[Since this video is making the rounds again, I'm re-doing a post from last December 7.]
No one disputes the need for remembering the poor and the obligation we have to be generous with our wealth. And certainly, no one can object to the charge that Americans (and American Christians) have fallen prey to the idol of materialism. But this video (and those arguments which follow these lines) seems to be trying to provoke guilt not over materialism and greed, but over the mere fact that we have abundance and are able to purchase “unnecessary” gifts for our friends and families at Christmas.
Instead of giving that “unnecessary” toy, we’re told, you could give to a project which provides clean water for people in need. Right. But what if I can do both? Is it wrong to give gifts that the recipients don’t need? [Is there even such a thing as a necessary toy?] Why does God give us hundreds of thousands of “unnecessary” things all the time? We don’t have just one kind of tree or fish or bird or cat or dog or flower or weather or cloud — rather, we have thousands of “unnecessary” varieties. And we have them apparently because God loves to give us lots of things — not because they are necessary, but because they bring delight and joy. Gift giving is an imitation of this lavish and super-abundant love of God who gives us exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think — and not merely those things we need.
I was reminded of a post by Peter Leithart on this same issue a couple of years ago. Peter notes that Christmas (like all our feasts) means enjoying an abundance of good things and then asks, “What are we to make of this as Christians?”
There are some – let us call them liberals – who want us to feel guilty for the excess of our celebration. How can we be eating all this chocolate and making this great expenditure when people are hungry and lonely and vulnerable. And there are others – let us call them conservatives – who say that the hungry and lonely and vulnerable are not our responsibility, so we should celebrate with a clear conscience. Besides, if someone is hungry, so goes the thinking, it’s probably their own fault anyway.
Scripture does not allow us to be either liberals or conservatives when it comes to Christmas, or when it comes to anything else for that matter. Against the liberals, we have the Scriptural pattern of abundant and rich and frequent feasting. At their feasts, Israel cut loose and enjoyed food and drink, and enjoyed it abundantly. . . . But we are not conservatives either. The fact that we are to feast and rejoice with a clean conscience does NOT mean that we feast without any thought for those who have nothing to feast on. Israel is commanded over and over not to forget the Levite, the orphan, and the widow. . . . Remembering the Levite, the orphan, the widow and the stranger was not a way of smuggling liberalism and guilt-manipulation into the back door. Israel was not supposed to refrain from feasting because there were orphans and widows around. Rather, they were commanded bring the orphan and the widow into their feasting, so that the needy could share the abundance of their joy and of their goods. We in the new covenant have an even more profound reason for doing so: God has shared the abundance of His life with us in Jesus, and so ought we to share with one another.
So, feast this Christmas in good conscience. Lay your hands on whatever your soul desires, and eat it in rejoicing and thanks. But look for opportunities to share your abundance with the orphan, the widow, the aged and the poor. God has filled you when you were empty, and helped you when you were helpless. Go and do likewise.
and I says Amen to that.
I don’t think you’re looking very closely at what Advent Conspiracy is about. One of its 4 pillars is Give More. In addition to givign gifts to each other, we’re looking at ways we can give relationally to each other, give our time to one another instead of reflexively ritually comodifying our love, which unintentionally tends to limit, not increase, how significantly we give to each other.
The answer to your question, “what if I can do both?” is “Do both!”
AC participants give gifts to each other. Guilt has never been a part of it for me, or the people I know. Vision has.
The fact that half-a-billion people who need it could have clean drinking water for 2% of our Christmas budget is a cause for vision and action, not guilt.
There nothing in that video or Advent Conspiracy materials that “provoke guilt”. When talking about “unnecessary gifts”, they do not mean things you don’t need. They mean gifts given out of a sense of obligation or given without thought.
The whole idea is to show your love by how meaningful your gifts are, not by the $$$ you spend on them.
Thanks for sharing your view. I appreciate the differences each of us has regarding shopping, feasting, etc. during the Christmas season. They shouldn’t divide us. It’s good to consider the year and life as a whole rather than focusing so closely on parts and seasons that we become blurred about the big purpose and great commission we as Christians are called to.
Well said Paul & Terry!
It’s never been guilt for me. It’s about mindfulness. And over the last few years when we were celebrating Christmas without being mindful it was the most awful experience for me. As a Christian I actually got annoyed at the mention of Christmas because it felt so far from what it should have been.
This year we are still spending money on those we love. Or time. But we are spending less and donating more. And we’ve found a HAPPY middle ground that is causing me to feel more at peace with Christmas. Which is really what it’s all about. Celebrating the Prince of Peace. Ironic that the past few Christmases were anything but peaceful.
hahaha!!
Hello Steve,
My name is Tony Biaggne, and I serve as the Creative Director for Advent Conspiracy. Thanks for providing your thoughts on [AC]. I also noticed you sent a link to this story on Facebook on a status update concerning our book giveaway.
Let me start by saying that since its inception four years ago, we’ve had a number of people asking us more about this movement. Understandably enough, they don’t want to be a part of something that isn’t rooted in their faith in Jesus. They don’t want to be manipulated, misunderstood or misrepresented. We are always honest with what we’re about, and what we are not.
In response to your assertion that [AC] provokes guilt because we as Americans are a nation of abundance and therefore give “unnecessary” gifts. In truth, we are saying the exact opposite. Page 17 of the Advent Conspiracy book says this:
“This is not about anger, disgust or guilt–it is
about entering the story of Jesus more deeply
with a desire to worship more fully.”
…and page 51:
“[A]s we choose to go against the cultural flow, it is important to remember that spending less on Christmas presents doesn’t mean we love our friends and family any less. In fact, we will often find that those to whom we give creative, personal gifts will see our love-and perhaps God’s love-more clearly than ever before.”
You can also visit our blog page where, in one post, we encourage people to go shopping on Black Friday. http://www.adventconspiracy.org/blog/
Our position on buying gifts is this: Don’t buy a gift for someone that has zero meaning. Jesus wants us to invest into relationships with one another, and to express love through those relationships in creative ways. When I buy a gift out of obligation, how personal is that? How is that expressing love? Conversely, when I buy or make a gift that I know will be cherished by the recipient, I am showing that I have invested into a gift that expresses love. It’s a relational gift. Those are the gifts we want people to give. It is a small response to the greatest relational gift that was ever given to us. Jesus. You might feel the word “unnecessary” is the wrong word to use. Fair enough. But to post something like this without doing further research, all because of one word, is, quite honestly, a little surprising.
In regards to giving more to those in need, no apologies there. We are absolutely called to love “even the least of these” as Jesus said. If someone can be respectful of their budget and give a car to their wife for Christmas while still giving to the poor, Amen! As long as they’re making this a personal thing between them and God and celebrating Jesus’ birth through this, then we would champion them all the way through the season. We’ve never “guilted” people into doing this. Our tagline is “Enter the Story”, which is a calling for people to enter into this thing personally with God and see where that leads you. Our book stresses this explicitly.
I realize your post is taking the assumption from just one of our videos. Have you read the book? Would you like a copy sent to your way to help you better understand? Have you been to our website or Facebook page? Have you seen the news footage? Have you tried to contact us personally about this position? If you have, and you’ve still come to this conclusion, then let’s talk.
I’ll be completely honest with you, as a fellow Christ follower I was surprised to see the link on Facebook as a RESPONSE to one of our profile updates. You didn’t post a polite question to help clear up any misconception, you simply linked your story and moved on. Steve, we may not know each other, but we are called as brothers in Christ to support and love one another. Let’s not treat each other that way. Let’s be the church. We’re on the same side, and assumptions like these only divide. Sound good? If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at info@wcrossing.org.
Thanks and have a Merry Christmas!
Tony Biaggne
Creative Director
Advent Conspiracy
Update:
Sorry Steve, I didn’t realize you weren’t the one who linked the story, one of your readers did. So I apologize for accusing you with the link. Still, it seems you are a bit confused with the purpose of [AC]. My offer still stands. If you need to talk let me know, or if you need a book we’d love to send you one.
Thanks,
Tony
But I think there is such a thing as an unnecessary toy. It shouldn’t be opposed to the necessary toy, but to the toy that the child will enjoy and appreciate, and which is not given as a salve to a conscience pricked for never loving their children.