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

Moscow Patriarchiate (2000), Basis of the Social Concept of the Orthodox Church VI-VII: https://mospat.ru/en/documents/social-concepts/

Archpriest Georges Florovsky, "The Ascetic Ideal and the New Testament: Reflections on the Critique of the Theology of the Reformation": http://www.romanity.org/htm/flo.01.en.the_ascetic_ideal_and_the_new_testament.01.htm 

Gregory Jensen, "Black balloons for the lost orphans": https://acton.org/pub/longform/2018/10/12/black-balloons-lost-orphans

Gregory Jensen, Cure for Consumerism: https://www.amazon.com/Consumerism-Orthodox-Christian-Social-Thought-ebook/dp/B00XJLK2D2