Feature
Purpose-Driven Purging
Minimalism Is Not the New Christian Approach to Managing Possessions
by Harma-Mae Smit
Whatever happened to materialism? What happened to the unapologetic celebration of glitz, the songs about the accumulation of stuff, the vaunting of consumerist culture? The prancing "material girl" and the slicked-back "greed-is-good" tycoon have receded. Materialism has retreated with a whimper, still existent, but unable to deny that stuff, stuff, stuff cannot fulfill. People point at the inescapable flaws: More stuff can make you more anxious, not less. It doesn't bring you everlasting happiness. It can stand in the way of your fully developing your potential, and it can hold you down in a place you don't want to be. To celebrate materialism takes an increasing amount of effort.
Talking heads have preached against materialism for years now, and we've all nodded along. Researchers have conclusively demonstrated that materialism decreases your overall sense of wellbeing. But nothing has stemmed the tide of products filling our houses, trash flowing out of our homes, or things overflowing from our self-storage units. All our agreement with the emptiness of materialism has accomplished nothing. The idea that what you own doesn't bring fulfillment has become so common and clichéd that the message has faded into the background.
This is unsurprising. Lectures and sermons against our ingrained habits can't be expected to affect the way we live when no alternative is offered. "The shortcomings of materialism" is a tired theme, with little power to inspire.
So what can inspire us? Minimalism—the doing away with excess stuff and living with just enough and no more—is presented as a liberating alternative, and, at first glance, it does appear to be a viable solution to materialism, a way to free oneself from tired consumerism. It is far more motivating than mere screeds against stuff, for this alternative is a new way of living that might actually get people to overthrow their habits of accumulation. Minimalism does more than just ask us to go to the store a little less, and because of that, it succeeds in inspiring people.
A Tool or a Way of Life?
But does minimalism actually replace materialism? Is it truly a new path for living?
Initially, minimalism and Christianity might appear to be natural partners. Christianity warns against storing up treasure where moth and rust can destroy. It proclaims the danger of the love of money. It insists that there should be no difference in how we treat the rich man and the poor man. In fact, rich men—men with lots of stuff—are vilified in parables. And saints throughout history have made vows of poverty and simplicity, renouncing worldly goods.
But while Christianity and minimalism both posit that stuff gets in the way of discovering what can truly fulfill you, they are not interchangeable philosophies. They may incidentally suggest similar ways to avoid materialism. But they differ fundamentally in what they present as the goal of their respective lifestyles, and in the way they promote the spiritual value of a simple life.
The Bible warns against the enslaving power of money, but it does not condemn possessions or state that the goal of a Christian life is to live without them. It also does not see freedom from possessions as identical with spiritual health. Many Christians are rightfully attracted to the aspects of minimalism that seem to align with Christian goals. But minimalism, on its own, will not bring robust understanding of how to manage our possessions in a way that leads to greater joy and a deeper living out of our faith.
Wait a minute, some might argue. Minimalism is only a tool, not a philosophy for living. All minimalism does is provide freedom for you to pursue whatever you find meaningful. Actually, however, minimalism is more than a mere tool; it is not really equivalent to that spade you keep in the garage and use once a year. Minimalism, like other philosophies, can mean a variety of things: an art movement, a style of literature, a method for decluttering, a way to manage your budget. But in its most encompassing form, it presents itself as a philosophy for all of life.
Harma-Mae Smit lives in Edmonton, Canada, where she works as a library assistant and studies theology at the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary. She is a professing member of Immanuel Canadian Reformed Church. Her work has previously appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Edmonton Journal, and Reformed Perspective magazine.
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