Pagan is a word that has been used for centuries to describe unbelieving, secular, hedonistic, narcissistic people. It’s like a religious insult lobbed at those who operate outside of any religious community and therefore can be described as secular. In fact, pagan was an ancient word used to describe polytheistic people (people who believed in many gods). So, if you’re a Christian who ascribes to the “Shema” (Belief in only one God, the god of the Bible), you could not possibly be a pagan, right?
Think again and think hard.
Jesus said that His followers who “run after” food, clothing, and shelter have become “pagans” by serving two masters: (1) the God of the Bible and (2) the god called “Money,” and Jesus also said you cannot serve both (See Matthew 6:19-33). If you run after food, clothing, and shelter with a consumer’s passion you cannot possibly be a Christ-Follower. You might think you are a Christ-Follower but in fact you are a pagan.
In his book Forgotten Ways, Alan Hirsh writes, “Consumerism is thoroughly pagan. Pagans run after (seek, desire, want; search for, look for) these things. Seen in this light, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Extreme Makeover, Big Brother,and other lifestyle shows are the most pagan, and paganizing, shows on TV. Even the perennial favorites about renovating the house paganize us, because they focus us on that which so easily enslaves us. In these the banality of consumerism reaches a climax as we are sold the lie that the thing that will complete us is a new kitchen or a house extension, whereas in fact these only add more stress to our mortgages and our families” (p. 110-111).
In proper light then, how many of us are true Christ-Followers and how many of us are merely pagans? You decide.
