Monday, November 22, 2021

The Divine Commodity

Title: The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity

Author: Skye Jethani

Publisher: Zondervan

Genre: Christian Nonfiction, Christian Living, Theology

My Review:

Skye Jethani is an author I discovered a few months ago. I read his book What if Jesus was Serious About Prayer and knew I wanted to read more of his works. 

Long before hospitality was an industry dominated by hotels and restaurants, it was a way of life.

I really don't know where to go with this particular review. The Divine Commodity is thought-provoking, convicting, challenging, and truth.

The sower cannot take responsibility for the results of his efforts; he can only play his part and abandon the outcomes to God.

However, I do not always like the package it is portrayed in. There were some parts where I just wanted the information he was presenting and not necessarily so much about Van Gogh and the other illustrations he was using to make his point.

Consumer Christianity, while promising to strengthen our souls with an entertaining faith, has left us malnourished with an anemic view of God, faith, church, and mission.

That being said, I agree with what Jethani is presenting. I do believe we live with a "consumer Christianity" mindset. Jethani proposes that instead of being taken in with consumer Christianity, we follow Jesus' example. We sow seeds wherever we go and we walk in obedience to what God is asking us to do.

This book is well-researched and grounded in Scripture. I got this book for my husband for his birthday and decided to read it when he was finished. I would recommend it to anyone who is tired of consumer Christianity and desires to live a more authentic faith. 

★★★/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

The challenge facing Christianity today is not a lack of motivation or resources, but a failure of imagination. A growing number of people are disturbed by the values exhibited by the contemporary church. Worship has become entertainment, the church has become a shopping mall, and God has become a consumable product. Many sense that something is wrong, but they cannot imagine an alternative way. The Divine Commodity finally articulates what so many have been feeling and offers hope for the future of a post-consumer Christianity. Through Scripture, history, engaging narrative, and the inspiring art of Vincent van Gogh, The Divine Commodity explores spiritual practices that liberate our imaginations to live as Christ's people in a consumer culture opposed to the values of his kingdom. Each chapter shows how our formation as consumers has distorted an element of our faith. For example, the way churches have become corporations and how branding makes us more focused on image than reality. It then energizes an alternative vision for those seeking a more meaningful faith. Before we can hope to live differently, we must have our minds released from consumerism's grip and captivated once again by Christ.

2 comments:

  1. Interesting. I'm not familiar with this consumer Christianity thing. The cover is gorgeous!

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    Replies
    1. Kami, basically what God can do for us, thinking that worship services should be bigger/better, more like entertainment than worship. It was a really good book.

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