The Advent Conspiracy is an attempted grassroots return to the true meaning of Christmas: the fact that Jesus came into the world as a Jew to save his people and the rest of the world from their sins and restore them to fellowship with God. As a result, the movement shuns consumerism and welcomes giving to the poor.
Time magazine has taken notice, and even takes a few side shots at cultural conservatism in the process.
A movement like Advent Conspiracy is countercultural on two fronts - fighting the secular idea that Christmas is a monthlong shopping and decorating ritual and also the powerful conservative notion that the holiday requires acknowledgement from the nation's retailers to be truly meaningful.
I suppose that's fine. Christmas, and more accurately "Advent," is about what the Advent Conspiracy says it's about. I suppose I just get a little tired when we make such a strong split between individual and cultural values. The legacy of the West is born out of the Christian view of Christmas. I'm just as interested in Christianity in the marketplace of ideas as I am with it's meaning in the life of an individual. These are not opposing ideals.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment