Educating for Discipleship in Consumer Culture: Promising Practices Rooted in the Pastoral Circle

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by eScholarship@BC Educating for Discipleship in Consumer Culture: Promising Practices Rooted in the Pastoral Circle Author: Tirrell M. Elliott-Hart Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/1942 This work is posted on eScholarship@BC, Boston College University Libraries. Boston College Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, 2011 Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. Boston College Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry EDUCATING FOR DISCIPLESHIP IN A CONSUMER CULTURE: PROMISING PRACTICES ROOTED IN THE PASTORAL CIRCLE a dissertation by TIRRELL M. ELLIOTT-HART submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May, 2011 © copyright by TIRRELL M. ELLIOTT-HART 2011 Abstract Educating for Discipleship in a Consumer Culture: Promising Practices Rooted in the Pastoral Circle Author: Tirrell Elliott-Hart Advisor: Dr. Jane Regan American society has been labeled a ―consumer culture.‖ ―Consumer culture‖ is not another term for materialism or a framework to explain one‘s relationship to money; it is an evolving ethos shaping our vision of ourselves, of our neighbor and the common good. The breadth and depth of commodification in the contemporary West informs the collective imagination in unprecedented ways. This dissertation brings together social science critique, educational tools and theological resources to create models for effective adult disciple building that are adequate for addressing challenges of a dominant culture‘s ideology and practices. Christian formation practices should heighten the Christian community‘s awareness of its role in dominant culture, both as inheritors of culture and as agents. This awareness requires transformation in many dimensions of one‘s being: a holistic discipleship. Jesus reminded his followers, ―Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.‖1 One of the driving questions of this dissertation is: how can the Christian community wrestle ultimate concerns back from the consumer culture to the heart of God for the world? To address that question the discourse of the dissertation is interdisciplinary while maintaining an ultimate vision for an approach to educating for mature Christian discipleship. The dissertation is structured to include social analysis, a vision of alternatives to the dominant lifestyle promulgated by the consumer culture, and 1 Luke 12:34, The New Oxford Annotated Bible. effective pathways toward achieving that vision. The first half of the dissertation analyzes the relationship of contemporary consumer culture and Christian experience. The sociological and historical descriptions of this phenomenon lead toward the question, what are the implications for religious identity and meaning-making in light of the consumerist context? I explore theological resources including the gospel of Luke, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Gustavo Gutierrez for highlighting key dimensions of culturally responsive discipleship. I also present two brief cases of organizations who are attempting to live out promising approaches to Christian community in light of consumer culture patterns. The second half explores theories that can serve as a framework for Christian education practices effective for countering the influences of consumerism. Transformative learning theory is introduced as a resource for cultivating awareness of underlying assumptions shaped by culture that are operative in adult decision making and worldview. Henriot and Holland‘s ―pastoral circle‖ is described as a transformative learning tool. The dissertation moves toward a model of adapting the pastoral circle for educating congregations to think theologically about culture for the sake of personal transformation and social action. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………i Preface………………………………………………………………………………ii Introduction…………………………………………………………………………1 Chapter One: Consumer Culture as Context for Twenty-first Century Church: Commodified Self, Commodified Other …………………………………………….7 I. Temporary Frugality II. Why ―Consumer Culture‖? III. Historical Foundations IV. Commodification and Human Experience V. Commodification and Religious Commitment VI. Conclusions Chapter Two: Commodification as a Theological Problem: Discipleship that Challenges the Consumer Context…………………………………………………………………39 I. Biblical Discipleship II. The Nature of Contemporary Discipleship III. Putting Christ Before Consumption: Living Illustrations IV. Conclusions Chapter Three: Effective Pathways for Resisting Cultural Norms: Transformative Learning………………………………………………………………………………75 I. Foundations: Jack Mezirow II. Exploring the Possibilities For Transformative Learning Theory III. Implications a. Evidence of transformation in the case communities b. Beyond transformative learning theory IV. Conclusions Chapter Four: Effective Pathways for Cultivating Faithful Praxis: The Pastoral Circle ………………………………………………………………………………….114 I. Christ in and for Cultures II. Introducing the Pastoral Circle a. Engaging in social analysis b. Making a judgment c. Pastoral action III. Pedagogy and the Pastoral Circle IV. Implications Chapter Five: Transforming Communities: From Consumption to Cultivating Contribution ………………………………………………………………………….. 152 I. Toward Transformation II. The Pastoral Circle Re-imagined III. Experiments in Mindful Discipleship IV. Implications a. Life in small communities: fostering and sustaining alternative practices b. Community as context for learning V. Conclusions References…………………………………………………………………………….. 179 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful for the opportunity for doctoral study granted by the faculty of the Institute for Pastoral Ministry and Religious Education at Boston College. The small program fostered collegiality, friendships, mentor relationships and a hospitable home for my many years of graduate study and writing this dissertation. Thanks particularly to professors Tom Groome and Jane Regan and the friends of the doctoral seminar/lunches that shaped my understandings of what it means to practice Christian education and helped me form the questions that launched this dissertation. I would like to acknowledge my committee: Director Jane Regan and members Audrey Friedman of the Lynch School of Education and Roberto Goizueta of the Theology Department. Thank you for your generous contribution of time over the years that this project has taken shape. I am grateful for your pointing me to scholarly sources, your encouragement throughout the process, your questions and critique: all of which contributed to this dissertation. Nancy Pineda Madrid and Colleen Griffith at the School of Theology and Ministry are role models in their teaching and their research as practical theologians. Eldin Villafane, Professor of social ethics at the Center for Urban Ministerial Education in Roxbury, MA, also provided me with feedback on and resources for the key arguments of this dissertation. He embodies an inspiring combination of pastoral compassion for the city and keen intellect. Fred Elliott-Hart helped me to carve out the space needed to pursue my studies, was a thoughtful dialogue partner in the writing process, and stands by me in all things. Dylan, Sadie, and Paul Elliott-Hart affectionately encourage me, play with me, and provide the multi-textured real world backdrop against which my academic work stands. I want to acknowledge the influence of my colleagues at the Mennonite Central Committee for my first taste of radical commitment to the way of the cross; you are people who live joyfully and simply and readily accompany the world‘s most vulnerable people. Thanks to Sharon Ketcham for reading early drafts and companioning me at the crossroads of family life and academic life. i PREFACE In the late nineteen-nineties I moved with my husband and infant to Jamaica; we each took two suitcases. Our basic needs were provided through our agency so that food, shelter and reasonable medical expenses were covered. Anything else depended on discretionary money that was our salary, about fifty US dollars per month. This experience of forced simplicity in the context of a country where we still had more resources than most of the others around us cultivated many habits for living with far less than the typical North American. While we made the choice to live and work in modest conditions in a cross cultural situation, which we hoped would change our habits, attitudes and shape our spirituality we were not making the daily choices of simplicity out of sheer will power. By North American standards there were not very many goods in the marketplace or opportunities to purchase non-essentials, there were very little material possessions displayed prominently to evoke desire and we had little access to North American media images or messages. During our return trip after three years of service we visited friends who lived in seminary housing in a quaint suburb. Today, the images I remember tell me that the apartment was small and old, by typical real estate standards, and the family probably felt that it was challenging to live there. But as a reentry point we were overwhelmed by the environment, taken aback at the number of things that they had that were not essential. I remember vividly noticing art hanging on the walls, wall mounted shelves with decorative items, and matching furniture (ironically they were waiting for an even nicer

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