified” into a profitable enterprise (Marty, 2000:761).<sp= an style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Marty noted that evangelicals, by = and large, have normalized several previously prohibited behaviors. For example, drinking, gambling, and divorce have faded from most sermons. He reflects t= hat “when the president of your denomination, the members of your family,= and your favorite evangelical celebrates divorce at the same rate as their libe= ral and secular counterparts, you are far more likely to treat the subject as a tragedy than as a sin” (Marty, 2000:761). Marty observed that for now “most evangelicals draw the line at abortion, euthanasia, and homosex= ual expression,” but he wonders if “preaching on these subjects will change as cultural accommodation” continues (Marty, 2000:761).<o:p></= o:p> = Marty believes that the “market” has become the new “god”= of evangelicalism. As evangelicals aggressively market every conceivable kind = of product and gloat over their ever-increasing bottom line, they are actually loosing their distinctiveness, their identity, perhaps, their Faith. He see= s consumerism as a threat to the culture, and he sees modern evangelicalism as part of the problem, rather than a voice for reform.<o:p></o:p> = Sociologist and religion scholar Alan Wolfe (2003), in his book, The Transformation = of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith, sets forth a similar view of the “paradigm shift” occurring in evangelical churches = and other forms of American religion. Wolfe, an ethnic Jew, who describes himself as “not very religious,” is nonetheless alarmed at the degree to which modern evangelicalism is embracing corporate business culture, pop psychology, and= pop culture in general. As popular American culture has become a race to the bottom, ever increasingly vulgar and vacuous, evangelical Christians are al= ong for the ride, often driving the bus. Essentially, Wolfe claims that evangel= ical churches are turning away from historical religious ideals and moving towar= d a kind of pragmatic materialism. His studies reveal that American culture is defining American Evangelicalism and not the other way around; evangelicals= are de-emphasizing historic Christian teachings, traditions, and moral values. = In other words, there is little that distinguishes evangelicals from their cultural counterparts.<o:p></o:p> In a Business W= eek article entitled, “Earthly Empires; How Evangelical Churches are Borrowing from the Business Playbook,” the authors assert that the runaway success of this “new generation of evangelical entrepreneurs.= ..is modeled unabashedly on business” (Symonds= et al., 2005:2). According to the authors, “savvy leaders...tailor a panoply= of services to meet all kinds of consumer needs.” Gone are traditional symbols and traditional Christian music. To appeal to youths the new music ranges from “alternative rock to punk and even screamo</span= >.” Evangelicals’ “eager embrace of corporate-style growth strategi= es” is giving them a significant advantage in the race for “religious market share” (Symonds</= span> et al., 2005:1-2). The article also includes a stunning quote from Rick Warren, pastor of <= st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Saddleback</span= ></st1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eName>Community= </st1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eType>Church</s= t1:PlaceType></st1:place> and a leading fig= ure of the CGM. He insists, “our goal is not to t= urn the church into a business” (Symonds et a= l., 2005: 3). This is a remarkable comment coming from someone so active in promoting ideas that are clearly borrowed from a corporate/managerial model.<o:p></o:p> In a similar vein,= CGM leader Bill Hybels, pastor of <st1:place= ><st1:PlaceName>Willowcreek</st1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eName>Community= </st1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eType>Church</s= t1:PlaceType></st1:place> in <st1:Ci= ty><st1:place>Chicago</= st1:place></st1:City>, has said that wh= at was done to build Willowcreek, “doesn’t necessarily have to apply to every church.” Yet he formed the Willow Creek Association, a consulting firm that “earned $17 million last year, pa= rtly by selling marketing and management advise to 10= ,500 member churches from 90 denominations. The association is run by a Harvard = MBA who readily admits to an “entrepreneurial impulse” (Symonds et al., 2005:3). According to the Business Week<= /i> article, “Hybel’s consumer-driven approach is evident at Willow Creek where he shunned stained glass, Bibles,= or even a cross for the 7200-seat, $72 million sanctuary he recently builtR= 21; (Symonds et al., 2005:3). <o:p></o:p> In a Forbes article entitled, “Christian Capitalism: Megachu= rches, Megabusinesses,” writer Luisa Kroll (2003) asks, “maybe churches aren’t so diff= erent from corporations.” She= goes on to describe “the megabusiness of megachurches, where pastors often act as chief execut= ive and use business tactics to grow their congregations,” and adds that “this entrepreneurial approach has contributed to explosive growth…in our society growth equals success,” and megachurches are all about both cultural goals (Kroll, 2003:1-2).<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p><= /span> <h1 style=3D'text-align:justify'>Conclusions and Implications<o:p></o:p></h1> <o:p> </o:p> While most of the evangelical leaders of this very consumeristic, business-oriented model for doing church remain unapologetic, oblivious to = any possible inconsistency, one of their very own has had a change of heart. On= e of the key names in the CGM who once said that he hoped for a 100,000 “<= span class=3DSpellE>Willowcreeks” across <st1:country-region= ><st1:place>America</= st1:place></st1:country-region>, and is credited = with one of the best-known church growth mantras, “the audience, not the message, is sovereign,” is now telling his readers to escape from mar= ket-driven churches (Barna, 1988, 2005). George Barna<= /span>, in his recent book, Revolution, writes, “m= illions of devout followers of Jesus Christ are repudiating tepid systems and pract= ices of Christian Faith” (Barna, 2005: 11).<sp= an style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He goes on to state that the new revolutionaries have no use for “churches that play religious games” and promote programs that “bear no spiritual fruit.̶= 1; He claims that those leaving will not tolerate the “compromise or soft sell” of “our sinful nature to expand organizational turf.̶= 1; He states that the revolutionaries will not follow ministry leaders who “cast a personal vision,” or “seek popularity rather than= the proclamation of truth.” “They refuse,” he continues, “to donate one more dollar to man-made monuments” (Barna, 200= 5:13-14). Perhaps Barna will join the chorus of longsuffe= ring voices who have for decades warned their fellow evangelicals that they were= on the wrong road. John MacArthur, Os Guinness, Ji= m Cymbala, Greg Laurie, David Wells, Chuck Swindoll, Henry Blackaby,= R.C. Sproul, and John Piper are just a few of those who ha= ve cautioned against a consumeristic model for chu= rch growth. Counter-movemen= ts may emerge in response to the dominance of CGM. In fact, many observers suggest that there is already an “emerging church” with conservative evangelical roots, with a minimalist and decentralized organizational structure. Important figures = in this counter-movement include Spencer Burke, Kyle Cheatham, Mark Driscoll, and Richard Foster. Churches include Terranova (Georgetown, Texas), Mars Hill (Seattle, Washington), and Vintage Faith (Sa= nta Cruz, California). If Barna is correct, the megach= urch movement, also known by the CGM acronym, will eventually run its course, and evangelicalism in America and elsewhere may return to its more traditional roots. <= /span><o:p></o:p>= <o:p> </o:p> <h2>Referenc= es<o:p></o:p></h2> <o:p> </o:p> Barna, George. 1988. Marketing the Church. <st1= :place><st1:City>Colorado Springs= </st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>CO</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Navpress.<o:p></o:p> Barna, George. 2005. Revolution. <st1:place><st= 1:City>Wheaton</= st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>IL</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Tyndale House Publishers.<o:p></o:p> Berger, Peter. 2005. “Religion and the West.” The National <o:p></o:= p> = Interest (Summer): 112-120.<o:p></o:p> Clapp, Rodney. 2006. “An Interview With Rodney Clapp.” Accessed on Feb= ruary 10, <o:p></o:p> 2006 at http://www.consumer-culture.org<o:p>= </o:p> Cronk, Rip. 1996. “Consumerism and the New Capitalism.” Accessed on February<o:p></o:p> 10, 2006 at http://www.westland.net/venice/a= r/cronk/consumer.htm1996<o:p></o:p> Crouch, Andy. 2005.</span= > = 220;Stonewashed Worship: Churches are= Striving to Appear <o:p></o:p> 'Authentic' = - Like the Rest of Consumer Culture.”</sp= an> = Christianity Today (February). Accessed on <st1:date Month=3D"2" Day=3D"10" Year=3D"2= 006">February 10, 2006</st1:date>= at <a href=3D"http://www.christianitytoday.com/">http://www.christianitytoday.com/</a> ct/2= 005/ 002/ 23.82.html<o:p></o:p> De Souza, Raymond. 1999. “John Paul II and the Problem of Consumerism.” Religion & <o:p></o:p> <st1:City><st1:place>Liberty</st1:place></st1:City> (September). Accessed on <st1:date Month=3D"2" Day=3D"10" Year=3D"2= 006">February 10, 2006= </st1:date> at <a href=3D"http://www.acton.org/">http://www.acton.org/</a> = publicat/randl/article.php?id=3D321<o:p></o:p> Drane, John. 2002. The McDonaldizatio= n of the Church: Consumer Culture and the <o:p></o:p> Church's Future.</= span> <st1:place= ><st1:City>Macon</st= 1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>GA</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Smyth & Helwys Publishing.<o:p></o:p> Foster, Richard (Ed.). 2005. The Renovare Spiritual For= mation Bible. <st1:City><st1:= place>San Francisco</s= pan></st1:place></st1:City>, <o:p></o:p></spa= n> CA: Harper.<o:p></o:p> Kroll, Luisa. 2003. “Christian Capitalism: Megachurches= , Megabusinesses.” Forbes <o:p></o:p= > (September).</span= > Accessed on </spa= n><st1:date Month=3D"2" Day=3D"10" Year=3D"2006">February 10, 2006</st1:date> at http://www.forbes.com/ 2003/09/17/cz_lk_0917megachurch.html<o:p></o:p> Marty, Martin. 2000. “Will Success Spoil Evangelicalism?” The Christian Century<o:p></o:p> (July 19-26): 757-761.<o:p></o:p> McGavaran, Donald. 1955. Bridges of God. </spa= n><st1:State><st1:place>New York<= /st1:place></st1:State>: Friendship Press= .<o:p></o:p> McIntosh, Gary & Paul Engle. 2004. Evaluati= ng The Church Growth Movement: Five <o:p></o:p></span= > Views.<= /span> <st1:place= ><st1:City>Grand Rapids</sp= an></st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>MI</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Zondervan.<o:p></o:p> McMahon, T.A. 2005. Consumer = <st1:place><st2:GivenName>Christianity</st2:GivenName> <st2:middlename>Part</st2:middlename> <st2:Sn>I.</st2:Sn></st1:place> (E-book).</= span> Accessed on Febru= ary <o:p></o:p> 10, 2006 at http://www.thebereancall.org/newsletters/2005+newsletters/ 35589.aspx<o:p><= /o:p> Neuhaus, Richard. 1992. Doing Well and Doing Goo= d: The Challenge to the Christian <o:p></o:p> Capitalist.= <st1:S= tate><st1:place>New York<= /st1:place></st1:State>: Doubleday.<o:p><= /o:p> Ritzer, George. 2004. The = McDonaldization of Society. <st1:place><st1:City>Thousand Oaks</st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>CA</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Sage <o:p></o:p>= Publications.</spa= n><o:p></o:p>= Ritzer, George (Ed.). 2006. McDonaldization: = The Reader. <st1:place><st1:City>Thousand Oaks</st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>CA</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Sage <o:p></o:p>= Publications.</spa= n><o:p></o:p>= Schor, Juliet. 2004. Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child= and the New Consumer <o:p></o:p> Culture.</i= > <st1:State= ><st1:place>New York<= /st1:place></st1:State>: Scribner.<o:p></= o:p> Symonds, William, Brian Grow, & John Cady. 2005. “Earthly Empires: How <o:p></o:p> Evangelical Churches are Borrowing From the Business Playbook.” Business Week On= line (May 23). Accessed on <st1:date Year=3D"2006" Day=3D"10" Month=3D"2">February 10, 2006= </st1:date> at http://www. businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_21/b3934001_mz001.htm<o:= p></o:p> Warren, Rick. 2002. The Purpose Driven Life. <st1:place><st1:City><sp= an style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Grand Rapids</sp= an></st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>MI</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Zondervan.<o:p></o:p> Wolfe, Alan. 2003. The Transformation of American Religion. <st1:Sta= te><st1:place>New York<= /st1:place></st1:State>: The Free <o:p></= o:p> Press.</spa= n><o:p></o:p>= <o:p> </o:p> </div> </body> </html> ------=_NextPart_01C735B5.862CE3B0 Content-Location: file:///C:/A4F9C636/scalenwatson2006_files/header.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" <html xmlns:v=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st2=3D"urn:schemas:= contacts" xmlns:st1=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dus-ascii"> <meta name=3DProgId content=3DWord.Document> <meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 10"> <meta name=3DOriginator content=3D"Microsoft Word 10"> <link id=3DMain-File rel=3DMain-File href=3D"../scalenwatson2006.htm"> <![if IE]> <base href=3D"file:///C:\A4F9C636\scalenwatson2006_files\header.htm" id=3D"webarch_temp_base_tag"> <![endif]><o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"Sn"= /> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"middlename"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"GivenName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"time"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"date"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceType"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"place" downloadurl=3D"http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"State"/> </head> <body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple> <div style=3D'mso-element:header' id=3Dh1> The Year 2006 Proceedings of t= he ASSR-SW<o:p></o:p> </div> <div style=3D'mso-element:footer' id=3Df1> <s= pan style=3D'mso-no-proof:yes'>5<o:p></o:p> </div> </body> </html> ------=_NextPart_01C735B5.862CE3B0 Content-Location: file:///C:/A4F9C636/scalenwatson2006_files/filelist.xml Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/xml; charset="utf-8" <xml xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"> <o:MainFile HRef=3D"../scalenwatson2006.htm"/> <o:File HRef=3D"header.htm"/> <o:File HRef=3D"filelist.xml"/> </xml> ------=_NextPart

MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_01C735B5.862CE3B0" This document is a Web archive file. If you are seeing this message, this means your browser or editor doesn't support Web archive files. For more information on the Web archive format, go to http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/office/webarchive.htm ------=_NextPart_01C735B5.862CE3B0 Content-Location: file:///C:/A4F9C636/scalenwatson2006.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" The Stonewashed Church: The Impact of Consumer Culture on Modern U</= title> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"Sn"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"middlename"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"GivenName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"time"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"date"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceType"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"place" downloadurl=3D"http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"State"/>  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple style=3D'tab-interval:.5in'> <div class=3DSection1> T= he <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Stonewashed</st1:Plac= eName> <st1:PlaceType>Church</st1:PlaceType= ></st1:place>: The Impact of Consumer Cultu= re on <o:p></o:p> M= odern <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1= :country-region> Evangelical Churches<o:p></o:= p> <= o:p> </o:p> <div align=3Dcenter> <table class=3DMsoTableGrid border=3D0 cellspacing=3D0 cellpadding=3D0 style=3D'border-collapse:collapse;mso-yfti-tbllook:480;mso-padding-alt:0in= 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'> <tr style=3D'mso-yfti-irow:0'> <td valign=3Dbottom style=3D'padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'> Walt Scalen<o:p></o:p> = <o:p> </o:p> </td> <td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'> J.B. Watson, Jr.= <o:p></o:p> = <o:p> </o:p> </td> </tr> <tr style=3D'mso-yfti-irow:1;mso-yfti-lastrow:yes'> <td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'> <st1:plac= e><st1:PlaceName>Angelina</span= ></st1:PlaceName> <st= 1:PlaceName>College= </st1:PlaceName></st1:place> & </= i><st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Stephen= </st1:PlaceName> <st= 1:PlaceName>F.<= /st1:PlaceName> <st= 1:PlaceName>Austin<= /i></st1:PlaceName> <st= 1:PlaceName>State</= i></st1:PlaceName> <st= 1:PlaceType>University</sp= an></st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p></spa= n> <o:p> </o:p> </td> <td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'> <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>= Stephen</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName>F.</spa= n></st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName>Austin<= /span></st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName>State</= span></st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>Univers= ity</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> </table> </div> </div> <div class=3DSection2> <h1>Introduc= tion<o:p></o:p></h1> <o:p> </o:p> The role of consumption in shaping hu= man societies is a long-standing concern of sociologists. The impact of consumer culture on religion has also received increasing attention in the scholarly literature. The unique context of <st1:country-region><st1:place><sp= an style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>U.S.</st1= :place></st1:country-region> evangelical churc= hes will be analyzed as a sociological case study, to assess the impact of consumption on the modern evangelical religious enterprise. One would expect that evangelical churches, as a form of moral association, would oppose the incorporation of consumer culture, but in fact, many churches and denominations have embraced this paradigm as a model for organizational success. The growing emphasis, especially in the so-called megachurches, on efficiency, predictability, calculability, substitution of “nonhuman” technology, and attempts to control uncertainty - the basic tenets of McDonaldization - represent a u= nique juxtaposition of commercial and spiritual values (Ritz= er, 2004, 2006; Drane, 2002). <o:p></o:p> Andy Crouch, a wri= ter for Christianity Today, recently applied the metaphor of “stonewashed” to contemporary practices in evangelical churches, drawing a parallel with the brilliant marketing of denim jeans in recent years. When sales of denim je= ans slowed, enterprising marketers increased sales by shifting to stonewashed denim - jeans conditioned at the factory to be well-worn. Stonewashed jeans = were a big hit with consumers (Crouch, 2005).&nbs= p; The term “stonewashed church” has been coined by the co-= authors of this paper to refer to the consumeristic church model increasingly domin= ant in conservative evangelical churches. We will examine the relevant work of social scientists and conservative evangelical leaders on the “stonewashed church.” <o:p></o:p></s= pan> Peter Berger (2005), a noted sociol= ogist of religion, has also highlighted the primacy of a consumer-based model of contemporary religious practices. In a recent articl= e, “Religion and the West,” Berger described this development: <o:= p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p= > In America, the term "religious preference" - tellingly derived from the language of<s= pan style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> consumer economics -has become par= t of the common discourse...furthermore, both in Europe and in America, there are large numbers of people who pick and choose from the religious traditions available on the market. Sociologists on both continents have noted and studied this phenomenon… Robert Wuthnow, who has analyzed a mass of American data, calls the same phenomenon "patchwork religion" (Berger, 2005:112)= .<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> In her book, Bo= rn to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consum= er Culture, sociologist Juliet Schor describes American Society’s obsession with consumption. She claims, “the architects of this culture, the companies that make, market, and advertise consumer products, have set their sights on children.” (Schor, 2004:13).&nbs= p; She argued that these companies’ marketing efforts are reaping huge dividends in terms of corporate profits, but they are also creating a culture of consumption in which “contemporary American tweens and teens have emerged as the most brand-orien= ted, consumer-involved, and materialistic generations in history” (Schor, 2004:25).<o:p></o:p> In a poignant and thoughtful essay entitled Consumerism and the New Capitalism, author= Rip Cronk claims “the traditional cultural va= lues of Western society are degenerating under the influences of corporate polit= ics, the commercialization of culture and the impact of mass media” (Cronk, 1996:1). He believes that consumerism is systematically stripping away major traditions and cultural heritage. He writes that the public is conditioned = to “fetishistically substitute consumer idea= ls for lost acculturating experiences of art, religion, and family” (Cronk, 1996:1). According to Cronk, emerging consumeristic culture has normalized manipulation and duplicity and greatly diminished human freedom. He writes, “as we bec= ome acclimated to life around the television set, collectively striving for a media-produced image, our choices are made for us.... choice is reduced to brand name... consumerism, like communism and fascism, is a secular religion restricting freedom of choice” (Cronk, 19= 96:3).<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <h1 style=3D'text-align:justify'>Conservative Evangelicals, Church Growth, and Consumer Culture= <o:p></o:p></h1> <o:p> </o:p> Few scholars disag= ree that production and consumption are fundamental to human society. The sense that consumerism, howeve= r, is a distortion of traditional economics is increasingly given currency by cultural analysts. The domina= nce of a cultural mindset that unwittingly redefines the value of people in terms = of material success, status, and possessions is often seen as problematic. Richard John = Neuhaus defines consumerism as “living in a manner that is measured by having rather than being”(Ne= uhaus, 1992:52-53). This perspective mirrors the view of Pope John Paul II, expres= sed in the Second Vatican Council, that consumerism is a “threat to the freedom of the human person to live according to the higher demands of love rather than to the lower pull of material desires” (De Souza, 1999:1). <o:p></o:p></= p> In an interview promoting the upcoming “Christianity in a Consumer Culture” Conference, to be held in Minneapolis, April 28-29, 2006, Rodney Clapp call= ed consumerism and Christianity “competing faiths” (Clapp, 2006).<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He stated “Christianity, as a faith and a way of life, affirms that humans are created ultimately for participation in the life of God.”&n= bsp; In contrast, “consumerism says we are born, live and die to consume material goods, experiences, an unending= array of novel pleasures.” A similar view is set forth by T.A. McMahon in h= is recent e-book, Consumer Christianity Part I. He writes that consumer= ism and Christianity are “antagonistic to one another.” Therefore, he finds the consumeristic orientation of the Church Growth Moveme= nt (CGM) to be shockingly ironic. He coined the term “Consumer Christianity” and defines it as “an endeavor to help Christian churches grow in size and become more effective through the application of business principles, marketing strategies, and management concepts” (McMahon, 2005:1).<o:p></o:p> It is this ironic,= even oxymoronic mixing of Christianity and consumerism so prevalent in many mode= rn evangelical churches that the co-authors of this paper find so intriguing. = How did this happen, and why are those involved so apparently oblivious to what appears to many to be an obvious inconsistency? For those stud= ying this phenomenon, it becomes readily apparent that consumerism in many evangelical churches is not just the result of cultural osmosis (the slow influence of the larger culture on the subcultures of churches), but has be= en a planned, programmed, intentional effort to reform and modernize traditional evangelical churches. This phenomenon is described as the Church Growth Movement (CGM). Historical descriptions of this movement point to the writings & lectures of theologian & former missionary Donald McGavern</sp= an> as the inspiration for the CGM (McIntosh and Engle, 2004).<o:p></o:p></= p> In 1955, McGavaran published a book entitled The Bridges of= God. He introduced his concept of cultural “contextua= lism” - essentially the notion that some measure of local cultural accommodation = is necessary in order to evangelize target populations (M= cGavaran, 1955). For example, he noted = that church structures built by missionaries should look like the architecture of the native peoples. Undoubted= ly, some measure of cultural accommodation to religious practices is inevitable; however, every religion, including Christianity, can be seen as a culture within itself. Therefore, excessive accommodation could be viewed as a thre= at to a religion’s own cultural identity. For example, every religion has distinctive ideas, beliefs, values, standards, and practices. Often the religion is associated with a particular language, distinctive art forms, d= ress styles, and so on. These characteristics serve as boundaries distinguishing those who practice a particular religion from those who do not. <o:p></o:p> Some observers sug= gest that McGavaran’s ideas have been put into practice in a manner that somewhat departed from his original intent. The i= dea of a “bridge” suggests a point of communication, and attempt to find common ground. Surely McGavaran did not in= tend a “superhighway” of cultural exchange, or even less, the replacem= ent of one culture with another. It is the opinion of the co-authors that the modern proponents of the CGM have either intentionally or unwittingly adopt= ed a corporate business model as their modus operandi for reforming evangelical churches, and that they have produced outcomes antithetical to = and inconsistent with their own religious doctrines & practices. <o:p></o:p= > The two names most associated with the CGM are Bill Hybels, Pastor= of Willowcreek Community Church located in suburban Chic= ago, and Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Community Church in suburban <= st1:City><st1:place>Los Angeles</spa= n></st1:place></st1:City>. Both have writte= n and spoken extensively about their ideas. <st1:City><st1:place>Warren</s= t1:place></st1:City> is the author of = one of the bestselling books of all time, The Purpo= se Driven Life (<st1:City><st1:place>Warren</st1:place></st1:City>, 2002). Both clai= m that thousands of churches around the world have adopted and implemented their ideas. Hybels is known for the phrase, “seeker-sensitive” and <st1:City><st1:place>Warren</s= t1:place></st1:City> has actually made= the phrase, “purpose driven” a registered trademark. Hybels is the son of a corporate executive and </span= ><st1:City><st1:place>Warren</s= t1:place></st1:City> has said in the p= ublic media that Peter Drucker, business management g= uru, has had a profound influence on his life and work. Both Hybels and Warren are persuasive, innovative, and industrious. They have built two= of the largest congregations in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1= :place></st1:country-region> Both churches cla= im very orthodox or conservative “Statements of Faith.” Over the last 15-20 years, the CGM= has profoundly influenced the way Americans “do church.” The impact= of the movement engineered by Hybels and Warren is nothing short of revolutionary. </sp= an><o:p></o:p> After reading hund= reds of articles, numerous books, reviewing endless CGM websites, viewing hours = of taped broadcasts of seeker sensitive/purpose driven churches, and personally and directly observing several churches in Eastern Texas undergo the “paradigm shift” advocated by the Saddleback and Willowcreek Associations, the co-authors are persuade= d that the central idea of the movement is simply this: the church should be viewe= d as a business. Everything follows from that basic notion. Churches are seen as “marketing” a product, and they are encouraged to do everything conceivable to make that effort successful. Pastors and their churches are promised two things. If you follow the methods, techniques, and formulas th= at have been proven successful, your attendance and your offerings will increa= se. Undoubtedly, the goals of the movement do not include the promotion of the shallowest brand of consumerism imaginable, but in many cases that is exact= ly what has happened in actual practice at the level of the individual church.= <o:p></o:p> Most conservative evangelicals do not view a business model as inherently evil. References to sacred texts are often used to buttress this line of thought. According to Biblical New Testament documents, Jesus grew up in a family business. The Apostle Peter was a fisherman, and in the course of his earthly ministry Je= sus blessed Peter’s business with abundant catches. The Apostle Paul was a tent maker, who apparently continued his work during his missionary efforts. Critics of this perspective often cite other Biblical accounts. There are two stories in the life = of Jesus, which illustrate this point. In Luke 18:18-30, a rich young ruler co= mes to Jesus and asks him what he must do to be saved. Jesus tells him to sell everything he has and give it to the poor. The young man decides otherwise,= and goes away disappointed. The moral of the story is that the young man’s possessions were actually in possession of him. In John 2:15-16, Jesus confronts the corruption and commercialization of the temple by angrily dri= ving out the “moneychangers.” In so doing he declares that they had = made his house, “ a house of merchandise.”= ; The Matthew account styles his remarks this way, “it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a robbers den̶= 1; (Matthew <st1:time Hour=3D"21" Minute=3D"12">21:12</st1:time>).<o:p></o:p> In addition, some modern business ide= as, beliefs, values, and practices seem in direct contradiction to Christian teachings. “The bottom line rules” and “the ends justify = the means” hardly represent the epitome of Biblical ethics. Manipulation, duplicity, trickery, hype, and misleading rhetoric are far too common in so= me business and marketing circles. This is not to imply that all corporations = are on an “Enron-like” road of ever-increasing corruption, but there are limited applications to church organization. Critics of CGM & simil= ar ideas frequently suggest that a careful reading of the teachings of Jesus, = the writing of the Apostles, or the works of the early Church Fathers hardly encourage the development and promotion of a profit-driven, customer-sensit= ive corporate business machine that is efficiently producing ever-increasing material assets in a church context. <o:p></o:p> <= span style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p> </o:p><= /span> <= b>Scholarly and Journalistic Assessments of the “<st1:place><st1:PlaceName= >Stonewashed</spa= n></st1:PlaceName> <st1:= PlaceType>Church</b= ></st1:PlaceType></st1:place>”<o:p></o:p>= <= b><o:p> </o:p><= /span> It is worth noting= that two of <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-re= gion>’s foremost religious scholars have made similar observations. Martin Marty has for thirty-five years been a Professor of Religious History at <st1:plac= e><st1:PlaceType>University</span= ></st1:PlaceType> of <st1:P= laceName>Chicago</= st1:PlaceName></st1:place>. He has written o= ver fifty books. He is a well-known speaker, columnist, pastor, and teacher. Th= e <st1:place><st1:PlaceType>University</span= ></st1:PlaceType> of <st1:P= laceName>Chicago</= st1:PlaceName></st1:place> has built and ded= icated a religion center in his honor. Alan Wolfe is Director of the <st1:p= lace><st1:PlaceName>Boisi</st1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eType>Center</s= t1:PlaceType></st1:place> for Religion and American Public Life at <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Boston</s= t1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eType>College</= st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. He is the author= of several books including the recently released The Transformation of Amer= ican Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith. He has also contributing edit= or of The New Republic and The Wilson Quarterly. In an article entitled, “Will Success Spoil Evangelicalism,” Marty reminds his readers that in 1927= , Richard Niebuhr described American Protestant Christian= ity as the “religion of the disinherited” (Marty, 2000). As lavish meg= achurches spring up in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:countr= y-region> at the current ra= te of approximately one every two days, Niebuhr’s</spa= n> quote is no longer descriptive (Symonds, Grow, = and Cady, 2005). Marty claims that modern evangelicalism is “nonascetic,R= 21; that the movement has shifted from “otherworldliness to this worldliness.” He calls modern evangelicals, “some of the worldl= iest citizens around.” Accor= ding to Marty, this is only one of the “many 180 degree turns, flip-flops and about-faces in the evangelical cohort during t= he time of its prosperity” (Marty, 2000:758).<o:p></o:p> = For example, in the middle of the 20th century, culturally beleaguer= ed evangelicals often made the claim that it was clear they represented the tr= uth because they were “little and despised.” Now, according to Mart= y, evangelicals claim “numbers and prosperity as the test of truth” (Marty, 2000:759). He also ob= served that evangelical churches have become less inclined to advocate a high stan= dard of conduct and are more inclined to do whatever is necessary to attract prospective customers. He writes that “prospering megachurches” do not lead their people “out of the world,” but offer an endle= ss array of entertainments and services. He claims, “those who offer, not those who demand, prosper in market-era religion” (Mar= ty, 2000:760).<o:p></o:p> = According to Marty, evangelicals once disapproved of the popular culture; now they embrace it and imitate it. No group was more massively opposed to the sensu= al and sexual provocative nature of early rock music than evangelicals. This v= iew held firm for several decades in the 20th century, but in another reversal of position, evangelicals now imitate every conceivable form of ro= ck music, and the contemporary Christian music industry is a one billion dollar per year business. According to Marty, “the postures, gestures, costu= mes and settings that had been regarded as devilish” have now been “sanctified” into a profitable enterprise (Marty, 2000:761).<sp= an style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Marty noted that evangelicals, by = and large, have normalized several previously prohibited behaviors. For example, drinking, gambling, and divorce have faded from most sermons. He reflects t= hat “when the president of your denomination, the members of your family,= and your favorite evangelical celebrates divorce at the same rate as their libe= ral and secular counterparts, you are far more likely to treat the subject as a tragedy than as a sin” (Marty, 2000:761). Marty observed that for now “most evangelicals draw the line at abortion, euthanasia, and homosex= ual expression,” but he wonders if “preaching on these subjects will change as cultural accommodation” continues (Marty, 2000:761).<o:p></= o:p> = Marty believes that the “market” has become the new “god”= of evangelicalism. As evangelicals aggressively market every conceivable kind = of product and gloat over their ever-increasing bottom line, they are actually loosing their distinctiveness, their identity, perhaps, their Faith. He see= s consumerism as a threat to the culture, and he sees modern evangelicalism as part of the problem, rather than a voice for reform.<o:p></o:p> = Sociologist and religion scholar Alan Wolfe (2003), in his book, The Transformation = of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith, sets forth a similar view of the “paradigm shift” occurring in evangelical churches = and other forms of American religion. Wolfe, an ethnic Jew, who describes himself as “not very religious,” is nonetheless alarmed at the degree to which modern evangelicalism is embracing corporate business culture, pop psychology, and= pop culture in general. As popular American culture has become a race to the bottom, ever increasingly vulgar and vacuous, evangelical Christians are al= ong for the ride, often driving the bus. Essentially, Wolfe claims that evangel= ical churches are turning away from historical religious ideals and moving towar= d a kind of pragmatic materialism. His studies reveal that American culture is defining American Evangelicalism and not the other way around; evangelicals= are de-emphasizing historic Christian teachings, traditions, and moral values. = In other words, there is little that distinguishes evangelicals from their cultural counterparts.<o:p></o:p> In a Business W= eek article entitled, “Earthly Empires; How Evangelical Churches are Borrowing from the Business Playbook,” the authors assert that the runaway success of this “new generation of evangelical entrepreneurs.= ..is modeled unabashedly on business” (Symonds= et al., 2005:2). According to the authors, “savvy leaders...tailor a panoply= of services to meet all kinds of consumer needs.” Gone are traditional symbols and traditional Christian music. To appeal to youths the new music ranges from “alternative rock to punk and even screamo</span= >.” Evangelicals’ “eager embrace of corporate-style growth strategi= es” is giving them a significant advantage in the race for “religious market share” (Symonds</= span> et al., 2005:1-2). The article also includes a stunning quote from Rick Warren, pastor of <= st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Saddleback</span= ></st1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eName>Community= </st1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eType>Church</s= t1:PlaceType></st1:place> and a leading fig= ure of the CGM. He insists, “our goal is not to t= urn the church into a business” (Symonds et a= l., 2005: 3). This is a remarkable comment coming from someone so active in promoting ideas that are clearly borrowed from a corporate/managerial model.<o:p></o:p> In a similar vein,= CGM leader Bill Hybels, pastor of <st1:place= ><st1:PlaceName>Willowcreek</st1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eName>Community= </st1:PlaceName> <st1:Plac= eType>Church</s= t1:PlaceType></st1:place> in <st1:Ci= ty><st1:place>Chicago</= st1:place></st1:City>, has said that wh= at was done to build Willowcreek, “doesn’t necessarily have to apply to every church.” Yet he formed the Willow Creek Association, a consulting firm that “earned $17 million last year, pa= rtly by selling marketing and management advise to 10= ,500 member churches from 90 denominations. The association is run by a Harvard = MBA who readily admits to an “entrepreneurial impulse” (Symonds et al., 2005:3). According to the Business Week<= /i> article, “Hybel’s consumer-driven approach is evident at Willow Creek where he shunned stained glass, Bibles,= or even a cross for the 7200-seat, $72 million sanctuary he recently builtR= 21; (Symonds et al., 2005:3). <o:p></o:p> In a Forbes article entitled, “Christian Capitalism: Megachu= rches, Megabusinesses,” writer Luisa Kroll (2003) asks, “maybe churches aren’t so diff= erent from corporations.” She= goes on to describe “the megabusiness of megachurches, where pastors often act as chief execut= ive and use business tactics to grow their congregations,” and adds that “this entrepreneurial approach has contributed to explosive growth…in our society growth equals success,” and megachurches are all about both cultural goals (Kroll, 2003:1-2).<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p><= /span> <h1 style=3D'text-align:justify'>Conclusions and Implications<o:p></o:p></h1> <o:p> </o:p> While most of the evangelical leaders of this very consumeristic, business-oriented model for doing church remain unapologetic, oblivious to = any possible inconsistency, one of their very own has had a change of heart. On= e of the key names in the CGM who once said that he hoped for a 100,000 “<= span class=3DSpellE>Willowcreeks” across <st1:country-region= ><st1:place>America</= st1:place></st1:country-region>, and is credited = with one of the best-known church growth mantras, “the audience, not the message, is sovereign,” is now telling his readers to escape from mar= ket-driven churches (Barna, 1988, 2005). George Barna<= /span>, in his recent book, Revolution, writes, “m= illions of devout followers of Jesus Christ are repudiating tepid systems and pract= ices of Christian Faith” (Barna, 2005: 11).<sp= an style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He goes on to state that the new revolutionaries have no use for “churches that play religious games” and promote programs that “bear no spiritual fruit.̶= 1; He claims that those leaving will not tolerate the “compromise or soft sell” of “our sinful nature to expand organizational turf.̶= 1; He states that the revolutionaries will not follow ministry leaders who “cast a personal vision,” or “seek popularity rather than= the proclamation of truth.” “They refuse,” he continues, “to donate one more dollar to man-made monuments” (Barna, 200= 5:13-14). Perhaps Barna will join the chorus of longsuffe= ring voices who have for decades warned their fellow evangelicals that they were= on the wrong road. John MacArthur, Os Guinness, Ji= m Cymbala, Greg Laurie, David Wells, Chuck Swindoll, Henry Blackaby,= R.C. Sproul, and John Piper are just a few of those who ha= ve cautioned against a consumeristic model for chu= rch growth. Counter-movemen= ts may emerge in response to the dominance of CGM. In fact, many observers suggest that there is already an “emerging church” with conservative evangelical roots, with a minimalist and decentralized organizational structure. Important figures = in this counter-movement include Spencer Burke, Kyle Cheatham, Mark Driscoll, and Richard Foster. Churches include Terranova (Georgetown, Texas), Mars Hill (Seattle, Washington), and Vintage Faith (Sa= nta Cruz, California). If Barna is correct, the megach= urch movement, also known by the CGM acronym, will eventually run its course, and evangelicalism in America and elsewhere may return to its more traditional roots. <= /span><o:p></o:p>= <o:p> </o:p> <h2>Referenc= es<o:p></o:p></h2> <o:p> </o:p> Barna, George. 1988. Marketing the Church. <st1= :place><st1:City>Colorado Springs= </st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>CO</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Navpress.<o:p></o:p> Barna, George. 2005. Revolution. <st1:place><st= 1:City>Wheaton</= st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>IL</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Tyndale House Publishers.<o:p></o:p> Berger, Peter. 2005. “Religion and the West.” The National <o:p></o:= p> = Interest (Summer): 112-120.<o:p></o:p> Clapp, Rodney. 2006. “An Interview With Rodney Clapp.” Accessed on Feb= ruary 10, <o:p></o:p> 2006 at http://www.consumer-culture.org<o:p>= </o:p> Cronk, Rip. 1996. “Consumerism and the New Capitalism.” Accessed on February<o:p></o:p> 10, 2006 at http://www.westland.net/venice/a= r/cronk/consumer.htm1996<o:p></o:p> Crouch, Andy. 2005.</span= > = 220;Stonewashed Worship: Churches are= Striving to Appear <o:p></o:p> 'Authentic' = - Like the Rest of Consumer Culture.”</sp= an> = Christianity Today (February). Accessed on <st1:date Month=3D"2" Day=3D"10" Year=3D"2= 006">February 10, 2006</st1:date>= at <a href=3D"http://www.christianitytoday.com/">http://www.christianitytoday.com/</a> ct/2= 005/ 002/ 23.82.html<o:p></o:p> De Souza, Raymond. 1999. “John Paul II and the Problem of Consumerism.” Religion & <o:p></o:p> <st1:City><st1:place>Liberty</st1:place></st1:City> (September). Accessed on <st1:date Month=3D"2" Day=3D"10" Year=3D"2= 006">February 10, 2006= </st1:date> at <a href=3D"http://www.acton.org/">http://www.acton.org/</a> = publicat/randl/article.php?id=3D321<o:p></o:p> Drane, John. 2002. The McDonaldizatio= n of the Church: Consumer Culture and the <o:p></o:p> Church's Future.</= span> <st1:place= ><st1:City>Macon</st= 1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>GA</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Smyth & Helwys Publishing.<o:p></o:p> Foster, Richard (Ed.). 2005. The Renovare Spiritual For= mation Bible. <st1:City><st1:= place>San Francisco</s= pan></st1:place></st1:City>, <o:p></o:p></spa= n> CA: Harper.<o:p></o:p> Kroll, Luisa. 2003. “Christian Capitalism: Megachurches= , Megabusinesses.” Forbes <o:p></o:p= > (September).</span= > Accessed on </spa= n><st1:date Month=3D"2" Day=3D"10" Year=3D"2006">February 10, 2006</st1:date> at http://www.forbes.com/ 2003/09/17/cz_lk_0917megachurch.html<o:p></o:p> Marty, Martin. 2000. “Will Success Spoil Evangelicalism?” The Christian Century<o:p></o:p> (July 19-26): 757-761.<o:p></o:p> McGavaran, Donald. 1955. Bridges of God. </spa= n><st1:State><st1:place>New York<= /st1:place></st1:State>: Friendship Press= .<o:p></o:p> McIntosh, Gary & Paul Engle. 2004. Evaluati= ng The Church Growth Movement: Five <o:p></o:p></span= > Views.<= /span> <st1:place= ><st1:City>Grand Rapids</sp= an></st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>MI</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Zondervan.<o:p></o:p> McMahon, T.A. 2005. Consumer = <st1:place><st2:GivenName>Christianity</st2:GivenName> <st2:middlename>Part</st2:middlename> <st2:Sn>I.</st2:Sn></st1:place> (E-book).</= span> Accessed on Febru= ary <o:p></o:p> 10, 2006 at http://www.thebereancall.org/newsletters/2005+newsletters/ 35589.aspx<o:p><= /o:p> Neuhaus, Richard. 1992. Doing Well and Doing Goo= d: The Challenge to the Christian <o:p></o:p> Capitalist.= <st1:S= tate><st1:place>New York<= /st1:place></st1:State>: Doubleday.<o:p><= /o:p> Ritzer, George. 2004. The = McDonaldization of Society. <st1:place><st1:City>Thousand Oaks</st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>CA</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Sage <o:p></o:p>= Publications.</spa= n><o:p></o:p>= Ritzer, George (Ed.). 2006. McDonaldization: = The Reader. <st1:place><st1:City>Thousand Oaks</st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>CA</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Sage <o:p></o:p>= Publications.</spa= n><o:p></o:p>= Schor, Juliet. 2004. Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child= and the New Consumer <o:p></o:p> Culture.</i= > <st1:State= ><st1:place>New York<= /st1:place></st1:State>: Scribner.<o:p></= o:p> Symonds, William, Brian Grow, & John Cady. 2005. “Earthly Empires: How <o:p></o:p> Evangelical Churches are Borrowing From the Business Playbook.” Business Week On= line (May 23). Accessed on <st1:date Year=3D"2006" Day=3D"10" Month=3D"2">February 10, 2006= </st1:date> at http://www. businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_21/b3934001_mz001.htm<o:= p></o:p> Warren, Rick. 2002. The Purpose Driven Life. <st1:place><st1:City><sp= an style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Grand Rapids</sp= an></st1:City>, <st1:Sta= te>MI</st1:S= tate></st1:place>: Zondervan.<o:p></o:p> Wolfe, Alan. 2003. The Transformation of American Religion. <st1:Sta= te><st1:place>New York<= /st1:place></st1:State>: The Free <o:p></= o:p> Press.</spa= n><o:p></o:p>= <o:p> </o:p> </div> </body> </html> ------=_NextPart_01C735B5.862CE3B0 Content-Location: file:///C:/A4F9C636/scalenwatson2006_files/header.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" <html xmlns:v=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st2=3D"urn:schemas:= contacts" xmlns:st1=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dus-ascii"> <meta name=3DProgId content=3DWord.Document> <meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 10"> <meta name=3DOriginator content=3D"Microsoft Word 10"> <link id=3DMain-File rel=3DMain-File href=3D"../scalenwatson2006.htm"> <![if IE]> <base href=3D"file:///C:\A4F9C636\scalenwatson2006_files\header.htm" id=3D"webarch_temp_base_tag"> <![endif]><o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"Sn"= /> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"middlename"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas:contacts" name=3D"GivenName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"time"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"date"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceType"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"place" downloadurl=3D"http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"State"/> </head> <body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple> <div style=3D'mso-element:header' id=3Dh1> The Year 2006 Proceedings of t= he ASSR-SW<o:p></o:p> </div> <div style=3D'mso-element:footer' id=3Df1> <s= pan style=3D'mso-no-proof:yes'>5<o:p></o:p> </div> </body> </html> ------=_NextPart_01C735B5.862CE3B0 Content-Location: file:///C:/A4F9C636/scalenwatson2006_files/filelist.xml Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/xml; charset="utf-8" <xml xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"> <o:MainFile HRef=3D"../scalenwatson2006.htm"/> <o:File HRef=3D"header.htm"/> <o:File HRef=3D"filelist.xml"/> </xml> ------=_NextPart_01C735B5.862CE3B0--