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Book Review :: Brand Jesus: Christianity in a Consumerist Age, by Tyler Wigg-Stevenson

Not sure why, but I haven’t really used this blog to post book reviews. I imagine it would only help me, after all, I am in a competitive reading group and the more social pressure and accountability the better.

So with that, today I am posting some reflections on Brand Jesus: Christianity in a Consumerist Age, by Tyler Wigg-Stevenson.

It seems more than ever, the so-called developed world is obsessed with the concept of ‘brand.’ Brand recognition, brand development and even re-branding dominate strategic plans, business plans, and even drive how people present themselves on a personal level through a variety of social media outlets.

Faith communities haven’t remained untarnished in this drive to ensure their brand stands out. This has become painfully obvious as the market for books on faith, Christian music and religious kitsch generates enormous annual sales figures. But what does all of this say about the brand Jesus may, or may not, have hoped the church would cultivate?

In Brand Jesus, Tyler Wigg-Stevenson takes on the challenging task of illuminating the complex relationship between faith and consumerism. Rather than ‘turning the tables’ of Christian consumerism in the temples of modern commerce, Tyler sets a table for the reader by hosting this difficult conversation of how to live faithful lives in a culture of over-consumption. Gracefully he helps the reader re-evaluate how consumerism malforms our biblical understanding of consumption, sexuality, politics and faith.

Grounding his reflections squarely in the book of Romans, Tyler doesn’t simply diagnose the problems related to faith and consumerism, he offers imaginative prescriptions to treat the soul and reorient communities. It’s as if Tyler channeled the spirit of Saint Paul the apostle and penned a new epistle, an epistle Paul would likely have published in Adbusters magazine.

But don’t be mistaken, unlike much of the current materials unraveling the concerns of consumerism, ‘Brand Jesus’ is far from smug or snarky. It’s hope-filled, courageous and offers robust alternative paradigms for social and cultural engagement. It’s smart, informed, honest and timely.

Let’s ensure that Brand Jesus doesn’t end up being one of those books that was so insightful that it seemed to be written ‘too early’ to be appreciated for the scope of the urgent concerns it raises. May it inspire us to lament the loss of the scared as we relate to image and consumption; and may it inspire us to urge our faith communities to live more faithfully.

And I’d encourage you to keep up with Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, he now runs one of the most compelling non-profits out there, the Two Futures Project, that is:

…a movement of  American Christians for the abolition of all nuclear weapons. We believe that we face two futures and one choice: a world without nuclear weapons or a world ruined by them. We support concrete and practical steps to reduce nuclear dangers immediately, while pursuing the multilateral, global, irreversible, and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons, as a biblically-grounded mandate and as a contemporary security imperative.

Our change strategy is based around the creation of a nonpartisan, conscience-driven, enduring majority of Americans who are committed to a nuclear weapons-free world. By joining together with one voice of Christian conscience, we seek to encourage and enable our national leaders to make the complete elimination of nuclear weapons the organizing principle of American nuclear weapons policy. We join in this work to the glory of God.

Tyler’s next book which goes much deeper into the concerns that motivate the  Two Futures Project is due next year and will be published by IVP. I can’t wait…