The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity

by Skye Jethani

The challenge facing Christianity today is not a lack of motivation or resources, but a failure of imagination. A growing number of people are disturbed by the values exhibited by the contemporary church. Worship has become entertainment, the church has become a shopping mall, and God has become a consumable product. Many sense that something is wrong, but they cannot imagine an alternative way. The Divine Commodity finally articulates what so many have been feeling and offers hope for the future of a post-consumer Christianity. Through Scripture, history, engaging narrative, and the inspiring art of Vincent van Gogh, The Divine Commodity explores spiritual practices that liberate our imaginations to live as Christ's people in a consumer culture opposed to the values of his kingdom. Each chapter shows how our formation as consumers has distorted an element of our faith. For example, the way churches have become corporations and how branding makes us more focused on image than reality. It then energizes an alternative vision for those seeking a more meaningful faith. Before we can hope to live differently, we must have our minds released from consumerism's grip and captivated once again by Christ.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Church, Christianity, Faith, Theology, Christian Living

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

SKYE JETHANI is an author, speaker, consultant and ordained pastor. He also serves as the co-host of the popular Phil Vischer Podcast, a weekly show that blends astute cultural and theological insights with comical conversation. He has been a sought after consultant for groups facing challenges at the intersection of faith and culture like The Lausanne Movement, The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and the Interfaith Youth Core. Skye has authored three books, The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity, WITH: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God, and Futureville. Skye and his wife Amanda have three children: Zoe, Isaac, and Lucy and reside in Wheaton, IL.

Reviews

[Marty Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t a new release, published in 2009, and it’s not often that you can write about contemporary conversations and not become irrelevant quickly, but this book is still an incredible gem. We are certainly not on the front end of the “consumerist curve” (nor were we in 2009), but it’s never too late to consider how this world impacts our relationship with a Gospel that is not bent to consumeristic values.

Many people chide our consumeristic tendencies in ways that are exhausting and — while I agree with their points — turn me off. But this book pulled me in. It was direct and poignant, but it was not condemning; it was practical and (dare I say) hopeful. Jethani reminded us all of the way that Jesus worked and how different it looks to our values today.

I also enjoyed the thematic element of using Van Gogh’s artwork throughout.

The book got better and better as I read. For any of us leading ministries, churches, organizations, or content creations, may we consider what truly has the power to realize the mission of Christ and the work of God. May we adjust our strategies to match the upside down and mysterious work of the Kingdom of God. This book will be a great tool to have along the way.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should probably actually note how I rate books here because though I only rated this *** I really enjoyed it for me my ratings are:

* Didn't finish and wouldn't recommend (probably will never see this here)
** Finished and didn't enjoy, would not recommend
*** Finished and enjoyed mostly, would probably recommend to others with certain reservations
**** Finished and highly enjoyed, would recommend with no reservations
***** Finished, enjoyed, would recommend and will likely read again myself within the next 2 years.

That being said I think Jethani brings up a lot of significant issues in this book. I was certainly motivated and challenged to think about how consumerism had effected my faith and the church as a whole. That being said the book had the tendency to read more as a research paper - he quoted a lot of authors I love and I found myself thinking - shouldn't I just go read their books? All in all this was informative if not overly insightful - it leads me to other books which I am excited about, most notably the works of Dallas Willard.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book brought an interesting look at the way the Church functions today in comparison to consumerism and branding all around us. This book also tackles the ideas of imagination and the often lack thereof that we have when it comes to Church and our relationship with God while very, very often using the life of Van Gogh as an example. It felt like this book couldn’t land on anything solidly unifying all together for me, but the contained chapters were good in themselves.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent many years in evangelical culture, and during that time, I frequently found myself disconcerted but also uncertain how to put my misgivings into words. This book really articulates much of what I was struggling to identify, specifically the embrace of consumerism and business mentalities that tie the church to things like “smart goals,” growth strategies, branding and consumer comfort while de-emphasizing community and discipleship. It’s always encouraging to know that 1) you aren’t crazy and 2) you’re not alone.

[Arianna Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We have been fathered by a consumer culture and clothed with branded identities…What if we began using our God-created and Spirit-filled bodies as instruments of Christ’s love, rather than what we attach to them?”

This engaging book is thought-provoking, and eye-opening to the consumerism that has been normalized within Western Christianity for years. Definitely worth your time

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book...written to be easily understood by a non-theologian like myself...engaging writing that kept me reading...thought-provoking, critical look at today's church without being judgmental...solid foundation in Christ...I've recommended it to all of our church leaders.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew this book would be good, Skye is an excellent analyst and writer. but I did not expect this to be beatiful. This is the best and most constructive response to christianity and consumerism that I have read.

[Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrating his book with images and stories of Vincent Van Gogh, Jethani challenges the consumer mentality that has gripped so much of western Christianity with branding and messaging to promote the "gospel". Instead, he urges Christians to pursue the personal disciplines of silence, prayer, fasting, love, hospitality and friendship. As he points out, it is through our authentic discipleship that the world is impacted - not through the glitz of a commercialized, pre-packaged message.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

at points I didn't totally agree with his statements but I felt overall the topic hit home for me. I really enjoyed his perspective and it challenged me in unexpected ways.

[Levi Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in the bibliography of "The Prodigal Church" by Jared C. Wilson. Now having read it, I firmly believe that Wilson's book shamelessly raided "The Divine Commodity" for its best points and reasoning and repackaged it for its own use.

Written by Skye Jethani, "The Divine Commodity" is an eloquent, literate, readable manifesto in which the author writes against trend of churching being treated as a business venture rather than as a religious fellowship.

Jethani presents evidence that megachurch pastors such as Bill Hybels have popularized the idea that a church can rightly judge its success by the number of people warming pews.

The problem with this approach, says Jethani, is that the church was never meant to be an end in itself, but rather as the means by which people communicated with God in the company of fellow believers.

The result of the former attitude being adopted widely in the American evangelical church is disastrous.

Most modern churches now focus on how to give church attendees an "experience" which conforms to their individual religious tastes and preferences. Adherence to a specific doctrinal code to be reflected in preaching style and sacraments is made secondary to just putting on a good show.

Jethani eloquently discusses in each chapter of his book a portion of the life of Vincent van Gogh, who was himself a devout and charitable Christian who at one point attempted to become a minister. Van Gogh's unorthodox methods, however, caused friction between him and the institutional church, which he grew to intensely dislike.

Van Gogh's dedication to the poor and impoverished is contrasted by the author to the modern megachurch model of attracting wealthy and influential persons to the church. He goes so far as to compare this to the sorry state of the church in Corinth as detailed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians.

If "The Divine Commodity" is the intellectual backbone and spiritual predecessor of "The Prodigal Church," then I couldn't recommend anything better on this subject. "The Prodigal Church" lacks the intellectual vigor of "The Divine Commodity," but it does have a sole advantage of having a slightly more contemporary understanding of the matter.

But aside from that and that alone, Jethani's book is without a doubt the superior read. I wholly recommend it.

[Luke S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thoughtful & engaging, but passive for a bit too long.

On the whole I immensely appreciated the insights this book bought.

Every culture, age and group throughout history tends to inherit collective strengths and weaknesses across many of those within. these are often shared by the Christian movement or church serving within these cultures.
The divine commodity tackles our current cultural climate. The narrator Dispels our love of efficiency, work, and our endless hustle for personal fulfillment and success, as we see everything and everyone as a product defined by output and achievements.

This book specifically offers an excellent discussion of how these views disconnect us from each other, the Christian community and most of all God.

Each chapter is well structured and purposeful, with a clear view, idea and focus. Each uses a story from the life of Van Gogh to illustrate the narrator's intentions beautifully, and references the findings of other writers.

Despite it's engaging and persuasive nature the book takes too long discussing problems the church faces before suggesting what we can do to tackle them. It's only near the end that a revelation reverses the responsibility from the Christian community we engage in to the responsibility we all hold.

I would still highly recommend the book as an engaging jumping off point for active churches & communities to begin discussions on the problems we face, and the steps we can take to move forward.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

“The Divine Commodity” opens with the author walking out of a mammoth church auditorium equipped with all of the latest technology, “I remembered that uncomfortable feeling I had with my cousin. All the audio/visual equipment makes for a spectacular production, but how much of it is really necessary for discipleship? What have we created by staying up to date with our culture's entertainment norms? Are we truly relevant or do we look like every other weekend concert? Are we distinguishable from the rest of society in our methods of communication or do we look just like them just with a different branding initiative?”

I agree that the church looks just a little too much like the world; I do feel uncomfortable every time God is sold, packaged, & presented with instructions, etc.

This books strength is in its warnings against a Christianity that compromises with its surrounding culture. But its weaknesses are that its summaries of Christianity & the state of the world were maddeningly superficial, & that its prescriptions are often so flimsy that I don't know what to do with them.

So the book is okay, for those who want to read a rant against the church & nothing more than you will think this is great. But if you want more, thought provoking, genuinely truth oriented, questions & answers then go read Os Guinness, David Wells and others like them.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is really less about Faith and more about the history of Vincent VanGoh. The first two or three chapters does connect with the theme of faith beyond consumer christianity, after that it just became repetitive and boring. It was a very interesting read and did force me to stop and think several times about the message intended. I had to put this book down several times and walk away just to absorb the message. I learned a lot about Vincent VanGoh and his life, and can even see the connection the author was trying to make between Vincent's life and Christianity, but I felt like the book took a lot of side roads and was very dull.

I did not walk away with any new spirituality or even remembering reading it. I even had to pick up the book several times to re-read the end because I didn't remember finishing the book.

[Megan Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read about this book in Amanda Held Opelt’s book Holy Unhappiness, which I’m still reading. I found her reference to Divine Commodity intriguing enough that I started listening to Jethani’s book while still reading Opelt’s off and on, and I finished Jethani’s first since it was via audio and more easily portable. Divine Commodity was very interesting throughout, and it made me look at all parts of our retail and marketing-based economy differently, even in areas unrelated to Christianity. I definitely recommend it. The only drawback for me with Divine Commodity was the author’s frequent reference to Van Gogh. Initially it seemed fitting, but after while I felt like Jethani might have been reaching somewhat for relevance where some other comparison would’ve served better to drive home his points. I absolutely plan to read more by Jethani and was pleased he has a whole list of books to choose from. His take on Christian nationalism will be fascinating to explore, also.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book had some fresh insights. There were a few areas where I thought he was a little critical. He talked about theater and other artistic licenses that are used in church which he saw as commercialism. However, he uses Van Gogh's art to paint beautiful imagery. It seemed like a contradiction to be able to use one medium of art and frown upon another in attempting to connect with God authentically.

He also cast living in the suburbs as a product of being a consumer and that it caused a break down in community due to isolation. I have always lived in the suburbs and our neighbors have been wonderful friends, so this personally felt like this point of his was subjective and not completely fleshed out.

So, besides a few inconclusive arguments (and character assassinations of people like John Wanamaker), i thoroughly enjoyed Jethani's writing style and his book, overall.

[Christophe Landa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a very insightful look at the American church. I liked how it showed that mainstream Christianity has repeated the historical error of previous centuries by co-mingling the message of Jesus Christ with the culture of the day. Specifically, American consumerism has permeated much of how we live life, religious or secular, but has seriously shaped how the American Christian Church operates.

It was a very good window into the author's thoughts about his own perspectives and burdens regarding this topic. As a result, much of what is discussed is personal and the approaches to countering the undue influence of consumerism is practical. I highly enjoyed it.

If you read one book by Skye Jethani, you should read "With" as I consider that book excellent. If you have room for more than one Skye book, give this one a gander.

[Greg Reimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sobering book that doesn't necessarily give clear application and solution, but instead calls out the problem that has slithered into the garden of the church. Through a creative cycle of anecdotes, art, and scriptural principals, Skye manages to reveal the consumeristic tendencies the church has fallen into. Along with showing us our trappings, he points us to the beauty of the freedom we can experience in letting go of the consumer drive in our churches. The beauty of community, prayer, and a genuine relationship with God helps to set us on the right path. This book will challenge you as an individual, but also as a member of the greater body, the church. It is uncomfortable to read at times, but you will finish the book refreshed and not disappointed.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent breakdown on the commodification of religion. I like the ending as he points out that he is part of the problem and therefore he must engage and become part of the solution. I am also part of the problem, but must also stay engaged at my church and become part of the solution.

My favorite quote from the book, "We live in an instant gratification culture. The development of digital media and smartphones has only compounded this value. Delayed satisfaction is the unpardonable sin of modern life, and telling someone they ought to wait to fulfill a desire - or heaven forbid, not fulfill at all - is an American heresy."

[Clair Culberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the third time I’ve read this book, and the first time I listened to the audiobook version. Although most of the references are a little outdated because of how quickly technology and media changes, this book is highly relevant. I love how the author intertwined the work of Van Gogh with his observations on the modern western church. I also appreciate that he does not give quick fixes, but presents problems that the Church is often too close to see. I highly recommend this book for all Christians- especially those who work in a church or ministry setting. Do not turn a blind eye on the consumerism that has consumed the church.

[Tommy Grooms · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up The Divine Commodity after being impressed with Skye Jethani's With and with his frequent insights as a co-host on the Phil Vischer Show. I found Jethani's self-described "impressionist" structure of each chapter - seemingly unassociated vignettes that make up a larger theme - to have its intended effect of quickening the imagination and provoking reflection. His unexpected conclusion ("Here is my secret - I am a Consumer Christian") was so much more refreshing, honest, and helpful than the usual "Think different" fare that comprises contemporary Christian publications.

[Antonietta tesfaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book instructs you on how to navigate with the commercialization of religion. I would prefer that the church examines itself and do better. This book puts all of the Work or fault onto the parishioner instead of what is putting out the problem. Too much of just ignore everything over here and just work on this so that you can get through it. No, expose everything and start fixing it. That's how you get people back into church. There's a big difference between this organized religion aspect and the true teaching of Jesus Christ.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jethani has an excellent WORD for today's church. We are so consumer driven and he exposes it, even claiming that he, himself, is consumer oriented. His ability in expressing his deep thoughts on the matter is engaging and probing. In the epilogue he calls he church to disciplines like silence, prayer, fasting, love, hospitality, and friendship. This is a great wake-up call for those who seek to be followers of Jesus.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jethani offers a compelling look at how the modern Western church has adopted a consumerist approach to Christianity. Using Vincent Van Gogh’s life as a vehicle, he examines today’s 501c3 church, it’s priorities and values, and it’s audience’s expectations in light of historic and biblical realities. Ultimately, he challenges readers to re-evaluate their assumptions of how the body of Christ should approach ministry. Engaging, well-written, and worth the read.

[Brianna Lengacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but the way it was written really grabbed my attention. I’ve always wondered where the church may have made a wrong turn or chosen the wrong things to focus on, and this book highlights all of the major problems really well. I have a much better understanding of how consumerism has greatly impacted us as well as the church. I would highly recommend reading this!

[Nick Woodall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skye did an outstanding job in this book. He takes Scripture, weaves it with a story about the painter Van Gogh, and delineates for us how the Church is really missing the boat in today's society. He "paints his picture" and then brings his book to a very simple, eloquent conclusion. This is a must-read for Christians.

[Dave Symmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, on many levels. A wonderfully written book exposing how our current consumer culture has affected our relationships with each other, God, and our collective paradigm of Christianity. With a bonus parallel story woven in of Vincent Van Goghs spiritual journey and divine inspiration behind his works. Which certainly resonates with me, and I'm sure will with a lot of others. Great book!

[Bailey Parette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved learning about Van Gogh and how his experience relates to the modern, "consumer-minded" church. A lot of beautiful imagery and great quotes in this book! It has encouraged me to pursue some thoughtful reflection on my faith and how I can be a "sower" in a world that is driven by results and achievements.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

The content wasn't necessarily bad, but there was a lot of repetition and circling back to the same points. The information about Van Gogh was so abrupt and just appeared throughout various chapters. It was interesting, but nothing tied together very well. As a whole, the book just wasn't cohesive and seemed to meander and come back around to start meandering again.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skye wrote a good book about the commodification of the church. The problem is that this isn't biblical, and we in the western church need the community Christ wanted us to have. This was a reminder that we are a product of our culture, but we can recognize its failings and return to the truth of what God intended the Church to be.

[P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, insightful look at the invasion of consumerism & marketing strategies into the modern American church. Skye Jethani is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers on modern Christianity.