East Meets West: Consumerism & Asceticism

Fr. Gregory invites you to explore with him the intersection of Orthodox spirituality and modern economic behavior. Together will consider classical forms of Christian asceticism as the essential remedy for consumerism. We’ll see that the desire for material goods is not inherently evil. Rather the sin lies in our misaligned relationship with possessions and their improper use. Because humans are physical beings, we are consumers by nature. The challenge we face is learning to balance our need for stuff through the disciplined practices of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and manual labor. By adopting an ascetical lifestyle, we can transform our attitude toward wealth and restore a God-willed purpose to our daily lives. Ultimately, we are looking East to find a practical framework for human flourishing that bridges ancient theological wisdom with the contemporary social concerns.

Recommended Readings

David Bentley Hart and John Chryssavgis (2020), For The Life Of The World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church. Holy Cross Orthodox Press. https://www.goarch.org/social-ethos.

Gregory Jensen (2015), The Cure for Consumerism. Acton Institute.

Moscow Patriarchate (2000), “Basis of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church.” http://orthodoxeurope.org/page/3/14.aspx.