Mark Conner Contemporary Culture, Religion, Spirituality

What is Happening to Christianity?

The statistics are in from the 2021 census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS: source]. Only 43.9% of Australians now identify with its most common religion – Christianity. This is down from 50% in 2016, 60% percent in 2011, and 71% not long before that. That’s what I would call a ‘free fall’ – almost a 30%+ decline in a matter of decades. It is the first time less than half of the country identifies as Christian.

So what is the fastest-growing religious category? ‘No religion‘. More Australians than ever have reported they don’t identify with any religion. Almost 40% of the Australian population reported having ‘no religion’. This marks an increase from 30% in 2016 and 22% in 2011. NOTE: Despite being a voluntary question on the census, there was an increase in the proportion of people answering the question, from 91% in 2016 to 93% in 2021.

The census showed other religions are growing but make up a small proportion of the population. Hinduism has grown by 55.3 percent to 684,002 people or 2.7 percent of the population. Islam has grown to 813,392 people, which is 3.2 percent of the Australian population.

So what is happening? Is this simply a sign of increasing nominalism and spiritual apathy? Or could it be that Christianity in its current forms simply doesn’t seem attractive to more and more people who do not believe it is worth their wholehearted devotion and commitment?

In the USA, the Supreme Court has recently overturned Roe Vs Wade which legalised abortion back in 1973. Most conservative Christians are rejoicing and former President Donald Trump is smiling in a corner somewhere. However, the culture wars are ignited afresh as a result of this landmark decision, with LGTBQI+ rights potentially under threat next.

How does all of this affect the work of the church and the message of Jesus? Personally, I am for life in all its ages and stages BUT I think legislating morality can be problematic. Zack Hunt’s recent provocative article ‘The Pro-Life Movement Is Anti-Christ‘ raises a lot of relevant issues in all of this.

No doubt the reputation of Christianity has been greatly damaged by cases of clergy sexual abuse and recent public scandals of influential leaders. In addition, the COVID pandemic caused much polarisation within the church between anti-vaxxers, conspiracists, and health professionals, and has also had a big impact on church attendance as well as volunteerism (I recently heard that one Christian business person said the last thing they wanted right now was to be on a roster!).

An increasing number of people I know have no problem with Jesus and would describe themselves as ‘spiritual‘ but feel less comfortable with the institutional church as we know it and in identifying with ‘Christianity.’

I just finished reading Brian McLaren’s latest book ‘Do I Stay Christian: A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned‘. It is a challenging read and though you will probably not agree with all of his analysis or recommendations, he sure captures the current questions and dilemmas that many followers of Jesus are grappling with.

We know that ‘Christendom‘ is gone, at least in the West, but it now seems that even contemporary expressions of ‘church‘ are also on shaky ground.

In his book ‘The Future of Faith‘, Harvard religion scholar Harvey Cox offers up a new interpretation of the history and future of religion. Cox identifies three fundamental shifts over the last 2,000 years of church history:

  • The Age of Faith was when the early church was more concerned with following Jesus’ teachings than enforcing what to believe about Jesus.
  • The Age of Belief marks a significant shift – between the fourth and twentieth centuries – when the church focused on orthodoxy and right beliefs.
  • The Age of the Spirit, which began in the 1960s and is shaping not just Christianity but other religious traditions today, is ignoring dogma and breaking down barriers between different religions. Spirituality is replacing formal religion. 

For even more thought-provoking reading on this topic, you can’t go past American historian of Christianity Diana Butler Bass‘ monumental work in her book ‘Christianity After Religion’.

So what does this all mean? Where are things heading? What does the future hold? How should we respond to this? What is God up to? These are vital questions for our time, especially for followers of Jesus and church leaders seeking to live out his mission in our world. May we have wisdom, courage, and grace to respond well to the times we have been given.

Mark Conner Contemporary Culture, Current Issues, General Interest, Personal Development, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

A Map of Life’s Journey

In a few months time I will be 58 years of age. As I grow older, I find myself reflecting more on my life. Where I’ve come from, where I’ve been, where and who I am now, and where I am going. I also observe other people in their own journey as they seek to make sense of this amazing gift called ‘life’.

I read a few intriguing personal news items these last few weeks (see more below). After doing so, I sketched out the following stages as a sample map of life’s journey. Here is what I observe.

1. Construction

We all grow up in a context – a family, a country, a village or tribe, a set of values, and for many, a religious belief system. This is the ‘construction’ we emerge within. There are shapes, lines, borders, and boundaries that we learn to live and move within. Other people created this construct for us. Often they are the influential people in our life or our environment. It’s what we inherit we when start out on our journey.

2. Conversion

At some point, as we grow up, we start to find ourselves. We determine what we believe and what is true for us. For many people, there is a sense of conversion, where we embrace our world because it works for us. This conversion may be dramatic and at a specific point of time. Or it may be less spectacular and more gradual in its emergence. This is where we identify with who we are, based on the construct we have grown up within.

3. Questions and Doubts

[NOTE: There are people who stop after the first two stages mentioned above and they are content with those experiences … for the rest of their lives. They never doubt or question. Life and faith works for them. They can also tend to view people at the following stages as ‘backslidden’, ‘apostate’, or never ‘saved’. After all, where you stand determines what you see.]

For many other people, questions and doubts emerge. They start to critique the construct they have grown up within and even their conversion experience(s). This often occurs as a result of meeting other people who live outside of their construct and from hearing stories of other worlds and other world-views (belief systems).

For those who have grown up within a Christian environment or construct, the questions frequently centre around perplexities such as the existence of hell, why there is suffering in the world, the exclusivity of the Christian faith, the reliability of the Bible, the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus, and the marginalisation of LGBTQIA+ people.

4. De-Construction

As a result of the questioning and doubts, many people start to de-construct the world that other people handed them. They begin pulling out some of the Jenga blocks other people gave them. Even those passed on from parents, teachers, and authority figures. After a while, the construction starts to sway and some of the blocks topple … and for some, the whole construct comes tumbling down to the ground … with an almighty crash!

5. De-Conversion

Some people move into de-conversion after a time of de-construction. They don’t believe what they used to believe. What was once true for them isn’t true anymore. They would be hypocritical to continue to declare allegiance to the construction that no longer feels like home to them. They have changed. They have moved. Reason has triumphed over past faith.

Recent examples of people who have arrived at this stage of de-conversion include Joshua Harris, a best-selling Christian author, and Marty Sampson, a well-known worship leader from Hillsong. They are not alone … or new. Consider the intriguing de-conversion stories of people such as Charlie Templeton (peer to Billy Graham), Dan Barker and John Loftus … if you dare.

Other people skip this step altogether and move from de-construction straight into re-construction.

6. Re-Construction

Now, a time of re-construction begins. It’s time to build a new world with what truly has meaning, value, and truth to us. We begin to think for ourselves. We choose to be authentic about what we believe, apart from what others have told us we should believe. This new construction may include some aspects, beliefs and values from our past. These are now seen from a new perspective. It also includes new things that weren’t part of our past at all. This can be quite scary … and liberating.

Summary

I am still learning and researching this. I am listening to other people’s stories and reflecting on my own life journey. This is not a linear process. Life is far more circular, unpredictable, and random. Nor is it everyone’s story. Not everyone goes through each stage on this map. Nor do they identify and understand each stage. But someone does.

A few final reflection questions:

  1. What stages of this map of life’s journey do you identify with? Where have you been?
  2. Where are you now?
  3. Have you ever had questions and doubts about your inherited construct? How have you processed these? Were you given permission to lean into them or were you shamed for experiencing them?
  4. Where do you see the other important people in your life right now?
  5. How do you handle or cope with people at different places than you?
  6. How can we better truly listen to and understand other people’s stories more deeply … without judging or trying to ‘fix’ them?
  7. What emotions does this discussion about a map of life’s journey evoke for you? It is resonance, dissonance, fear, anxiety, annoyance, anger or excitement and hope?

I’d love to hear from you. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. If you can’t see the Comments section, click on the title of this BLOG post then scroll down to the bottom off the page.

Mark Conner Bible, Contemporary Culture, Current Issues

ORIGINS: Genesis Re-Visited

The book of Genesis is a narrative of the origins of the world, but in particular the family of Abraham. Three major world religions trace their roots back to Abraham – Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The first 11 chapters cover what is often referred to as ‘pre-history’: from the beginnings of the universe through just after Noah and the flood. The rest of the book tells the story of Abraham and the eventual birth of the nation of Israel.

Back in 2013, I helped to lead a series of messages called ORIGINS, drawing themes from these early Genesis stories. You can read a summary of three of these messages, including a link to a podcast of the messages as follows:

  • ORIGINS: Genesis. In this message, I share an introduction to the book of Genesis, helping us understand and apply this ancient text to our lives today. 
  • ORIGINS: Creation. Science and faith, dinosaurs and the big bang. These just a few of the kinds of questions people come to book of Genesis for, hoping to find some answers. In this message, I takes an in-depth look at the story of creation, which clearly shows us who created the world and why. 
  • ORIGINS: Noah and the Ark. In this message, I look at the classic Sunday School story – Noah and the Ark. Humans fail to be faithful covenant partners in God’s world resulting in chaos and destruction but in God’s mercy he promises that “never again” will there be a flood that destroys the earth. 

Sometimes it helps to look backward before you move forward, so you live your life from a much bigger perspective. I love the idea of an ‘ancient future’ faith. By going back to the beginning, we can glean some amazing insights about God’s original purpose for this world, all of which are incredibly relevant for our lives today in the 21st century. History really is HIS-story and you and I are called to play a significant part in the unfolding redemptive narrative. As you explore some of the early stories in Genesis, I hope that the gift of hindsight creates in you a fresh vision (foresight) of who you truly are. 

Mark Conner Contemporary Culture, General Interest, Personal Development

Do You Have a ‘Secular’ Job?

Every now and then when I am talking with someone, in the course of the conversation, they will mention their ‘secular job’. I always pause and think about that statement. It actually grates me. Why is that?

Unfortunately, many people have created a division between the “sacred” and the “secular”. This dualism is a product of Greek philosophy that has so influenced our Western worldview. Life is often seen as a series of boxes– one for family, one for work, one for friends, one for recreation, and one for faith (God or our “spiritual life”). As long as we prioritise correctly and make appropriate contributions to each box, life will work out for us. This results in a compartmental style of thinking. In contrast, in the Hebrew or Jewish mind, and also from a Christian perspective, life should be viewed as one large circle with God in the centre. Everything else is to find its meaning and perspective from that centre. God wants to be involved in every area of our life – not just our spiritual life. All of life is sacred and God is interested in every dimension of our lives. 

Brother Lawrence, a French monastic from the seventeenth century, is well known for writing a little booklet that has touched millions of people’s lives. It’s called Practising the Presence of God. It’s about living with a greater realisation each moment of every day that God is with us and interested in doing life (including work) together with us.

The apostle Paul put it this way: “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).” Doing something in Jesus’ name means to do it in his character. It means doing it as Jesus himself would do it if he were in your place. Paul is saying that our entire lives – from the moment we wake up until the time we lay down to sleep – are be lived out ‘in the name of Jesus’. Yes, God is interested in our work life. It matters to him and hopefully it matters to us too.

I hope you enjoy your job this week, whatever you may find yourself doing, and that you see it as part of your meaningful contribution to making the world a better place.

On my new podcast, I recently released a two-part series of messages called “Your Work, God’s Work” given back in 2013 which present a holistic view of our daily work. Visit Podbean or iTunes or your Spotify account to listen. You can also read the summary notes on my BLOG.

Mark Conner Contemporary Culture

Do You Really Need MORE of God? (Part 7)

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If you are a person of faith, do you really need MORE of God?
 
I am all for spiritual experiences but theologically the truth is that we already have all we need. The apostle Paul once wrote a letter to some people living in the city of Corinth who were always after MORE (especially supernatural experiences!) and said, “Everything belongs to you!” (1 Corinthians 3:21-23). All we need is already ours – right now, not one day in the future. In the same way, Jesus placed the words, "Everything I have is yours", in the mouth of the father speaking to his oldest son who had failed to embrace the concept of underserved grace (Luke 15:31). We don’t need more of God, we just need to enjoy and experience what we already have available to us through his extravagant generosity.
 
Silly Prayers I've Prayed
Years ago I would find myself saying familiar prayers such as, "Jesus, please be with us today." What's funny about that is that some of Jesus' last words spoken on earth were, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). So the truth is he is already with me and has promised to be with me until the world ends, which it hasn't yet. So it's actually silly to ask him to do what he is already doing! A better prayer is, "Jesus, thank you that you are with me today."
 
Another prayer I often said while leading church meetings was, "Isn't it good to be in God's presence today." The obvious question is, "Where were we yesterday?" Does God live in the church building waiting and hoping we will come and visit him every week!? Of course not, God is 'omni-present'. He is everywhere at once. There is no where you can go where he is not already there. We don't lack God's presence or need more of it. What we lack is awareness. We need to wake up to the reality that God is with us all the time.
 
We also don't need MORE of God's love. What we need to do is accept and experience the great love he already has for us. 
 
The old legalistic, religious, rules-based mode of living is all about 'DO and LIVE'. If you do the right thing, be a good person, try to keep all the rules, then God will love you and bless you. The new grace-based way of living is to 'LIVE and DO'. You ARE already loved - just as you are. You don't need to DO anything to earn or deserve it. Your just need to accept it and live in it. Grace like this is still amazing. What a difference that makes! We then seek to do the right thing, not in order to be loved by God but because we already are. 

I still remember holding our firstborn son in my arms – Josiah. I was so excited to be a dad and as I held him I thought about how much I loved him. You could take my car or my house or my job, but don't take my boy. He was worth more than anything else to me. Then I thought about WHY I loved him. He hadn't DONE anything yet. He hadn't made a goal in a sports game, scored an 'A' on a test, or made any money. In fact, it cost us a heap of money just to get him there! I loved him NOT because he had done anything but only because he was my child – nothing else. If I as a flawed, imperfect human parent feel that about my children, how do you think God feels about you!
 
We also don't need MORE of God's power. The Spirit who God gives us provides us with all the power, love and wisdom we need for living each day.
 
2 Timothy 1:7. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (or wisdom). NIV
 
Like a bank account with a huge supply of resources, it’s all there … ready for you draw upon it. Simply thank God for his provision and ask for an appropriation in your life of what has already been provided for you. All the courage, strength, wisdom and faith you need for today is already available to you. Yes, ask him for it … but most importantly thank him for it. 
 
Everything is yours! Enjoy it … with great gratitude to the Gracious Giver of all good gifts.
 
Mark Conner Contemporary Culture

Do You Really Need MORE Relationships? (Part 6)

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As human beings, we are designed for relationship. No one is meant to do life 'alone'. We are all better off when we are connected with other people. It's part of our inner need to belong. Of course, experiencing a sense of belonging takes effort and time (the very word "belong" comes from two words "be … long"). It also requires a degree a compatibility, common interest, shared values and trust. 
 
Our relationships can be seen as occurring in a series of concentric and widening circles.
 
1. The crowd. We all know and connect to hundreds and even thousands of people in our lifetime. This includes the many casual interactions we have – at home, at school, at work, out shopping and in various groups we may be a part of (sport, church, community organisations).
 
2. Acquaintances. These are the people we know by name and have some history with.
 
3. Casual Friends. These are people we hang out with from time to time. We know more about them, and have more shared experiences. 
 
4. Close Friends. These are the few people we spend the majority of our time with. We have common interests and a closer heart connection with them. There is also a mutual replenishment that comes from the interaction because both people are contributing, rather than one person always taking the lead to initiate things or ask all the questions. Your time with each other could be described as energising, rather than draining. 
 
Jesus himself loved the crowd, had many acquaintances, yet had 70 people who he spent more time with and out of which he had 12 close friends, three of whom were his best friends. Yes, relationships are ‘spatial’ or defined by different degrees of proximity. 
 
Being friendly and outgoing is an important part of living together as humans. Every person we meet is a potential friend (whether casual or close), and should be treated as such – with worth and value.
 
But do we really need MORE relationships? Like a LEGO block, we all have different capacities for connection. If you have no friends, you have ample space for more relationships and would benefit from making an effort to meet and get to know more people. In contrast, if your LEGO block is full, you don't really have the capacity to take on a heap of new relationships. 
 
Maybe it is time to evaluate and do a 'relational stocktake'. Otherwise, we end up continually 'skimming' with a large group of casual friends but never really going deep with any of them. We are always in a hurry and end up relating superficially. I know this feeling, especially having been part of a church with thousands of people for so many years. 
 
Many friendships can be work or career based (just like school friends). When we stop working together we discover there’s not much left to the relationship. Or maybe you recently moved house or started to attend a different church or social group. As a result, your friendships change.
 
I was born in Melbourne, Australia but moved to the USA when I was 10 years old. I lived there until I was 18 when our family returned to Australia. Moving at age 10 was an adventure while returning at 18 was much harder as I had an established network of friends. I kept in touch with some friends in the USA but gradually lost touch with most. They were part of my past but not part of my future. It was a time to start again and make new acquaintances, some of whom gradually became close friends. 
 
This is just part of how life works. You are no longer in the same environment or context and so it tends to be ‘out of sight out of mind’, unless there is intentional and mutual effort to continue the relationship and sow into new areas of commonality. Otherwise, everyone simply gets on with their own life.
 
Could life be better for you through spending more quality time with fewer people – your family and the friends that mean the most to you at this time in your life? 
 
[See also my BLOG posts about Connecting with People]
 
 
Mark Conner Contemporary Culture

Do You Really Need MORE Work? (Part 5)

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My dad used to say, "The reward of work well done is more work!" How true is that.
 
Making a contribution is an important part of being human and adding value to society. We were created for meaningful work. But when is enough enough? There are many other important aspects of life other than work. No one on their death bed wished they spent more time at the office!
 
I love work. So much so that I clearly have workaholic tendencies. I can become so absorbed in what I am doing that I keep going and going, attacking that endless task list and never ever feeling like I am done. As a result, I have had to deal with burnout due to my failure to draw necessary boundaries and through neglecting the Sabbath principle of rest.
 
In early Jewish history, they actually killed you if you worked on the Sabbath day! The weekly day of rest was that sacred. Nowadays, we just kill ourselves … by never stopping and continually being on the go, addicted to our work. 
 
This message is not for everyone. Some people need to get off their backsides and get to work. Laziness is just a big of an issue in society as workaholism. But for those of us who love our work, there are dangers in the air. 
 
So, do you really need MORE work?
 
Take a moment to read the story of the fisherman … and think about what you really want out of life.
 
Mark Conner Contemporary Culture

Do You Really Need MORE Money? (Part 4)

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Do you really need MORE money?
 
Sometimes more money can be of help – especially to meet our needs and to do good in the world. There is nothing wrong with money. Contrary to the opinion of some, money is NOT "the root of all evil". The apostle Paul declared that "the LOVE of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10) … and you don’t have to have money to love it. The issue is not whether we have money or not but whether money has control of you.
 
It is easy to buy into the belief that the answer to personal financial problems or pressure is to earn more money. Occasionally, that may be true but more often than not our problem is with our spending not our earning. Most people will earn well over a million dollars in their lifetime. But where does it go?
 
"The #1 money problem today is spending more than you earn, resulting in destructive debt."
 
A budget can help but the disciplines of regular saving and consistent spending within our means are vital.
 
"The #1 key to financial freedom is to spend less than you earn, then save and invest the difference over a long period of time."
 
Interestingly, after a certain level of income, more money doesn’t guarantee more happiness. In fact, it can simply add more stress and pressure to your life. That's why there is such an array of current trends  today emphasising activities such as downsizing, de-cluttering and minimalism.
 
"In the end, there is much more to life than money. In fact, the most important things in life you can't buy with money. This includes personal integrity, inner peace and quality relationships."
 
You may need more money … but you may not. Don't just naively jump on the conveyor belt to acquiring more and more wealth without thinking of the cost involved and the possible repercussions. Could contentment with what you already have be today's choice?
 
If you are interested in learning some practical principles for becoming financially free, check out my new book Money Talks.
 
Craig L. Blomberg, Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary was kind enough to recently endorse the book:
 
“Countless books on how to use money compete for readers. It is easy to find complicated ones. It is common to find those that just promote getting rich, even by so-called Christians. There are plenty of theoretical studies that are hard to apply and how-to-manuals not based in good theory. But where does one find a short, practical, biblically grounded, clearly written little book that addresses all the important questions about using money in Christian ways with up-to-date charts, graphs and statistics to back everything up? Mark Conner has now written it. Get a copy. Devour it. Then live it out.”
 
 
Mark Conner Contemporary Culture

Do You Really Need MORE Success? (Part 3)

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Today we continue our series of BLOG posts reflecting on the question, "Do You Really Need MORE?"
 
Those of us who live in the West are born into a world dominated by the religion of capitalism. From our early years, we hear it preaching its gospel of success. "Growth is good!" "Bigger is better!" "MORE is the goal of life!" To be fair, capitalism does a lot of good in the world but unquestioned it can develop a sinister dark side. We do ourselves a favour when we question its assumptions. Let's not embrace the status quo so easily and so uncritically. 
 
Let's be honest, there is a certain appeal to climbing the ladder of success. I was recruited to the pursuit of achievement from an early age, based on my upbringing and culture. I'm also an achiever by nature and I love setting goals, accomplishing things, and completing tasks and projects. There is a positive side to all of this but there is also a cost. When is enough enough? Is this all there is to life? At some stage you have to ask whether your ladder of success is leaning against the right wall. After all, success always creates more pressure and more work. The god of success is never satisfied and the admiration of the crowd quickly fades. Could a shift from success to significance be really what our heart longs for? What truly gives life meaning? What brings joy and is life-giving? 
 
 
Popular business thinker and author Jim Collins, after investing extensive research into studying businesses and companies that are built to last and then companies that move from being good to great, turned his focus to how great companies lose their way – how do the mighty fall? The fall always begins with hubris (pride in one’s own achievements) followed quickly by the relentless pursuit of MORE. That’s often the beginning of the end … yet very few people want to talk about the addictive, intoxicating nature of success that in the end often destroys organizations … and people. 
 
The church world is not immune to the alluring seduction of success. As a young church leader, I quickly bought into the belief that churches needed to grow and that bigger is always better. Having the church NOT grow bigger was not even an option. After all, wasn’t rapidly increasing church attendance the true measure of success and a mark of favour with God? Who would question that? 
 
I think it is time to question our assumptions about growth and success. If your neighbours have more kids than your family does are they a better family? Is bigger really better? Is a bigger church really better than a smaller one? You will never read a letter from the apostle Paul to a church in the first century saying, "I'm so excited you've broken the 200 barrier!" It's just not there. But he did commend his churches for qualities such as their growing love for one another (see 2 Thessalonians 1:3), which just happens to be what Jesus said his followers should be known for (John 13:35).
 
For over 20 years, I was involved in leading a church congregation that grew from 1,500 people to around 10,000 people and I can tell you that reaching more people can be exhilarating. But it comes at a cost. There is a shadow side no one really likes to talk about, including the increasing stress and strain on staff and volunteers, often due to an unsustainable pace and unrealistic schedules. The contemporary church can become like a machine, gobbling up good people up and spitting them out. No wonder we are seeing such a sharp increase in the DONES.
 
Nicole and I actually missed the intimacy of the church when it was smaller. In the end, it felt like managing a large corporation, with all internal politics that come with that. We knew thousands of people but had little time to go deeper with many of them. How easy it is for pastors to degenerate into professional managers of organizations delivering religious goods and services, competing with each other and fighting for people’s attention within the broader marketplace of our consumeristic society. 
 
Is this what Jesus had in mind? Who are we doing this all for? Genuine care for people can easily morph into empire building and the cult of personality, if we are not careful. Yes, the church world today creates it’s own ‘celebrity stars’ who become the ‘rich and famous’ working their brand and distributing their products just like people in every other sector of society. 
 
So, do we really need MORE 'success' – personally, in our businesses, and in our churches? 
 
This post is not 'against' success. I think Dwight L. Moody captures best what I'm trying to say:
 
“Our greatest fear should not be of failure,
but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.”
 
Maybe its time to change the scorecard and the focus of our success orientation.
 
 
Mark Conner Contemporary Culture

Do You Really Need MORE Stuff? (Part 2)

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We live in a world that continually seeks to make us dissatisfied with what we currently have and tries to motivate us to buy the latest and the greatest things. As a result, we end up with far more stuff than we really need. Where I live in Australia, many homes have a double garage. The trouble is many people can't fit their two family cars in the garage because of all the stuff they have stored in there. As a result, one of the fastest growing businesses in Australia is the the self-storage industry! People pay money for more space to store all of their things. 

I'm as guilty as anyone in getting sucked in by the gravitational pull of materialism. I love new technology and I love books.  There is a certain joy in buying a new book even if I haven't read the last few books I bought. Fellow book addicts understand. Those are two of my weaknesses. What about you? 

Let's face it, material things always under-perform in bringing us true happiness. Yes, there is a momentary buzz from buying something new or better but before long that feeling fades.  

Beware of impulse buying, which refers to unplanned expenditures that we make based on emotion. Some of us get excited at the very sight of the word ‘SALE’, an interest free offer or an offer of ‘2 for the price of 1’. Just because you can afford it does not mean you should buy it. If you buy something on sale, you are not saving, you are spending!

Research indicates that women do this more often than men. But men do it in larger amounts. Come one guys, that extra pair of shoes your wife recently purchased will not bust the budget as much as that new mega-size television you bought for the games room! In fact, when it comes to credit card debt, men owe an average of $450 more than women.

So, when is enough enough? Why don't we all step off the treadmill of endless consumption. Could less actually be more? Is it time to de-clutter, to give stuff away, and to down-size?

On this matter, the wisdom from the sacred text calls to us:  

Ecclesiastes 4:6. Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind. NLT

Think about that. Could it be better for you to have less and with it joy and peace than to have more and the debt and accompanying stress that goes with it? I believe so. If your standard of living is creating pressure and anxiety in your life and relationships, why not lower it? Right-size your living expenses to match your income.

It amazing how much stuff we can accumulate through the years. There is something therapeutic about cleaning up, clearing stuff out and simplifying your life. Nicole and I have down-sized a few times in the last year and each time it has felt so good. 

Have a read of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Become a minimalist. It will change your life. 

Think about it … do you really need MORE stuff?

Next: Do You Really Need MORE Success?

Mark Conner Contemporary Culture

Do You Really Need MORE? (Part 1)

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We live in a society that continually encourages us to pursue MORE – more money, more work, more success, more relationships, more experiences and more stuff. Personally, I love working towards goals and continually accomplishing new things. But this constant achievement-orientation can become addictive and it takes a toll on us – physically, mentally, emotionally and relationally. I can testify to that first hand. In fact, I've experienced what it is to virtually wear myself out in the unquestioned climb up the mountain of MORE.
 
For those of us who live in the West, we are born into a world where we breathe the air of Capitalism. It tells us that the 'normal' life involves acquiring more education, earning a bigger salary, moving to a bigger house, driving a newer car, building bigger businesses, living in expanding mega-cities, and growing larger churches. But is this what life is meant to be? And at what cost? Could the relentless pursuit of MORE actually be killing us and our planet? We sure have moved a long ways from the hunter-gatherer era of our human species where we only pursued what was sufficient for the day.
 
Yuval Noah Harari, who has a PhD from Oxford University, is the best-selling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind  and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. In his most recent book, he calls Capitalism the religion of our time, with its belief in the supreme value of growth. He says, “If we somehow succeed in hitting the brakes, our economy will collapse, along with our society. The modern economy needs constant and indefinite growth in order to survive. If growth ever stops, the economy won’t settle down to some cosy equilibrium; it will fall to pieces. That’s why capitalism encourages us to seek immortality, happiness and divinity."
 
Australian sociologist Hugh Mackay talks about the human desire for more in his book What Makes Us ticks? The Ten Desires that Drive Us. He notes that the human appetite for whatever feels good seems insatiable and that the desire for more has an inherently dark side – greed. Greed can tip the balance towards excess, addiction and even mania. Instead of moderation and self-control, we end up with feelings of entitlement and frustration.
 
Could it be time to jump off the fast moving conveyor belt heading to the land of MORE and be satisfied with LESS? Is it worth considering being counter-cultural and choosing to live in the land of contentment?
 
Listen to these words of wisdom from the apostle Paul who lived in the all-consuming Roman Empire of the first century. 
 
"I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." Philippians 4:11-13. The Message Bible.
 
Here we have someone who is not against MORE but who isn't looking for MORE in order to be happy.
 
Over these next few weeks, we will be diving a little deeper into the specific things we seem to want MORE of … and questioning their validity. In the process, we might be able to live even more meaningful, fulfilled and joyful lives. 
 
 
Mark Conner Church, Contemporary Culture, Current Affairs, Current Issues

Church Life AFTER Marriage Equality: The Questions No One Is Asking

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Right now, Australians are deliberating about just one question – “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?” A majority of conservative Christians (as well as Jews and Muslims) are campaigning for a 'No' vote, while less are saying it should be 'Yes'. A majority of society in general seems to be campaigning for a 'Yes' vote, while some are saying it should be 'No'.

Whatever your answer is to this one question, the work of discussion and deliberation doesn’t end on the 15th November (or whenever the government makes a decision); it just begins. Regardless of how we answer this one question, I think there are a host of other better questions that Christians and churches should be discussing right now. Marriage equality will eventually come to Australia – maybe sooner, maybe later. The culture has clearly shifted. Regardless of what happens, here are some better questions that need to be discussed openly and honestly:

  1. How will the Christian church respond to LGBTI families (parents and children) visiting church meetings? Will there be welcome and, if so, what will that ‘welcome’ mean?
  2. What is the “Gospel” (the good news) for members of a LGBTI family?
  3. How will the Christian church respond to a same-sex married couple coming to faith in Jesus? What will discipleship look like?
  4. How will the Christian church respond to children and youth who attend church programs and who are from families with married same-sex parents?
  5. How will Christian schools respond to children applying to enrol from LGBTI families?
  6. Will churches allow married same-sex couples who desire to improve their relationship to attend marriage seminars?
  7. What will the church's teaching about Christian marriage look like in this new world?

These are the kinds of situations the churches will have to grapple with and now is the time to prepare for them. If we fail to answer these better questions adequately, the church could be on the verge of fading into further perceived irrelevance in our world. It will take wisdom, courage and love in order to continue to be the church of Jesus Christ living in a new reality.

Mark Conner Contemporary Culture, General Interest, Personal Development

Finding Happiness (Part 3): Financial Control

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The third ingredient contributing to our everyday happiness (read part 1) is financial control.

Money isn't everything but having enough to meet our own needs as well as to give away to others can create a sense of happiness and freedom in our lives. This has nothing to do with our 'net worth' or waiting until we get that next raise or bonus. It's about how we are managing the resources we currently have. Money is a terrific servant but it can be a cruel taskmaster if we allow it control us. 

Thankfully, we don't have to wait until we have more money. We can start having a sense of financial control … beginning today. It's about having a common-sense plan that's based on hard work, saving, controlling our expenses, paying down our debts and investing wisely. Anxiety can disappear and, in a matter of time, you can know what it is to be financially free.

Unfortunately, we don't automatically have the financial acumen we need for life when we graduate from high school. Sure, we know a little math and maybe a bit about economics, but young people today often don't learn the keys to good financial management while growing up, unless their parents took the time to teach them and model the way. Thankfully, there are tools and resources to help us acquire the knowledge that we need. And it's never too late to learn.

A few helpful resources for Australians are:

Yes, for less than $60 you can acquire all the knowledge and skills you need to gain financial control. That's well worth it.

Did you know that (all are recent statistics from Scott Pape's book mentioned above):

  • The majority of Australians pay $515 a year in bank fees. Over 10 years, that's $5,150, enough money to take you on a really good holiday somewhere!
  • Your super fund can gobble up a third of your savings in fees. Approximately 90% of Australians don't choose where their super money is invested, so they end up in their fund's default option.
  • The average wage in Australia is $78,832 (the top 0.28% of the richest people in the world by income) yet 62% of us believe we can't afford to buy everything we really need.
  • Australians on average live in the biggest homes in the world. And we need a lot of stuff to fill those homes. And we are one of the biggest waste producers in the world – second only to the USA.
  • Australia has the highest rate of household debt in the world. 
  • Only 7% of Australians have the right amount of insurance. 
  • Most Australians aren't ready to retire financially. Although having the richest people on the planet, one in three retirees lives in poverty due to the high cost of living and many run out of savings 13 years before they die … one of the worst results in the world.

Thankfully, it doesn't have to be that way. People are often destroyed through lack of knowledge. That's why it is important to "get wisdom". Get around people who know more than you do and be humble enough to ask questions. Be willing to learn. Have a teachable attitude. You can learn anything … if you only give it a go.

Your money is just that – YOUR money. You got out of bed in the morning, went to work, and earned your paycheck. Why not learn to manage those resources better so you can achieve a greater degree of financial control? It is possible. You can do it. I'll be cheering you on. You'll be glad you did.

P.S. For some more insights on the topic of finance, be sure to check my 3 BLOG posts on Money Talks.