Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture

Rating:
Summary: Essential Reading
Review: This is a superb book. Whether you are a person of Christian faith, or faith of another tradition, or simply someone interested in religion, this book will help you to think more deeply about spirituality and the life of the faith community in the throes of our culture of commodification. Miller employs critical theory, cultural analysis, anthropology, and sociology to awaken us to the manner in which consumer culture socializes us into habits of interpretation and use that render religion itself one more consumer object to be desired, acquired, and disposed of. Readers not schooled in thinkers like Foucault, DeBord, and de Certeau may find some of the theoretical sections of the book difficult, but Miller's command of critical theory is matched by his ability to vividly describe existence in consumer society, and this brings the theoretical portions of the book to life. Readers will find themselves standing with Miller in a supermarket aisle contemplating a horizon of glossy packaging, wading through a child's room overpopulated with stuffed animals, watching Pope John Paul II become a media celebrity on television, and wondering what impact Disney is having on our children. Miller identifies dynamics of our culture that are profound and pervasive-but seldom analyzed in the religious and theological communities. He has done a great service by bringing the dynamics of commodification to our attention, and, in the final chapter, he suggests a variety of ways in which faith communities can counter its pervasive influence. His intention is constructive, and his contribution essential to the living of an authentic faith in our times.