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Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World?

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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.

In today's sour economy, folks are anxious about consumerism and willing to delve into alternative gift-giving and the spiritual meaning of Christmas. I am a pastor, and we are using it in our church as our theme for the weeks leading up to Christmas, and our congregation is truly enjoying it. Our adult and youth Sunday School classes are reading the book and watching the DVD segments and having wonderful discussions. I am using the theme for sermons this month, with two of my messages titled "Let's Conspire!" and "Give More PRESENCE!" inspired by the book. As a pastor, I am always on the lookout for resources to make the season meaningful without being "guilt-trippy." This joy-filled, lightly-humored book is short, sweet, to the point, and practical.

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.

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.*

I am 11 and I thought it was a great book. And Greg Holder happens to be my pasture.I loved the book.

First of all, thank you to Advent Conspiracy for providing the book for review.

This is my first contact with Advent Conspiracy and I'm delighted to help spread the word. I would highly recommend reading the book for anyone who is willing to step out from the "normal" Christmas routine. Advent Conspiracy enlightens, motivates and most of all challenges readers. It describes how our culture of consumerism has overwhelmed us. We are encouraged to Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All. It provides strategies for combating consumerism and giving generously to make a difference both in our individual lives and the lives of the poor and marginalized of the world, from the local community to the distant countries of the entire world.

The question is posed in the subtitle, "Can Christmas Still Change the World?". I'm sure the answer can be a resounding YES. If I can move from my traditional comfort zone and join the "conspiracy" my personal world will be changed. Sharing the message and enlisting more conspirators will definitely bring more joy and hope around the world.

I was excited to read this book because it promised to explore whether Christmas can still change the world. For me, Christmases have begun to blur together year as I've grown older, and I've felt like I must be missing something. Advent Conspiracy is a short but thought provoking read which inspired me with stories of people who have found ways to make Christmas about meaningful giving. Instead of spending time with wish lists, we can make a tangible difference in the quality of life that people around the world. I hope to share this book's principles with my family members this Christmas so we can celebrate with more joy and more compassion for others. The book has also challenged me to think carefully about how we teach our young son about Christmas so that he will grow up with a heart for others and not a desire for accumulating more things.

I first heard about this small band of churches that were thinking about Christmas differently a few years back. This group had come together to rethink the modern day Christian response to December 25th, the day we celebrate Jesus Christ's birth. What a novel concept I thought as I browsed through their website, intrigued, but at the not much else. Some thing sat with me since that time as I look around at "Christmas" spending, splurging and indebtedness that has come to be a regular part of the holidays and as is normal, the Christian way is the same as the non-Christian way. But for us that was about to change.

I have been fortunate enough to be changed by two short-term trips to Haiti that were way more beneficial to me that the Haitian people. Seeing extreme poverty up close and personal will not leave you the same person. Interacting with the people, learning about their culture and heritage and also seeing the destructiveness of greed and corruption had upon them as a people. Walking away I knew that my selfish, materialistic behaviors were not right and had to change. Honestly I still struggle with those demons most days as I click on the Charity Water picture of the day from my iPhone. But today hundreds of churches are banding together to as the book explains to "remain in the gospel of Jesus and worship Him- no matter how strongly the cultural demands of Christmas pull at us". Calling God's people to give relationally to those around us (family and friends) the gifts that really matter so we can send the money we spend on people who have most everything already, to those who need it for the basic needs, like clean water.

Advent Conspiracy is more than an idea, concept or book it's a movement of Christ following people who are using a time of year set aside for receiving, to give like they see the example Jesus left for us through coming to earth that night and giving us what we could never have on our own, a relationship with God. If we allow the hustle and bustle of this time of year to distract us from it's real meaning we have lost more than a month out of the year we have lost an opportunity share with others the whole reason Jesus came to earth in the form of a baby to unlikely parents, announced by angels to lowly shepards 2000 some odd years ago.

Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All

A few of my favorite quotes.

"Our worship has to be reborn. The wise men show us what happens when someone glimpses the true worthiness of Christ. We will travel around the world to meet Him, confront dominant world systems and give our King, our all."

"What transformation would occur as God's people moved across the globe loving Jesus with our time, attention and money?"

"We spend less at Christmas, except when we should spend more."

Quoted of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, "There ought to be things we would like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditures exclude them."

"The conscious giving of our time and presence to another is not a new concept, but a neglected one."

"We cannot allow the broken and vulnerable to become invisible."

"When God's people serve the poor in humble, generous ways, the story of Jesus is told again and again. The poor in our world will be touched by God through how we choose to celebrate Christmas."

"Clean water for every person in the world. That is our dream, and, yes it's a big one."

This is a must read for every person who longs to celebrate Christmas in meaningful and long lasting ways. Which is all of us, who have started a the new year after celebrating Christmas wishing it had be different and meant more.


DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a sample or review copy, or an item of nominal value that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content.

I was immediately drawn to Advent Conspiracy. My church is involved with Advent Conspiracy and I think it is such an amazing idea and opportunity. The book is written in such a beautiful and inspiring way that encouraged and motivated me to stand up and help those around the world receive the basic needs for survival, such as water. What better ways to celebrate Christmas by giving our TIME as a gift to our friends and family (which really is the greatest gift we could ever give: relationships), and use our money to give to those around the world so desperately in need. So often we take the simple things for granted, and Advent Conspiracy is such a convicting reminder that Christ calls us to love and serve, and what better way to do that than by giving to those in need during the Christmas season? How much better will we feel for saving lives all around the world by providing them with the water they need, simply by deciding not to get another toy for your child to open. What a difference it will make to impact not only those across the country, but also our hearts and our love for God, for each other, and for serving. I highly recommend Advent Conspiracy. We need this book, and we need to take into action what this book is calling us to do!! Let's make a difference and saves lives for Christ!

Advent Conspiracy isn't just a book--it's a movement. A movement of people saying 'no' to the religion of Consumerism and 'yes' to reinventing Christmas. Not just for ourselves (though that is all part of it), but for a world in need:

"It makes our mouths drop and our stomachs turn when we realize that the amount of money we spend on Christmas in America is close to forty-five times the amount of money it would take to supply the entire world with clean water."

What the book lays out is how to bring the Christmas celebration back to a place of meaning while changing the world at the same time. It's a simple, yet powerful concept.