Mark Van S has an excellent article, over at the new issue of NextWave, that challenges the way the church takes anything and everything (in this case the use of the arts) and turns it into a commodity...
You see, western culture (especially American culture) turns all of the finer things of life into prostitutes...pawning them on street corners for easy consumption. One only has to watch television for about half an hour before one discovers a catfood or burger or car or tampon commercial that utilizes Beethoven or Mozart or Bach or the Beatles in order to sell whatever that product happens to be. Americans have been trained to see almost everything through the lens of commodification (that process by which objects and services are packaged and disconnected from their origins, thus creating a project that holds meaning only for the consumer, instead of having its meaning derived by, from, and for its creator). Through this lens, it is easy to see aesthetics and liturgics as nifty commodities to be used in accordance with our evolving (and often traditionless) religious and spiritual tastes.
Lest we think that crass consumerism only applies to "them," Mark also has a fine post at his blog challenging every single one of us to consider how our personal wealth is used.
Great challenges, Mark!
