Advent Conspiracy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 2006, five pastors got together to conspire to celebrate Christmas differently. Why? Because Americans spend $450 billion dollars a year on Christmas,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/newwineskins\/advent-conspiracy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Advent Conspiracy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 2006, five pastors got together to conspire to celebrate Christmas differently. Why? 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{"id":1378,"date":"2013-12-06T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2013-12-06T15:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mtvpastor.com\/?p=1378"},"modified":"2013-12-06T09:00:23","modified_gmt":"2013-12-06T15:00:23","slug":"advent-conspiracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/newwineskins\/advent-conspiracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Advent Conspiracy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"advent\"$ <\/a>In 2006, five pastors got together to conspire to celebrate Christmas differently. Why? Because Americans spend $450 billion dollars a year on Christmas, much of it going on credit cards to purchase gifts that we can\u2019t afford for people who don\u2019t really need them.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve turned the celebration of Christ\u2019s birth into a gluttonous extravaganza of materialism that shines a spotlight on our wealth while doing nothing for those less fortunate. What is the Advent Conspiracy all about? It\u2019s about Christians today choosing to rebel against the narrative<\/em> of what the Christmas season is supposed to be about as determined<\/em> by big retail marketers and American materialism.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s choosing to Worship Fully<\/strong>. Christmas marks the moment where God\u2019s promise was fulfilled and love took form, tiny fingers and all. It is a moment that deserves our full attention and praise.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s choosing to Spend Less<\/strong>. Spending less isn\u2019t a call to stop giving gifts; it\u2019s a call to stop spending money on gifts we won\u2019t remember in less than a year. By spending wisely on gifts we free ourselves from the anxiety associated with debt so we can take in the season with a full heart.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s choosing to Give More<\/strong>. The most powerful, memorable gift you can give someone else is yourself. And nobody modeled this more than Jesus. When it comes to spending time with those you love, it\u2019s all about quality, not quantity.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s choosing to Love All<\/strong>. It all boils down to love. Love from a savior. Love to a neighbor in need. By spending just a little less on gifts we free up our resources to love as Jesus loves by giving to those who really need help.<\/p>\n

To find out more about the Advent Conspiracy, check out their website at: www.adventconspiracy.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"