producers<\/a>. Whether we are talking about men or women, we need to move beyond thinking of humans as mere producers and consumers and approach human identity and the church in communal terms. So, instead of separating people into classes such as producers and consumers, we must encourage everyone to move toward being \u201ccommuners.\u201d<\/p>\nOf course, we consume even as we produce, and everyone produces and consumes in some manner. However, we must never reduce our communal identity as humans and as the church to acts of production and consumption. Why? I maintain that the Bible teaches that we are created in the image of the triune God who creates us as an overflow of holy, loving communion; God\u2019s purpose is to create and, after the fall, to transform us so that we can share in the glory of this loving, holy communion in the divine life for all eternity (Gen. 1:26-27; Jn. 17). Creation and production are not the ultimate categories. They point beyond themselves to something even more profound\u2014communion with God and one another.<\/p>\n
Another reason why we must speak in more communal terms rather than reductionistic terms involving mere production and consumption is that the latter categorization scheme leads to a bifurcation of humanity. When we move from communer categories to producer and consumer divisions we destroy the possibility of experiencing profound relationality. Relationality always involves reciprocity and mutuality. It is never unidirectional.<\/p>\n
I will offer three examples of how this bifurcation affects us. If, for example, we define noble people as those who produce, it leads to a devaluing of those who consume their products. Related to this point, don\u2019t producers need consumers to consume what they produce? Does that not entail the need for fostering at least two classes of people? The producers\u2014the elect or naturally selected by their own survival instincts\u2014will \u201censlave\u201d or at least corral others to be consumers so that they can make their own election or natural selection sure. In the church culture today, there is at times a tendency to identify entrepreneurial creativity with a greater sense of personal worth and identity. Many Evangelicals rightly challenge consumerist tendencies and greed, but our production proclivities can still enforce an \u201cus\u201d and \u201cthem\u201d mindset: those who produce the best justice packages for those in need of food and other necessities should not be seen as having the most worth; as important as these justice entrepreneurs are, we all have worth as we share life and resources with one another. We all have something to offer when we view matters relationally. Those who have the least \u201cstuff\u201d often have the most to teach us relationally, for they have learned the secret of the meaning to life: the fullness of life is experienced not in the abundance of possessions, but in the abundance of communal presence.<\/p>\n
Besides noting the problem of enforcing and reinforcing two classes of people by way of productivity, we can easily move in the opposite direction by promoting a state of affairs where those who consume the most win. This problem often has economic as well as ethnic dimensions. The developed world\u2014which generally is very white\u2014consumes an inordinate percentage of the world\u2019s resources, while the non-white developing world with its human and natural resources is used increasingly as the field to produce the goods for these enlightened, developed world consumers.<\/p>\n
Beyond considering class and race issues, we must also account for matters of gender. If women stay home, that does not mean they aren\u2019t producing. While husbands may be the breadwinners in some homes, they are not alone in cultivating family life. To many people, housewives and househusbands do not appear to contribute to the bottom line, if we think simply in production and consumption categories. But when we think communally, we find that breadwinners in families are not the only ones producing. It is much more constructive to think in terms of sharing. From the standpoint of sharing, everyone is needed\u2014husbands, wives, and children. Everyone matters because everyone shares in communal life together.<\/p>\n
We do not exist because we think, produce, or consume. We exist ultimately because we are loved by God. God calls us to be communers\u2014to respond to God\u2019s love by loving God and others in return (Mk. 12:30-31). As we move toward viewing life and people in communal terms, it will have a profound bearing on how we approach a variety of subjects. Most importantly, it will help us move from treating other people as objects, and see them as human subjects who really matter.<\/p>\n
This piece is cross-posted at\u00a0The Christian Post<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u00a0originally posted\u00a0this piece on February 1st,\u00a02012.\u00a0In preparing to teach\u00a0on\u00a0the subject of Trinitarian communion and its import for ecclesiology this semester,\u00a0 I reflected upon these themes again and considered\u00a0them pertinent\u00a0in the present context. There is a great deal of talk about production and consumption in American society today. Such talk is found inside the American church […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1284,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
Producers, Consumers and Communers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u00a0originally posted\u00a0this piece on February 1st,\u00a02012.\u00a0In preparing to teach\u00a0on\u00a0the subject of Trinitarian communion and its import for ecclesiology this\" \/>\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\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Producers, Consumers and Communers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u00a0originally posted\u00a0this piece on February 1st,\u00a02012.\u00a0In preparing to teach\u00a0on\u00a0the subject of Trinitarian communion and its import for ecclesiology this\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Uncommon God, Common Good\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paul.l.metzger\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-01-29T17:02:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-01-30T17:47:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/files\/2014\/01\/iStock_000027882618Small-300x267.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Paul Louis Metzger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@paulouismetzger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paul Louis Metzger\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/\",\"name\":\"Producers, Consumers and Communers\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-01-29T17:02:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-01-30T17:47:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/#\/schema\/person\/76d231c55ec9f60adb8597cca81f7242\"},\"description\":\"I\u00a0originally posted\u00a0this piece on February 1st,\u00a02012.\u00a0In preparing to teach\u00a0on\u00a0the subject of Trinitarian communion and its import for ecclesiology this\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Producers, Consumers and Communers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/\",\"name\":\"Uncommon God, Common Good\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/#\/schema\/person\/76d231c55ec9f60adb8597cca81f7242\",\"name\":\"Paul Louis Metzger\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93c3df6455c0eff6aa9d7dac387d59d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93c3df6455c0eff6aa9d7dac387d59d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Paul Louis Metzger\"},\"description\":\"Dr. Paul Louis Metzger is the Founder and Director of The Institute for Cultural Engagement: New Wine, New Wineskins and Professor at Multnomah Biblical Seminary\/Multnomah University. He is the author of numerous works, including \\\"Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths\\\" and \\\"Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church.\\\" These volumes and his others can be found wherever fine books are sold. Find me on: Facebook | Twitter | Google+\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paul.l.metzger\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/paulouismetzger\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/NewWineNewWineskins\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/author\/uncommongodcommongood\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Producers, Consumers and Communers","description":"I\u00a0originally posted\u00a0this piece on February 1st,\u00a02012.\u00a0In preparing to teach\u00a0on\u00a0the subject of Trinitarian communion and its import for ecclesiology this","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Producers, Consumers and Communers","og_description":"I\u00a0originally posted\u00a0this piece on February 1st,\u00a02012.\u00a0In preparing to teach\u00a0on\u00a0the subject of Trinitarian communion and its import for ecclesiology this","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/","og_site_name":"Uncommon God, Common Good","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paul.l.metzger","article_published_time":"2014-01-29T17:02:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-01-30T17:47:21+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/files\/2014\/01\/iStock_000027882618Small-300x267.jpg"}],"author":"Paul Louis Metzger","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@paulouismetzger","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Paul Louis Metzger","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/","name":"Producers, Consumers and Communers","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-01-29T17:02:57+00:00","dateModified":"2014-01-30T17:47:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/#\/schema\/person\/76d231c55ec9f60adb8597cca81f7242"},"description":"I\u00a0originally posted\u00a0this piece on February 1st,\u00a02012.\u00a0In preparing to teach\u00a0on\u00a0the subject of Trinitarian communion and its import for ecclesiology this","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/2014\/01\/producers-consumers-and-communers\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Producers, Consumers and Communers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/","name":"Uncommon God, Common Good","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/#\/schema\/person\/76d231c55ec9f60adb8597cca81f7242","name":"Paul Louis Metzger","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93c3df6455c0eff6aa9d7dac387d59d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93c3df6455c0eff6aa9d7dac387d59d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Paul Louis Metzger"},"description":"Dr. Paul Louis Metzger is the Founder and Director of The Institute for Cultural Engagement: New Wine, New Wineskins and Professor at Multnomah Biblical Seminary\/Multnomah University. He is the author of numerous works, including \"Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths\" and \"Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church.\" These volumes and his others can be found wherever fine books are sold. Find me on: Facebook | Twitter | Google+","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paul.l.metzger","https:\/\/twitter.com\/paulouismetzger","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/NewWineNewWineskins"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/author\/uncommongodcommongood\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uncommongodcommongood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/307\/2014\/01\/iStock_000027882618Small-300x267.jpg\" "\\"Supply")
<\/a>There is a great deal of talk about production and consumption in American society today. Such talk is found inside the American church as well. In fact, a noted pastor has called on men to be real men by moving from being consumers to being producers<\/a>. Whether we are talking about men or women, we need to move beyond thinking of humans as mere producers and consumers and approach human identity and the church in communal terms. So, instead of separating people into classes such as producers and consumers, we must encourage everyone to move toward being \u201ccommuners.\u201d<\/p>\n