Worship More, Spend Less, Give Presence, Love All Are you tired of how consumerism has stolen the soul of Christmas? This year, take a stand! Join the groundswell of Christ-followers who are choosing to make Christmas what it should be---a joyous celebration of Jesus' birth that enriches our hearts and the world around us, not a retail circus that depletes our pocketbooks and defeats our spirits. Advent Conspiracy shows you how to substitute consumption with compassion by practicing four simple but powerful, countercultural concepts: Worship Fully---because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus! Spend Less---and free your resources for things that truly matter. Give More---of your presence: your hands, your words, your time, your heart. Love All---the poor, the forgotten, the marginalized, and the sick in ways that make a difference. Find out how to have a Christmas worth remembering, not dreading. Christmas can still change the world when you, like Jesus, give what matters most---your presence.
Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World?
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From the Back Cover
Worship More, Spend Less, Give Presence, Love All Are you tired of how consumerism has stolen the soul of Christmas? This year, take a stand! Join the groundswell of Christ-followers who are choosing to make Christmas what it should be---a joyous celebration of Jesus' birth that enriches our hearts and the world around us, not a retail circus that depletes our pocketbooks and defeats our spirits. Advent Conspiracy shows you how to substitute consumption with compassion by practicing four simple but powerful, countercultural concepts: Worship Fully---because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus! Spend Less---and free your resources for things that truly matter. Give More---of your presence: your hands, your words, your time, your heart. Love All---the poor, the forgotten, the marginalized, and the sick in ways that make a difference. Find out how to have a Christmas worth remembering, not dreading. Christmas can still change the world when you, like Jesus, give what matters most---your presence.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Rick McKinley was educated at Multnomah University and earned his Doctorate from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. However, most of his education has come from pastoring Imago Dei Community since 2000 with his wife Jeanne in Portland, OR. Imago Dei is now a large congregation situated in the heart of the city, reaching out to Portland through preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and creatively engaging the city for the social good. He is also the author of Jesus in the Margins and This Beautiful Mess.
Chris Seay is the pastor of Ecclesia, a progressive Christian community in Houston, Texas, recognized for exploring spiritual questions of culture and breaking new ground in art, music, and film. Chris is the author of The Gospel According to Tony Soprano and The Gospel Reloaded. He lives in Houston with his wife, Lisa, and their four children.
Greg Holder is lead pastor of The Crossing, a fast-growing church in the St. Louis area known for calling those from an unlikely mix of spiritual backgrounds to consider the way of Jesus. Greg is also a contributing writer for The Voice, a new translation of scripture. He lives in Wildwood, Missouri with his wife, Robin and their two girls.
Chris Seay is the pastor of Ecclesia, a progressive Christian community in Houston, Texas, recognized for exploring spiritual questions of culture and breaking new ground in art, music, and film. Chris is the author of The Gospel According to Tony Soprano and The Gospel Reloaded. He lives in Houston with his wife, Lisa, and their four children.
Greg Holder is lead pastor of The Crossing, a fast-growing church in the St. Louis area known for calling those from an unlikely mix of spiritual backgrounds to consider the way of Jesus. Greg is also a contributing writer for The Voice, a new translation of scripture. He lives in Wildwood, Missouri with his wife, Robin and their two girls.
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More About the Author
Rick McKinley is the author of Jesus in the Margins and This Beautiful Mess. He is the founding pastor of Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon and speaks around the country on the topics of holistic mission, leadership, and spiritual formation. Rick and his wife, Jeanne, live with their four children in Portland.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Advent Conspiracy is a very accessible look at how to recapture the amazing story of Christmas. I have followed the Advent Conspiracy movement/website for a while, and I was thrilled when Chris Seay & co. released this book. The message of Advent Conspiracy resonates so much with my family and me. My wife and I have two young children and we have often thought about what message we are sending to our children each Christmas as we follow along with the rest of our culture and spend extravagantly on ourselves each year.
This year, we have decided to make some drastic changes not just in how much we spend, but also in what we choose to give to our children and families. For example, we are giving our parents some homemade gifts this year, and money that we will encourage them to give to a charitable organization. We decided the best gift we could give them is the opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone else. All of this has grown out of our relationship with Jesus being challenged and strengthened through the Advent Conspiracy message. We still have a long way to go, but my wife and I are putting ourselves on the path to recovering the message of Christmas.
This book is a great read and the concepts are brilliant. It is a great accompaniment to the holiday season, but the truth is that this is a message we need throughout the year.
This year, we have decided to make some drastic changes not just in how much we spend, but also in what we choose to give to our children and families. For example, we are giving our parents some homemade gifts this year, and money that we will encourage them to give to a charitable organization. We decided the best gift we could give them is the opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone else. All of this has grown out of our relationship with Jesus being challenged and strengthened through the Advent Conspiracy message. We still have a long way to go, but my wife and I are putting ourselves on the path to recovering the message of Christmas.
This book is a great read and the concepts are brilliant. It is a great accompaniment to the holiday season, but the truth is that this is a message we need throughout the year.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By M Erikson
Format:Paperback
Many thanks to the Advent Conspiracy for providing me with the book to review. As a lifelong Christmas season fan I was struck by the concept driving the book -- it really is about a paradigm readjustment not simply a book idea. The vision behind A.C. is that Christmas can/should be about more than Americans consuming more and more stuff. This isn't a particularly new thought, but the writers do an excellent job of painting that vision with refreshing candor and clarity. So many of us find ourselves being pulled in certain directions at the holidays that we know are not helpful, encouraging, wise or biblical. Hats off to the folks at Advent Conspiracy for refusing to settle for something less at this time of year than genuine heart engagement. As a few of the reviewers have noted, the material is thought-provoking, interesting and challenging. However, it does read more like an "idea starter" than a deep theological treatise on advent. I would have enjoyed a tighter more intensive look at the gospel narratives surrounding the birth of Christ. A little more exegetical study done on a few of the key New Testament texts to help readers understand the ancient complexities and controversy around Jesus' birth would have made a good book even better. However, that isn't the primary thrust of this book (and you can find plenty of others that walk that path). If you're looking for a simple, clear, effective way to help your nuclear family or your church family shatter the holiday mold, then this book will start you down that road. And from what I can tell, that road is one that would be worth traveling for many more Americans this holiday season.
29 of 38 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good principles, but I'd rather buy a journal from the woman in the slums of Calcutta!
December 17, 2009
Format:Paperback
I love to shop. While I'm not a shopaholic, I still love a good deal. I love to give gifts to others (especially those of the handmade variety). Often, I pointed to James 1:17 and not that God is the Giver of all good things and like any Father adores bestowing presents upon His children. And He does. Sadly, our hands are open to greedily receive His gifts without so much as a thank you--and really, that's the problem. We are so plagued by consumerism; we treat God's gifts as a commodity.
A book like Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World? has the ability to convict even an avowed bargain, Black Friday-loving shopper like me. While I'm not hanging up my purse for the holidays, Advent Conspiracy gave me plenty of food for thought.
Gripping at the get-go, Advent Conspiracy makes a simple case. We as Christians (and a culture) miss the whole point of Jesus' birth year after year. In fact, on the Bethlehem night so many years ago, the world barely took notice of a pregnant teen giving birth to Messiah in a dirty stable, even though Heaven opened wide and angels heralded His birth. And now in the 21st Century, we shove the nativity under our enormous Christmas tree--wedged between a stuffed Santa and a Wii (wrapped in pretty paper, of course).
The authors of Advent Conspiracy Rick McKinley, Chris Seay, and Greg Holder decided this shouldn't be the picture of an American Christmas. Moreover, it was a sad depiction of "the foundational narrative of the Church." Instead, these men decided to challenge their congregations to spend less, give more, and worship more fully. The results were amazing, so now the trio has written down their story to inspire others to do the same--all for $12.99 a pop. C'mon, you have to see the humorous irony in that!
Spending less, giving more, worshiping more fully, and loving all--the four facets on which the movement is based are things that we all need to incorporate into our lives. The authors are careful to note that spending less does not mean that we should not spend nothing--they urge us to spend cautiously (and within budget), know what we are buying, and make recommendations on products that help impoverish peoples, such as journals handcrafted by women in the slums of Calcutta or Bible covers made by residents of a Buenos Aires "shantytown."
By giving more of ourselves in our relationships, we share something that can't be found in a store bought item wrapped in pretty paper. Also, through these relationships, Christians have the opportunity to share the Gospel by loving all with actions and with words, if necessary. Instead of getting overwhelmed by preparations for the holidays, the Advent Conspiracy is about simplifying so we can focus on the miracle of God becoming an infant--a baby born to die for our sins.
What I don't like about Advent Conspiracy is that the $12.99 price tag perpetuates the spirit of consumerism and it cannot be overlooked that Zondervan, a big publishing company owned by a bigger publishing company, stands to profit from book sales. Plus, the book makes mention of Living Water International A LOT. While the organization, which builds wells in towns that desperately need clean water, is a good one, does LWI have to be the main example for so many stories? The authors urge consumers not to buy products that were manufactured in China (saying this leaves more stores in the mall out). Meanwhile, I have a living room full of toys I need to wrap which were manufactured in--you got it--China. These toys were donated by well-meaning folks to kids in foster care who wouldn't receive any presents this Christmas, even though their friends are sure to get some good loot.
I know this isn't going to be a popular review, especially among die hards who are screaming, "Right on, man!" Even some of the craft supplies I buy to make my presents were made in other countries. I mean, I don't know how to start making my own Styrofoam balls, you know? Or clothes! Because where was the fabric created? It is very difficult, if not impossible, to buy consumer products that were not crafted in countries with less-than-desirable labor practices. Do I feel sick about it? Of course! Will I stop buying these things? Probably not. That is the problem with the Advent Conspiracy--I don't know that we can truly enact the authors' ideas about shopping in a global economy. Fortunately, Advent Conspiracy offers shoppers like me hope. We can start in places like craft fairs and buy from 10,000 Villages.
Advent Conspiracy is an interesting read, and definitely a worthy project. The book could be half as long (perhaps cutting its price in half?) and still communicate its central message, which is bogged down in personal testimonies on how Advent Conspirators gave to worthy causes. Honestly, I don't want to pay to read the testimonies of a bunch of anonymous conspirators or read questions dedicated to an Advent Conspiracy DVD I didn't even get with the book. Perhaps Zondervan and Advent Conspiracy should have been more thoughtful about the marketing of this. Instead of paying twelve dollars and change for a book that's preaching to the choir, I think I'd rather buy one of those handcrafted journals from the women living in the slums of Calcutta.
*I did not buy the Advent Conspiracy, but was provided a review copy by the Conspirators themselves.*
A book like Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World? has the ability to convict even an avowed bargain, Black Friday-loving shopper like me. While I'm not hanging up my purse for the holidays, Advent Conspiracy gave me plenty of food for thought.
Gripping at the get-go, Advent Conspiracy makes a simple case. We as Christians (and a culture) miss the whole point of Jesus' birth year after year. In fact, on the Bethlehem night so many years ago, the world barely took notice of a pregnant teen giving birth to Messiah in a dirty stable, even though Heaven opened wide and angels heralded His birth. And now in the 21st Century, we shove the nativity under our enormous Christmas tree--wedged between a stuffed Santa and a Wii (wrapped in pretty paper, of course).
The authors of Advent Conspiracy Rick McKinley, Chris Seay, and Greg Holder decided this shouldn't be the picture of an American Christmas. Moreover, it was a sad depiction of "the foundational narrative of the Church." Instead, these men decided to challenge their congregations to spend less, give more, and worship more fully. The results were amazing, so now the trio has written down their story to inspire others to do the same--all for $12.99 a pop. C'mon, you have to see the humorous irony in that!
Spending less, giving more, worshiping more fully, and loving all--the four facets on which the movement is based are things that we all need to incorporate into our lives. The authors are careful to note that spending less does not mean that we should not spend nothing--they urge us to spend cautiously (and within budget), know what we are buying, and make recommendations on products that help impoverish peoples, such as journals handcrafted by women in the slums of Calcutta or Bible covers made by residents of a Buenos Aires "shantytown."
By giving more of ourselves in our relationships, we share something that can't be found in a store bought item wrapped in pretty paper. Also, through these relationships, Christians have the opportunity to share the Gospel by loving all with actions and with words, if necessary. Instead of getting overwhelmed by preparations for the holidays, the Advent Conspiracy is about simplifying so we can focus on the miracle of God becoming an infant--a baby born to die for our sins.
What I don't like about Advent Conspiracy is that the $12.99 price tag perpetuates the spirit of consumerism and it cannot be overlooked that Zondervan, a big publishing company owned by a bigger publishing company, stands to profit from book sales. Plus, the book makes mention of Living Water International A LOT. While the organization, which builds wells in towns that desperately need clean water, is a good one, does LWI have to be the main example for so many stories? The authors urge consumers not to buy products that were manufactured in China (saying this leaves more stores in the mall out). Meanwhile, I have a living room full of toys I need to wrap which were manufactured in--you got it--China. These toys were donated by well-meaning folks to kids in foster care who wouldn't receive any presents this Christmas, even though their friends are sure to get some good loot.
I know this isn't going to be a popular review, especially among die hards who are screaming, "Right on, man!" Even some of the craft supplies I buy to make my presents were made in other countries. I mean, I don't know how to start making my own Styrofoam balls, you know? Or clothes! Because where was the fabric created? It is very difficult, if not impossible, to buy consumer products that were not crafted in countries with less-than-desirable labor practices. Do I feel sick about it? Of course! Will I stop buying these things? Probably not. That is the problem with the Advent Conspiracy--I don't know that we can truly enact the authors' ideas about shopping in a global economy. Fortunately, Advent Conspiracy offers shoppers like me hope. We can start in places like craft fairs and buy from 10,000 Villages.
Advent Conspiracy is an interesting read, and definitely a worthy project. The book could be half as long (perhaps cutting its price in half?) and still communicate its central message, which is bogged down in personal testimonies on how Advent Conspirators gave to worthy causes. Honestly, I don't want to pay to read the testimonies of a bunch of anonymous conspirators or read questions dedicated to an Advent Conspiracy DVD I didn't even get with the book. Perhaps Zondervan and Advent Conspiracy should have been more thoughtful about the marketing of this. Instead of paying twelve dollars and change for a book that's preaching to the choir, I think I'd rather buy one of those handcrafted journals from the women living in the slums of Calcutta.
*I did not buy the Advent Conspiracy, but was provided a review copy by the Conspirators themselves.*
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book in great condition
Book gives you many things to consider - I would highly recommend it. Its a quick read and worth the time.
Published 3 months ago by Book Lover
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's Okay - Not Worth the Price To Me
Seems like it's mostly common sense and such a short book for the money. Ironically the book is about not spending so much money on Christmas (giving to the poor is where your... Read more
Published 4 months ago by S. J. Sparks
5.0 out of 5 stars
Advent Conspiracy
Advent Conspiracy is a wonderful book and brings us back to what the true meaning of christmas is. It something we all should read and get back to it isn't what I want it is about... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Linda Niedecken
5.0 out of 5 stars
Super Book
Excellent Book! I would recommend this book to anybody wanting to turn Christmas upside down and back off on the commercialism side of Christmas. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Laura Maddox
5.0 out of 5 stars
THREE PASTORS OFFER IDEAS FOR "ENTERING INTO" THE CHRISTMAS STORY
The authors write in the first chapter of this 2009 book, "The Advent Conspiracy is not a four-point checklist for how to do Christmas. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Steven H. Propp
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life Changer
This book leads to radical thinking about an over-comercialized holiday. Highly recommend!!! Use in a group study for more impact!
Published 5 months ago by P. Starnes
2.0 out of 5 stars
Advent Dissppoints
Seemed prosaic and speared to promote an agenda of giving to Living Waters charity. It didn't feel authentic or spiritual.
Published 6 months ago by Richard C. Tufaro
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Perfect Way to Celebrate
I am 11 and I thought it was a great book. And Greg Holder happens to be my pasture.I loved the book.
Published on December 19, 2010 by Cello Player
1.0 out of 5 stars
Advent Conspiracy
Good reading changes the way you look at what you spend your money on, when some could help the less fortunet around the world and in the USA.
Published on February 17, 2010 by Linda D. Gallite
4.0 out of 5 stars
A reason for Christmas
A must read. What is the real reason to celebrate Christmas and how can we get back to that? This helps provides reasons how and why.
Published on February 5, 2010 by C. Moore
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