You may be thinking, "But we are called to do things for God. And what's the alternative–continuing to allow the people in our churches to be self-consumed Christians seeking only their own comfort?" That is a very fair concern. And I completely concur with the consumer posture that is choking much of the modern church both in North American and increasingly around the globe.

But the prescribed solution I hear in many ministry settings is to transform people from consumer Christians into activist Christians. The exact direction of the activism may depend on one's theological and ecclesiological orientation. For traditional evangelicals its all about evangelism–getting believers to share their faith, give to overseas missions, and grow the church. For many younger evangelicals it may focus compassion and justice–digging wells and eradicating poverty. But what the traditional and younger evangelicals agree upon is that we are to live our lives for God by accomplishing his mission however ...