Lessons from Post-Soviet Russia for American Christians

Body

“Perhaps Solzhenitsyn was right in his Harvard address, that the Communist East and the Capitalist West were fundamentally the same–deeply materialistic at their core. If this is true, then this resurgent interest in religiosity or spirituality is simply a thin veneer that, when scratched, reveals the same old materialism and secularism.” - Mere Orthodoxy

Discussion

On Abundance, Part 1: Needs and Wants

Body

“I have all I need, as well as a lot of stuff I don’t need. There’s a word in the Bible that embraces this concept. It’s the word abundance.” - Olinger

Discussion

Could You Use Some Joy Today?

Body

“we do not need to be Christians for long before we learn that the greatest joy connected to wealth does not come from gaining but from giving. Hoarding wealth for ourselves gives far less lasting satisfaction than contributing wealth to God’s causes.” - Challies

Discussion

Pastors in $5,000 Sneakers

Body

“I recognize that the stated motive for the megachurch ministers will be evangelism, trying to make the unchurched think that by wearing cool clothing, they are creating the impression that Christianity is cool. But…” - Cranach

Discussion

Is It Morally Okay to Keep Updating My Things?

Body

“I’m not that old, but it seems like a lifetime ago that it was acceptable to keep things until they were broken. Now if my phone is more than a year old or if I haven’t remodeled my kitchen in the past decade, I’m out of date. Is there a moral right or wrong to this consuming of new and updated models of stuff?” - TGC

Discussion

Americans are more likely to find their ‘meaning in life’ in money than in faith

Body

“In the open-ended question, Americans are mostly likely to say family is an important source of meaning (40 percent), and in the closed-ended question they’re most likely to report they find “a great deal” of meaning in spending time with family (69 percent)….almost a fourth (23 percent) find meaning in finances and money.” - Acton

Discussion

Christmas consumerism: A symbol of materialism or generosity?

Body

“But amid the opportunities for creative service and extravagant generosity, competing temptations of materialism abound, threatening to twist our Christmas merriment into a pursuit of self-indulgence or self-gratification.” - Acton

Discussion