Church in the Land of Desire: Eastern Orthodox Encounter with North American Consumer Culture - Paperback

by Edward Rommen (Author), Bradley Nassif (Foreword by)

According to William Leach, religious communities that have come to North America have not been able to withstand the damaging influence of its consumer-oriented society which has subverted ecclesial customs, values, and practices. Rather than resisting, most of these groups have sought to integrate Christianity into the new culture. By doing so, they run the risk of marginalizing the church and fundamentally altering its teachings and practice. Of course, the real danger does not reside in the occasional use of isolated elements of our culture, the unreflected application of any technology available, the replacement of traditional ecclesial practices with the techniques of the business world, or even the substitution of ecclesial foundations of authority. Rather, danger lies in a set of fundamental principles that together define a basic orientation which is naturally and almost mindlessly attracted to these secular devices, sees no harm in them, justifies and amplifies their effects, and effectively supplants the mind of Christ which is supposed to govern the church. This study analyzes and documents the effects of that mindset and calls us back to the biblical and traditional alternatives that alone can bring healing and recovery to the church.

Author Biography

Edward Rommen holds an MDiv and a DMiss from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School as well as a PhD in Theology from Ludwig Maximillian University, Munich, Germany. After fifteen years of church planting and teaching in Europe, he returned to the United States to teach missions and theology and then returned again to pastoral ministry as an Orthodox priest. He is currently an adjunct professor at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina.