What would you say is a threat to your faith? Perhaps I should say threats, plural as many of us wish we only had one threat to our faith. You may have a short list or a long one, but I doubt you have a blank list.
While serving as a mission developer in Carlsbad, New Mexico (1980-1983), I was invited to the local Mennonite church to hear a Mennonite pastor speak about his ministry in the then Soviet Union. During a Q & A session following his talk, a member of the audience tried to make the talk all about communism, ignoring the many touching accounts our speaker shared with us concerning his congregation. “Isn’t Soviet communism a threat to your faith?” asked this audience member.
“Yes, of course,” answered the Mennonite pastor, “But it is not nearly the threat to faith that your American materialism poses to your faith.” The room got very quiet after that response. Ouch! He struck us right between the eyes!
Now, on that list of threats and challenges to your faith, I am guessing you did not list materialism, American or otherwise. Recently I finished reading a book titled, “The Gates of Hell.” It is a history (surprise!… I read history!!) of the generations of Germans living in the Soviet Union after the Bolshevik revolution establishing communism as the Soviet form of governing. These Germans were descendants of Germans invited into then Russia by Catherine the Great to work the fields and farms. They were promised they could maintain their religion and their culture. Furthermore, they would not be drafted into the Russian army.
The Bolsheviks did away with these promises. The church I served in Fort Collins, CO was founded by Russian-Germans fleeing not only broken promises, but, in many cases due to their faith, imprisonment, exile to Siberia, and even torture and death.
The book details the horror these Germans, mostly Lutherans, German Reformed, and Mennonite had to endure. I couldn’t help thinking after reading this book, that despite these horrific experiences, our materialism was a greater threat to faith.
I think our Mennonite friend may have been on to something. As an outsider not caught up in our constant habits of consuming and possessing, he could see by our homes, our cars, and our treks through COSTCO and Target that many of us approach shopping as though in a war to conquer and own. Garage sales are a testament to this as we sell for mere pennies what once we really had to have. How does this threaten faith? It threatens faith because our consumerism can be a form of idolatry. Our money flows in the direction of that which is most important to us. In what does our bank account show is most important to us? Having things or giving away?
The Mennonite pastor who invited me to hear the Russian-German pastor speak had one way to tackle this issue. He rarely bought anything new. Not his car, his clothing, his house, his furnishings, his Christmas and birthday gifts, ….most of his shopping was done at garage sales and thrift stores.
So, how do we do something about our American materialism? I do think we need to put it on our “Threat to Faith List”, that is, acknowledge it. Set some goals, small at first, and work toward them. Work on this threat. See it as real. Then work on a plan.