Are we giving “lip service” to God’s law by the way we choose lifestyles based on our traditional and cultural upbringings?  I would call into question the way we constantly are led to consume anything and everything in our society. This behavior is so pervasive that I would venture to guess for most of us our operative belief system is buying and selling in the marketplace.

I remember vowing to never return to a materialistic lifestyle after spending two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines . I could see that people were happier and more grateful when living a simpler lifestyle. Of course, when I returned home I soon became seduced into the same cultural consumer machine. I now spend thousands of dollars each year trying to market cars to people whether they need them, can afford them or not.

In his new book, Rediscovering Values, On Wall Street, Main Street and Your Street, Jim Wallis of Sojourners states, “Too often we have been ruled by the maxims that greed is good, it’s all about me, and I want it now.” It’s time we wrestle with and question the values of our society in our families, churches, businesses and communities.