Christian Wal-Mart

Recently I attended the "National Youth Worker Conference" in St. Louis. For the most part I had and enjoyable even beneficial experience on this trip. However there was an aspect of this trip that particularly broke my heart, the exhibit hall where all of the "Christian" business were on display trying to sell their products. It was a “Christian Wal-mart”. After walking around for a few minutes the realization of what was really going on finally hit me. It was consumerism and materialism at its finest, only with a Christian label on it. The advertisement was absolutely everywhere, even on our room cards to our hotel rooms (thanks to youth specialties)! As I walked, each of these companies were not trying to meet a need of mine or looking out for my best interest, but instead they were trying to get me to buy their product, and they appealed to the materialism that we all struggle with, to try to accomplish this goal. “Free ipod’s, free clothes, 400 Free cd's, free this, free that”, as if any of us really need any more stuff. If anything we all need to get ride of much of the “stuff” that is consuming our lives. But some how we think that we need so much more. Afterwards I walked away and thought “wow I guess that until I came here I didn’t realize that I had all these needs for all these products, but how lucky I am that the very companies that have informed me of my needs, just happen to have the answer to those needs for sale for me at a very special 20% off, because they are trying to look out for me!” I’m sorry but the church has adopted the materialistic consumerism from our culture and made it into an ok thing, or even a good thing. What a heart breaking realization. This is not the way of Jesus! But on the other hand it was a good thing because my eyes where really opened and I gained some new insight into this reality, so in the end I am thankful for this heart-breaking experience. But as the church what have we become, when we pay $650 to attend and event just to be persuaded into buying even more stuff? Am I being to harsh or overly critical? Does this fit with the way of Jesus?????