Mission in a Consumer Culture

Jonny Baker recently posted about an upcoming event called mission in consumer culture on “Thursday 11 June in Oxford exploring mission in a consumer culture with pete ward and then [Jonny Baker] and cathy ross responding.” I read Pete Ward’s Liquid Church a long time ago and have struggled ever since with his suggestion that we contextualize the gospel to a consumer culture. Here are the questions they are considering:

How should Mission relate to a consumer culture?

Some like to argue that the Christian faith as an ‘alternative way’ in an alien market driven world. So the Church is a community of those who resist the prevailing consumerist trend.

But is this the only possible approach? Is it possible that Mission in the West requires us to seek to express or contextualise faith in consumer culture?

This half day will explore the possibilities and limitations of Mission as contextualisation in a consumer culture.

Thoughts on any of these? I would love to hear how this goes and what the results of the conversation are.