| | There is a new trend in retail and commercial development these days known as the 'Lifestyle Center' or 'New Town Center' concept. In Ohio, you'll see these sorts of developments at the Easton Town Center in Columbus, Newport on the Levee in Cincinnati, or the Dayton region's hippest new development, The Greene in Beavercreek. Growing rapidly in popularity, there are now about 150 of these Centers throughout the United States, and more being built every year. They are characterized by quaint urban design such as narrow brick streets, classic street lamps, mixed land use, and upscale shopping and entertainment venues with facades reminiscent of European cities. Although the concept is a marked improvement on the big box malls that marked the 1970s through the 1990s, many still refer to these centers as malls in disquise. However, regardless of whether one agrees that developments such as these are just dressed up malls or not, I can't help but recognize how much they are really a disguise for American greed and self-centeredness. Rather than simply being a new format for a shopping center to be laid out, these are most blatantly a new way for upper middle-class Americans to ignore the pain and grit that pervades the real world. Lifestyle Centers are really just an attempt to create what people have always enjoyed in urban settings, without the hastle of beggars, crime, pollution, or people who aren't just like them. Now before I go on condemning those who frequent such kingdoms of capitalism, I myself must admit that I have made the occasional visit to the Greene since its opening, and chose Newport on the Levee as the location of my first date with my soon-to-be wife, Ashley. Hence the reason why, as we visited Newport this weekend for our one year anniversary of dating, upon watching Will Smith's latest film, The Pursuit of Happyness, I was so moved and convicted to think once more about how I spend my time and money. The film, which is based on a true story, recounts the life of a man who, despite his most diligent effort loses his wife, his home, and nearly his son, all while just trying to make it through life and pay the bills. It depicts his daily rush from his internship with Dean Witter to the day-care to pick up his son in time to make it to the homeless shelter so they would have a place to sleep for the night. One short but impactful scene in particular showed a convertable full of people laughing and having fun while a long line of homeless people stand in the background hoping to be among those that got to have a bed that night. The scene epitomizes how so many people in this country just carry on their lives of wining, dining, and entertainment, oblivious to the way countles others struggle and suffer just to make it through each day. Watching this movie did more than show me how Lifestyle Centers represent this selfish American tragedy, and it even did more than assist me in not taking for granted the meal I had in my stomach from earlier that night. It also made me consider how even the American church is like this, and therefore why the church here has experienced such growing pains as it so half-heartedly attempts to 'save sinners'. But once again, before I go on chastising, I want to make it clear that I am a part of the Church and therefore share in her guilt just as much as any other member, and that my reason for writing this article is to not only call out the Church, but to encourage her to treasure her husband more rightly and to focus her attention and resources on seeing His Kingdom come. It does not suprise me that people in this world care only for themselves, nor is it shocking that Americans gravitate to lifestyle centers to accumulate, eat gobs of good food, and attempt to escape reality. God's Word expressly shows that we live in a fallen world, and that by nature we are idolaters who seek to build the kingdom of self. But what does shock and sadden me (in the same way the prophet Jeremiah relates in chapter 2:9-13) is the way we as the church and bride of Jesus have so often mirrored the self-centeredness of the world. And rather than following in the footsteps of our Messiah, we have ignored the poor, and chosen to use God's abundant grace to comfort ourselves while the world suffers and the time before The Return ticks away. We believe the dispensational notion that we are only living to get ourselves to the afterlife, rather than obeying the Great Commission of our King to advance His Kingdom. Besides our pastor Rob's most recent sermon series on materialism http://www.apexcommunity.net/?page_id=19, another tool the Lord has been using on me to evoke all these thoughts is a book by Richard Lovelace titled, 'Renewal As a Way of Life'. Commenting on Haggai 1:2-11, Lovelace says: "This is an apt description of the economic difficulties the world is experiencing today. These conditions are not just a challenge to non-Christians. They are also a judgment on styles of Christianity that do not seek first the kingdom of God, but operate instead as chaplaincies to those involved in the rat race for success. Much of our current search for inner fulfillment is only a spiritual form of this same self-centeredness. What would happen if the energy directed toward these disguised forms of self-betterment were turned instead to the betterment of the kingdom? Then perhaps we should see the fulfillment of God's encouraging words through Haggai to a people who were turning to build the house of God...[then points to Haggai 2:3-9]" The church hasn't only struggled with worldly materialism. There are plenty of Christians (once again of whom I am among) who despite not always joining the world in materialism, sexual promiscuity, drunkeness, and all the other "really bad sins", still choose to stay to themselves, continuing to ignore the spiritual and physical needs of others while they pot luck themselves to the grave. Even though this doesn't appear sinful, but rather harmless, it weakens the church's fervor for the Lord and does not promote Jesus as the Messiah and King of a whole new world order. Church, we have a comfort and hope that surpasses anything that constant "fellowship meals", the world, or any neo-urban shopping development can provide. We have a great high priest who lived perfectly and defeated death for us, giving us a righteousness and a hope that will stand up for us on the Day of Judgment when all else will be mowed down by the wrath of God. We have an awe-inspring Creator of a God who in His beauty has designed so much more for us to enjoy than the fleeting pleasures that our flesh craves. So let us look to him who is the author and finisher of our faith, and let us run with endurence the race that is set before us. May we in the joy of finding the Treasure we have in Christ spend all of our resources to see His Kingdom come and His will be done, and to see people from every tribe, tongue and nation taste and see that the Lord is good. Let us follow Jesus and be the ones in our society who recognize reality and concern ourselves with the poor, and by God's grace become those who are spoken of in Isaiah 58:12: "And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in." |
