It has been a while...

I apologize for the delay in posts. I can't promise that they will be frequent, but I will try...

A few things before I start this post:

1) I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. i consider myself a member of the Libertarian Party. (you can check them out at )
2) I believe that everything belongs to God and that He is in control. We are merely stewards of His immeasurable wealth.
3) I am not an economist nor a theologian. i am simply stating my opinion based on my experience, education, and self study.

Ok, with that out of the way:

There has been a loud outcry from the Church (the universal body of Christ, not my specific church) against "consumerism" in America. This is especially true for those of my generation. I completely agree with this sentiment. The consumer culture of America has taught us that our happiness is only found in gathering more stuff and that we will never be satisfied until we have it all. The truth is that this will never truly satisfy because we are always looking for the next bigger and better thing (or job, or person, etc.).

Now, there is a startling trend inside this fight against consumerism that has me a bit scared. Some believers have begun to rail against our economic system in America in response to this consumer driven culture. They have misdiagnosed the problem.

They have mistaken CAPITALISM for CONSUMERISM.

This is a mistake that we have to correct. It is dangerous to confuse the two. There is a vital difference between them. Consumerism says "Take all you want and leave nothing behind." while Capitalism says "Take all you need and leave some for the future".

Consumerism exists in a world without consequences (which we have due to our overbearing government, but that is another post) while capitalism punishes those who make mistakes or take to much.

I believe that as Christians we should be absolutely against the idolatry of consumerism, but we can not confuse this with the freedom of capitalism. Capitalism does not feed on greed but on competition. Greedy people are successful, but are ultimately forced out of the marketplace because they take too much. Consumerism is a politically correct term for greed. It is the unabashed desire for more at all costs. Capitalism counts the cost of any action and its consequences. These are factors in the decision making process of both consumers and producers.

We have to understand the difference and confuse an amoral economic system with the immoral desires of our fallen selves.

I think my brain is empty right now, so I will retire. I may continue this post when I have more time, but this is something I had to get off my chest.