Consumer Stewardship

Picture this: You’re walking along on a pleasant sunny day when you come across a crowd listening to a man standing on a box. You quickly realise he’s preaching and passionately so about values opposite to what you hold dear. A hat is then passed around asking for a donation. You of course won’t be putting money in it.
But here’s the thing, perhaps you already have and will do so again on this and future occasions. How?

You Chose

Every time you watch or buy something, you’re voting with your ratings or dollars and in a market driven economy, that counts. Literally.

In the case of entertainment, be it music, TV or movies, if you’re not careful with what you consume, you’re not only letting them fill your mind with toxic ideas but you’re paying them with your hard earned dollars for the privilege.

In the case of products and services, you’re promoting them by directly bankrolling the social messages and attitudes inherent in them or indirectly by  the way they are promoted or the causes the company supports.

Money takes your hard effort to earn,
Good stewardship is worth the effort to learn.

What we support is what we promote. From this point on, let’s be discerning consumers.

How? By being educated and educating others.
Look into what the companies you support stand for. Be aware of what those lyrics really are saying or what the TV or movie script is promoting.

Sure, it takes more work to do that but it’s like that great line in many ad’s, “Pay Now Or Pay Later” and we all know that paying later costs a lot more. In this case, not doing the work now means more work in having to live in a culture which is increasingly hostile to all you hold dear, especially your children. Subsequent generations will pay the interest on the costs we refuse pay now.

Get Savvy

Assume nothing as what you see isn’t always what you get. Take for example, charities. The next time someone rolls up asking for a donation, check what exactly your hard earned dollars will vote for. If that all sounds rather paranoid, have a look at the following examples:

1. Save The Children is a UK organisation founded in 1919 to help starving children after World War One. This organisation does a lot of good work. Unfortunately, and with tragic irony, a commitment to using abortion to achieve their aims has strayed into their work.
   Similarly, UNICEF* has also been called into question.
2. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy organisation founded in 1950 by Rev. Robert Pierce. Their American branch ran into trouble in 2014 when they strayed from their roots as detailed in the latter part of this article.

*A UN organisation founded in 1946 to provide long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.

Get Involved

Clearly, the above organisations started with the right foundations. However, as it has been from the beginning, they are yet more examples of something good becoming tainted. That said, God specialises in salvation. These organisations can be salvaged. Until they are, alternatives are available and our job is to find and support those alternatives.

They are also lessons in engagement. As head of policy and advocacy for Save the Children UK for 4 years, David Mepham has been integral to its policy on abortion. As of writing, he is the UK Director of Human Rights Watch which flags this organisation as another needing possible scrutiny should the need arise. Not all of us are gifted to do such work. I encourage those who are to get involved and in a manner worthy of Godly values.

Get Good Food

Food may seen innocuous enough but have a look at the finer print on the packaging. Yes, you should have a look at the nutritional details of the food but also look for any religious body certification markings. If there are any and they belong to one which you do not agree with, be aware that should you purchase it, a percentage of what you pay for that product will be going to maintain and promote that worldview.

Get Informed

Here are some tools to help you properly steward the effect of your resources.

• Reviews of the views and behaviours of companies selling consumables: Faith Driven Consumer, 2nd Vote.
• Reviews of movies, tv shows, videos, music and games: Plugged In

May your resources say exactly what you want them to say.

 

Image Modified from Internet