Hermenuetics

Comments

Ellen, As usual, I appreciate your insights. I know that we could live more simply, and there are ways in which I hope we will continue to do so and teach our children to do so. But I also want to experience the abundant life you write about, and I want to spend our time and money in a way that blesses many. Sometimes that makes life a little more complicated.
Thanks again, Amy Julia

Posted By: Amy Julia | August 27, 2010 1:44 PM

For some reason this blog post seems like a disengaged apology for someone's lifestyle then a substantive wrestling with both the article and Jesus teachings on material possessions. I don't mean to be too critical but it kind of rings of "cheap grace" instead of the "cost of discipleship." I was kind of hoping for a more substantive engagement and struggle with the issues raised.

Posted By: redbull | August 27, 2010 1:50 PM

Simplicity is a complex issue that covers finances, work, time, ministry, etc. Yes, we can get too narrow and almost make a God out of frugality and shabby clothes as a badge of honor. But what we need is a balance between the mindless consumerism, extravagance and greed that has permeated society and the church and the Lord's contentment not based on our social status or bank accounts.

Posted By: Peter | August 27, 2010 2:21 PM

A Christian author from a very wealthy east-coast family (sorry I don't remember his name) once wrote that everything we own can either be a tool or an idol. That way of looking at it has helped me sort through life's stuff many times.

Posted By: Vicki | August 27, 2010 4:56 PM

Sorry, but this article can really be read as a possibility to keep on doing what we're doing in an overconsuming Western world. "Simplicity doesn’t always mean spending less." You're right, but most of the time it does. The same is true for your remark "Simplicity doesn’t always mean having less."

On the other hand I really appreciate your nuanced view and I think you're on track, as long as it doesn't create some self-deception: that we think we live a simple life, but we're actually just big consumers.

Thanks for getting by brains waking up here on a European morning :)
Anton

Posted By: Anton | August 28, 2010 1:33 AM

I knew in writing this that it might come across as justification for a consumer lifestyle. And perhaps it is that...I can't claim to have completely pure motives, being human and all! But please keep in mind that in an 800-word blog post one cannot completely explain all the background behind the examples and viewpoint. I've been struggling with Christian simplicity for two decades, I am still struggling with it, and this is but a tiny, tiny glimpse of where my thinking is after all those years. I could list all the ways our family bucks the suburban consumer milieu we live in (there are many), the ways that my physical disability makes certain spending and possessions absolutely necessary (there are many), examples of people I've known living frugal, simple lifestyles whose dogmatism and lack of hospitality and acceptance of others have been alienating (there are many), and examples of people whose simplicity is inspiring and life-giving (there are many). But see, I just used a few dozen words just saying all that! Blog posts are intended to start a discussion, not provide all the answers. Thanks for reading and responding!

Posted By: Ellen | August 28, 2010 8:21 AM

Simplicity also doesn't mean an easy life. God never called Christians to have it easy. That means he didn't call us to make ourselves as comfortable as possible, and it also means that he didn't call us to avoid sacrifice and struggling to do what is right.

Abundant life means life in Christ. In Christ, we can find joy in sacrificing and in giving up the things that make it harder for us to draw close to him. If we do not find abundant life in doing what is right, in giving to others, in avoiding making ourselves too comfortable and misusing what God has given us, that is sin on our part.

Think about the struggle people have just to survive around the world and even in our own country. For us to say that we will not give our excess to them because it is to difficult, because it puts complications in our lives strikes me as selfish and unChristian. Yes, I struggle over purchases because I know that the things I buy were made by people who often have to struggle themselves just to feed their families and remain alive.

This struggle, I think, is a good thing. It is good to struggle and agonize over the suffering of others and to question my part in that struggling. I live easy only because I have been gifted with so much by God, but that easy living is often the very cause of the suffering of others. Yes, I thank God for the blessings he has given me, but I do not ever want to be completely comfortable with them. I do not ever want to forget the suffering of others who made my easy life possible.

Posted By: Anna | August 28, 2010 5:17 PM

Thanks for this post. I thought it was spot on. We have to be reminded that holiness can never be accomplished through a formula. Living simply will look different, family to family, person to person.

Posted By: Erin | August 28, 2010 11:09 PM

Ellen,
Thank you for the challenge of living a life of "abundant simplicity" and paying attention to the fruits of resources that the Lord graciously brings to our lives. As members of Gods family, we are all called to, and will be accountable for, responsible stewardship for every good and perfect gift the Father gives us.

I can't help but notice how the Lord distributes resources so differently among his people, and how prone I am to compare what he's given me to that which he's given someone else. I benefit from the reminder you gave to pay attention to my relationship with the money and possessions I've been entrusted with. I need to continually ask God to show me and how they can best enhance the reign of Christ in my life and in the rest of his world.

Posted By: Cathy Gunhus | August 30, 2010 3:35 PM

Thank you for this article. I participated in a year-long volunteer program emphasizing simplicity and learned a lot. I can say that I went into the experience with a lot of idealism and developed a lot of anxiety attempting to embrace extreme simplicity; eventually I became depressed. I still aspire to live simply, but have found a freeing balance that I didn't have before. (The pantyhose for me was a $4 box of cereal that I loved.) Great points raised--it is a topic God calls us to continually engage with and discern his guidance.

Posted By: Julia | August 30, 2010 11:31 PM

"Yes, we can get too narrow and almost make a God out of frugality and shabby clothes as a badge of honor."

There was an article on CT a while ago regarding Jesus and whether he wore "designer" clothes. The robe He wore was seamless, which I understand was expensive. So Jesus didn't wear shabby clothes.

Posted By: Joe | August 31, 2010 12:08 PM

Interesting post. I agree that a quest to avoid materialism shouldn't lead to an obsession with frugality and anxiety over buying necessities. It's so hard to find a balance between buying what you "need" and maybe a few things you want without having money and things take over your time and thoughts. I personally am not a fan of mandatory tithing, pledge cards, etc. My preference would be cash in the plate so no one but my Hubby and God know how much we are putting in the offering-whether it's more or less than 10%!!

Posted By: Maman A Droit | August 31, 2010 1:26 PM

The 100 things concept seems very gimmicky to me, like something I heard about on NPR where a woman tried to rid herself of any consumption of plastic, and in the end felt guilty for even driving her car to work. The difference with Christian simplicity is that it is rooted in Christ, not in an arbitrary number (why 100? why not 110?)

I consume less plastic than I used to because I don't like the idea of being wasteful and ditching disposable pudding cups by the ton just because it's convenient. I do this not to please Al Gore but because I take my Christian stewardship serious, and also I feel called to be an example of a recycler who is not a nutty "tree hugger."

There's a lot we don't need, but instead of limiting our items to a number, let's give freely to people - things we don't use, our money, our time, or through prayer. It's about focusing on God and the calling on our lives rather than sorting our consumer lives according to made up guidelines.

Posted By: Steph | September 1, 2010 3:45 PM

Years ago I decided to lead a minimalist lifestyle. Purchases were based on need and not on impulse. For office wear I limit my wardrobe to autumn colors and match them with brown or black. My profession demands that I look good and up-to-date and so I invested on really good skirts/shirts/pants that I can mix-match and a lot of accessories and creativity. The motive defines the attitude of embracing a simple lifestyle. I want to share whatever God has given me with those who have less. I have been living this lifestyle for years now. Recently God has blessed me with a job that pays a LOT more than my previous one. I continue to have the same lifestyle - and give more. I am happy.

Posted By: ophelia Tongco | September 8, 2010 4:52 AM

I happen to "know" (in an online, blog-in-the-same-niche, Twitter sort of way) the lady in the NYTimes article. A couple of things I would say:

a) You're absolutely right that RowdyKittens-style simplicity may not be right for everyone, and she would say so herself. Also, as far as I can tell, she is not a Christ-follower, so...

b) You should check out Joshua Becker's website at www.becomingminimalist.com. He's a youth pastor and father of three in suburbia who writes about "rational minimalism"

c) How to work out the spiritual discipline simplicity in our lives is a very personal thing, and I think we need to be careful not to make a legalistic list in either direction (meaning not "100 Things is too far and unresonable" or "You're not simple unless you have 100 Things")

Posted By: Luke @ simplifi.de | September 15, 2010 10:09 PM