I’ve been crazy about The Submarine’s second album Honeysuckle Weeks for the last year or so. It’s fun, catchy pop with a great sound. I recently downloaded a live-in-studio session from daytrotter and it forced me to listen to the lyrics of “You, Me and the Bourgeoisie.” If you don’t think you know the song, you may recognize it from its ubiquitous presence in commercials for the iPhone. That association adds an extra level of irony when I realized that this song was about the angst of affluence. You should really hear it, here’s the music video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYvt0boSRXQ[/youtube]
The song, to me, is about the excesses of western life, and the difficulty of trying to live less ostentatiously. It is this very angst that drives a lot of urban trends to try to be less hard on the earth and on the labor and lifestyles of people in other places. For example, organic food, local food, bike to work, fair trade and green everything. The presence of a song about this pull toward lifestyle changes in a commercial for Apple seems oddly apt, since the apple brand identity fits fairly well with these trends. I’ll include myself in this stereotype: I sip locally roasted organic fair trade coffee at a local coffee shop while I write this post on my Mac. Earlier today I went to the farmers market. I felt bad that it was too far to go on foot.
Now, I can make fun of this stereotype even as I embrace it, but songs like “You, Me and the Bourgeoisie” remind me of the niggling questions I have: Is this another type of “cool” just like any other, or is it action on personal politics? What relation do these choices have to my Christian faith?
While I am still self-aware that being “hip” and having politics I care about are perhaps too intertwined to untangle, I am committed to the idea of personal choices reflecting my values. Even if my actions are sometimes contradictory, I can keep trying. This is a lesson that I learned in many ways from the Judeo-Christian tradition.
As some people brought up in the comments section of my last post, many of the laws in the Bible were given by God for the Israelites to distinguish themselves from other peoples and live God’s values. I’d say that the year of jubilee is significantly more radical than fair trade, actually. So this association between practices and beliefs is deep in our tradition. Participating in modern practices that help us to interact justly with others and be better stewards of the resources God gave us seems rather apt, then. And, as an added benefit, perhaps our own commitment to justice and to creation will help us shine our light to others in our culture who notice the same evils, even if they don’t see them from the perspective of a Christian God.
That sounds great, but then I remember my limited time, finances, and ability to research and find the right things to buy, the right groups to own. Fortunately, Christianity also tells us that God honors those of us who try our best, and reminds us that we are just one part of a Body of Christ. It’s not just me “in the center of the first world” (as the song goes) but it really is “you and me just trying to get it right.”
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Comments (19)
I would say both go together i can not choose one with out the other because jesus is the light of the world and to live is to die and to die is to live meaning killing the flesh. god told us that he gave his only begotten son so that we may live and live more abuntdently and have life and to be forgiven for our sin. i want to see the light when my time comes if this mean this is the way to heaven of course who don't want to see the light when they wake up in the morning or when they leave the body. The bright light of day is a part of life or would you say that the light would be more of having the light of knowledge and not be left in the dark we have choices and the only choice that i see that people don't have light is one who is born blind and even in that i would like to think that they would want to have knowledge of the light of god. This is truly a touching subject one will never know how many that are in the light or darkness but i would like to have both, can one really choose with out the other less see what the viewer has to say amen.
Unlike John, I see God through-out this posting. Yes, you've admitted that your motives for being earth & human-kind conscious are sometimes self serving (b/c really, who doesn't want to be hip?). This is our on going battle as sinners: we deify ourselves - constantly acting on self serving whims, even whilst we try to honor God (while truly the motives for honoring God may be so we feel good about ourselves for honoring God).
I completely agree- I believe that we are called to live in a way that brings honor to our Father and his creation. For me, this means treating all people with respect and dignity, taking stands against social injustices, and trying to be conscious of what I am ingesting & what implacations that may have on the environment and people throughout the world. I will confess alongside you, I fail every day, multiple times a day. But, praise God that has I struggle to seek Him and His will, HE is sitting there alongside me: In my hip coffee shop, or at my desk when I am dreading my job, or in my home when I just want to go to sleep and forget spending time in His Word.
This is an overwhelming issue. Thank you for your reminder that we are part of a body. God uses each of us individually & doesn't expect us to fix things on our own. So, I will continue with "you and me just trying to get it right."
And by the way: I will be purchasing that album!
Now Bethany, you really can’t mean that? Have you not read Phillipians 3:8 8? “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.
Following Jesus should be the most intellectually stimulating experience we can have. And following Jesus is not something separate from loving one another. I maintain that CS Lewis’ chief occupation was following Jesus. As was Paul’s.
I apologize for being so sarcastic in my earlier post. But it seems that just as the extreme right wing can wrap their ideology in the gospel, I find that that left wing progressives can as well. I am not saying that being green, leaving a smaller footprint, eating organic, involvement in social works projects and buying fair trade is wrong. I am also concerned with all those things and they may or may not be good. But it is not the Gospel. Just as carrying a gun to church or wrapping a blue eyed Jesus in the flag is not the gospel. And those who pretend it is are in fact distorting the gospel. Authors Like Jim Wallis, Shane Claiborne and Brian McLaren have constructed a different gospel and wrapped it in religious language. Just as Ian Paisley has. That was the intent of my sarcasm.
However, does that mean that we should never concern ourselves with these questions? I was trying to be critical of myself, even as I want to maintain these social values in addition to my relationship with Christ. I just don't believe they are mutually exclusive, and teasing out those questions is why I made this post in the first place.
I also think that we all have a tendency to stereotype those who are different from us as insincere and simple-minded, and though there are some of those people, most of us are doing the best that we can.
alvin
I think about the same issues that you do, my business is built on a model of promoting organic food and sustainable businesses and responsibility for the earth. I shop at farmer’s markets and ride my bike (ever seen a 58 year-old white male on a bike? Scary.) However I am very reluctant to baptize these issues in theology. I don’t want to get lost in unfruitful sidetracks like What Would Jesus Drive (or de-construct for that matter). These are simply my opinions and I’d like to think they are well reasoned.
But what I do know is that Jesus was moved with compassion and so he healed the sick. By the thousands. And He preached the gospel of the kingdom and introduced us to the Holy Spirit. He commissioned the 12 to “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Then he commanded the 70 to heal the sick and preach the gospel. And finally he commanded all of us to go into all the world and preach the gospel, lay hands on the sick and cast out demons. And then, just in case we didn’t get it, we have the book of Acts to remind us and demonstrate what His commission is about. Jesus elevated the role of women (I am with you there too) and made all the races and social classes into one equal family by virtue of His redemption. I just want to make sure I keep my priorities straight. I don’t think He has ever recalled our original commission.
I think what the song Bethany quoted, and Bethany herself, was trying to say is that we, the citizens of the Western world, the global elite rich enough to have computers, cars, televisions and running water, are the global bourgeois class at this point in history. In my understanding the use of the term was meant as self criticism for the purpose of reflection, not as a cheap shot.
The question I'd like to see us discuss is this: how do we, from our global position of privilege, go about building a more just world? And if some abstract notion of "hip" is a part of that, is it a bad thing?
There are hundreds of government aid organizations, thousands of secular NGOs whose mission it is to aid the poor, give relief from disease and raise the standard of living foir the disadvantaged. However no Government organization or NGO has the unique mission of introducing people to eternal life. To divert attention and resources from that unique mission, to persuade Christians to spend their time and resources on building a more just world is a real shame. What if we manage to feed all the poor, enforce justice in foreign nations (good luck) and raise the standard of living for the entire world just so most of them can die and perish in a Christ-less hell? Compared to eternity, this life is a brief puff of smoke. Of course I believe in justice and materially aiding the poor and I will do my best to help. But this is not the gospel. We’ve dug in a field and uncovered the Pearl of Great Price. Let’s share it.
To get involved in class war, use Marxist analysis and promote concepts like the Bourgeoisie is a waste of time.
“God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” Lets be ambassadors.
If the core of Christianity is spreading Christianit our faith is little more than a theological chain letter. Part of spreading the truth of Christ is living up to the principals he taught.
The early church was renowned for it's love and its generosity. It's those qualities that caused it to spread so quickly at that critical time in history. Yes preaching helped, but without I'm not sure what your mental picture of preaching to the world is, but my reformed upbringing teaches me there's no one part of my life that's not connected to God's work.
From James 20:
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
"But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.'
"Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."
If we're going to shine our light to the world, we need to back it up with actions. But acting without knowledge of the world is meaningless. That's why these seemingly abstract pursuits are worthwhile, and worth discussing here.
And JHPot. I am agreeing with you up to a point. Don’t spiritualize preaching so much that it could be anything. Paul says, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? There is something unique and sacred about telling the story. Paul tells Timothy, preach the word in season and out of season.
I am concerned, though, that in our zeal to be "green", we will unconsciously hurt those in other countries.
For example, about 10-15 years ago, it was popular among christians to want our gov't to remove the 'most favored nation' status of China because of its miserable human rights record. Then I met a missionary to China. When I mentioned this, he said that would be a very bad idea.
Aghast, I asked him why. He said all that would do is make it much more difficult for the christians in China to get jobs, obtain food, and take care of their children, as they would be the first ones to lose jobs, ect.
I have to wonder if our new, hip, "green" lifestyles may do the same in other countries that depend on our dollars?
What is better for people: to work in a "sweatshop for slave wages", or to starve to death because there is no "sweatshop for slave wages".
As mentioned in another article on this blog, different cultures see things differently.
I'm encouraged that the social justice movement is now considered become hip, but it also worries me. As soon as something becomes hip people tend to ask fewer questions about it, and advertisers jump in to take advantage.
Think of Frito-Lay's ads across West Michigan stating they buy potatoes from local Michigan farmers. While it is true--they do buy /some/ potatoes from Michigan farmers--you'd be unwise to assume this mega-corporation is making all the chips in Michigan stores near the Grand Rapids farmer's market.
So it's good to ask questions, even when the subject is "going green." 'm certainly not accusing Bethany or anyone else here of not asking questions, but just to show how complex issues can be I think I'll expand on coolmom9's points:
Does punishing a country economically for its human rights record effective if it hurts the masses and not the regime?
Are sweatshops taking advantage of other cultures if they provide higher wages where than could otherwise be found (not to mention the infrastructure investment--often the companies will build roads, power lines and sewer systems municipalities can later benefit from.)
Does a push to buy local in rich countries hurt the typically agrarian poor countries by driving down demand for their goods?
Is fair trade really "fair", or does it simply create an elite class of farmers with access to the (limited) fair trade market?
In summary, there's nothing wrong with being hip so long as you keep asking questions and stay intellectually engaged with the problems you seek to solve.