Like me you will
have noted the current obsession with the ‘i’ phone, ‘i’ pad etc. That people
who only a short time ago lined up throughout even cold nights to buy the
iPhone 4 are now panting in anticipation of the iPhone 5, is a sad commentary
on our times.
A person
reported that they stood on the street offering people a chance to hold and
examine the new iPhone 5 but was actually showing them the older iPhone 4;
nobody knew the difference and oohed and aahed anyway.
NZ is plunged
into the current ‘me-istic’ consumerism where people feel they are defined by
what they buy. This trend has moved beyond ‘T’ shirts and handbags to
technology and other gadgets. We see this acted out within larger ‘social’
churches that appeal to those who draw their acceptance from others in
something more fashionably acceptable than some perceived little weird bunch of
Christians.
There are no
real status requirements in small churches but larger groups tend to attract a
more consumerist style that reflects wealth and social standing. This is a
‘herd’ or ‘mob’ instinct at work where a more passive ‘shopping’ approach to
faith is enough for many. Those who remain in smaller gatherings, now find it
necessary to define their approach as being rather more ‘boutique’ than
‘department store.’
So much more could
be said about the current condition of our society in NZ but it all comes down
to individual responsibility to define our lives beyond the transient and brief
social pressures that shape our decisions. The biting issues will always be the
leading of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Jesus.
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