Week 5--Response to Annie M's Wednesday Reflection

Annie asks an interesting question about whether or not the Church contributes to creating wants, needs and desires in people in a similar way that advertising does. I definitely think so, in both good and bad ways. Negatively, I think the Church often either downplays important issues or blows unimportant issues out of proportion. For instance, some churches downplay the centrality of grace in a Christian’s life, and advertise a kind of spirituality that creates fear and anxiety in people. On the positive side, many churches advocate a kind of freeing grace that enables people to think beyond themselves and their own fears. In each case, the church is selling a particular message that cultivates certain desires or needs in its audience. As culturally and spiritually imbued subjects, we are vulnerable to the messages of the world of the here-and-now and of the world beyond.