Friday 25 January 2019

Comment 36, 4 (Winter 2018) on Minimalism


It’s probably not escaped your notice that the role and value of possessions – our relationship to ‘stuff’ – is currently under the cultural spotlight. Marie Kondo’s Netflix show, Tidying Up, arguably has the highest profile, offering ‘a series of inspiring home makeovers’, helping clients ‘clear out the clutter – and choose joy’. But there are other examples, too.

The latest Comment magazine carries several articles exploring this phenomenon. Here is the blurb:

‘Minimalism is making its mark on society, one tiny succulent at a time. What does that mean for Christians? The North American church surely does overconsume. Perhaps embracing simplicity could be countercultural and lead us toward certain kinds of holiness and obedience that we’re lacking. Yet things are still at the centre of this new movement that is purportedly anti-consumerist, and might hospitality suffer when we decide that having “extra” is uniformly bad? Among the faith-motivated and others, some adopt minimalism to be on trend, but still others are embracing some really beautiful practices for beautiful reasons, even godly ones.’

Individual articles are available to view here.

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