The Consumption of Faith and the Faith of Consumption

From the conference web site:

Consumerism is the driving force in our society — a spirit of our age. It is enmeshed within the fabric of our society. There are many critics to consumerism — those who are rightly concerned about the destructiveness of consumerism when it comes to economic justice or environmental issues. However, consumerism also reaches deep into the heart of American spirituality. Consumerism shapes the way we relate to each other, to our society, and to our God. Christians need to intentionally and carefully navigate our consumer culture, responding to its dangerous complexities with a deepening awareness of its promises and perils. The Conference on Christianity and the Consumer Culture will be both informative, fostering a deeper understanding of consumerism and its role within our society, as well as formative, providing strategies for faithful living in light of the promises and perils inherent to our consumer culture.

Towards this end, we will bring together Christian thinkers and practitioners who will offer analysis of the way our consumer culture shapes Christianity in America as we cultivate practices which will help us faithfully respond to consumerism as a driving force in our society.

Conference speakers include:

• Rodney Clapp, the Editorial Director of Brazos Press
• Vincent Miller, an associate professor of theology at Georgetown University
• Ron Sider, professor of theology at Palmer Seminary (formerly Eastern Seminary)
• Sondra Wheeler, the Martha Ashby Carr Professor of Christian Ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC