Welcome to a blog mini-series!
For the next three weeks, we’re going to examine nine core values common to our culture.
These values negatively affect our relationships every day.
They hugely influence the way we see ourselves and others in terms of worth and acceptance, how we relate to each other, and how we cope with the pain life brings us.
By the end of this series, I hope you’ll be able to recognize these patterns — and with God’s help, swim upstream against their influence.
You’ll find most of these paradigms in “The Immersion Experience,” a curriculum by Dr. David Eckhart and Tim Rule. Find out more at aphesisgroup.com.
Ready? Here are the core values. We’ll tackle the first three today.
- Consumerism — getting stuff and using it up
- Materialism — choosing things over people
- Pleasure-dependency — gotta be entertained
- Pain-avoidance — don’t want to hurt
- Image-sensitivity — looks are everything
- Information addiction — craving to know it all now
- Productivity-driven — accomplishments matter most
- Utilitarian attitude — using people
- Attitude of entitlement — I deserve my rights
Consumerism
How many billions of dollars are spent annually convincing us that we need yet another cell phone or sweater or car? If you drink this beer, you’ll be sexually irresistible. If you drive this car, you’ll impress everyone.
Consumerism teaches us to be self-centered, and tells us we need lots of choices. Sadly, the cycle of desire is endless. We work and purchase and acquire, yet how much joy is there in constantly using up stuff and getting more? Where is the lasting satisfaction?
Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:6-8, “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”
Consumerism is a cultural core value; contentment is a Kingdom value.
Materialism
This one is related to consumerism, with a slightly different emphasis.
Materialism says happiness is to be found in things, not in others or in God.
Materialism teaches us to orient our big decisions (choosing a mate, where to live, how to space our children, etc.) around things. Where will I make the most money? Will marrying this person mess up my career? Do I really want children, since they are expensive to raise?
The healthy Christian realizes the material world is not his or her source of happiness, but that real joy comes from right relationship to God and others.
I John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Materialism is a cultural core value; keeping relationships above things is a Kingdom value.
Pleasure-Dependency
Have you ever sat quietly for an evening, not even watching a movie or TV or You Tube? It’s not easy. We love to be pre-occupied, entertained, and amused — in fact, the word “amusement” means to disconnect from musing (being thoughtful and creative).
We are not comfortable with silence. Why is this? When we constantly keep ourselves entertained, or seek the next fun thing to do, what might we be running from? Could it be God’s presence we are avoiding, or perhaps some issues we haven’t dealt with?
Paul warns us in 2 Timothy 3:1-4, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant … lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
Love of pleasure is a cultural core value; love of God and others is a Kingdom value.
How has consumerism, materialism, or love of pleasure negatively impacted your relationships?
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