Two initial thoughts:
Firstly, could we, and should we, live more simply, and buy less stuff, in order to free up more money for “being generous and doing good”? I think this is the biggest struggle I have when I look at how we live as Christians in the West. It does seem that we have just accepted the world’s attitude without question - that we have the right, even the need, to whatever is on offer – the newest technology, the bigger house, the fuller freezer, the better car. And this is often so in our churches as much as in our individual lives. I am not saying we should never have any of this stuff. I’m just asking whether the question of what God thinks about it is even on the agenda. Many Christians would, if they were honest, even recognise in themselves the mantra: “I shop, therefore I am.” Yet God says the un-restrained pursuit of wealth and prosperity is the root of all kinds of bad stuff.

Secondly, how do we shop with justice? God hates unequal scales. He is concerned with justice for the poor. Are we concerned about whether the stuff we buy is part of a system that oppresses the poor in the pursuit of profit at all costs? On this, I think there are three responses we can make:

1 We can – as individuals and as churches - buy Fair Trade goods, which assure a better deal for the producers in developing countries. I wrote about Fair Trade here, which was the impetus for this post.

2 We can inform ourselves about those companies that oppress the poor, in sweat shops etc, and choose what brands, shops, and manufacturers we entrust with God’s money. There is info out there on the web. Nick Spencer at the excellent London Institute of Contemporary Christianity recommends the book the “Rough Guide to Ethical Shopping,” which apparently also includes a discussion on the ethics and usefulness of boycotting.

3 We can speak up, taking up our prophetic role, calling for righteous structures in the commercial sector. Maybe this could mean challenging companies to assure righteous dealing with producers and manufacturers in developing countries. Maybe it could mean “naming and shaming” offending companies, or calling upon our supermarkets to stock Fair Trade goods, or calling for legislation that would ensure better safeguards for the weak and vulnerable.

God wants to rule over the commercial world as well as everything else. Serving money is of course opposed to serving God. And greed and the unrestrained pursuit of prosperity will always be at the expense of the poor and weak. That seems to be why God instilled practises in Israel that limited economic activity, and put in place protective measures.

So what do you think? How can we let Jesus be Lord of our shopping?