For my master program at Fuller Theological we are reading many different books and then we respond with a review of the book. I have chosen to start posting them to give you an insight into some of the reading I am doing for the program. I’m not sure if you will enjoy it or not but have fun!
George Ritzer is Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland. Ritzer has studied and written in the areas of social theory, globalization, and consumption. His most well known work is The McDonalization of Society.
The thesis of this book is that “nothing” such as non-things, non-people, non-services and non-places are quickly being replicated in our ever increasingly globalized world (ix). Ritzer says that capitalism, glocalization, grobalization have increasingly important roles and a substantial negative impact upon our society (xvii).
Ritzer develops his thesis slowly but with a deep intentionality that will assist the reader who knows his work well and also the one who is reading him for the first time. In the first section he explores the “nothingness” of society including the non-places, non-things, non-people and non-services. In part two, Ritzer breaks globalization into specific topics including glocalization and grobalization. Within grobalization he explores capitalism, McDonalization, and Americanization. He finally discusses the positive and negative sides to nothing and its globalization.
The author said, “It is increasing difficult to find anything in the world untouched by globalization” (169). This seems to be a consistent and definitive theme as the author seems to give little hope that we will ever emerge from a consumerist mindset and lifestyle. Ritzer seems to hold out hope that glocalization will slow down grobalization and possibly give us glimpses of what once was and no longer will be. There appears to be an underlying fear of “nothing”.
Globalism, capitalism, and consumerism is what I have known and lived my entire life. Growing up in middle-class America, from an early age I wanted G.I. Joe’s instead of the wooden toy trucks that a friend of the family made, I was fully engaged and embraced what the commercials during Saturday morning cartoons told me I wanted. I also remember cringing when my parents wanted to go to the local hamburger diner “Dad’s” instead of McDonalds. To this very day I find myself much more comfortable eating in a non-place instead of venturing out and exploring other venues (much to my wife’s distaste). Am I a product of nothing? Has my worldview been shaped by nothing? These are horrifying thoughts to me!
In light of ministry, I initially did not understand how this discussion fit into a practical application. The deeper I read into what Ritzer was discussing in regard to consumption, the more challenged I was to look at our ministry context in a new light. Ritzer argued that the “nothing” he was discussing could be broken into four specific items: non-things, non-people, non-services and non-places
Consumption plays a role not only in restaurants and retail stores but also close to home in the church. Ritzer said, “the church certainly has its “customers” (those who attend, or whom the church would like to see attend), and churches develop techniques for attracting and keeping a flock that, if successful, are copied by churches around the world.” (177)
If this is true, does the local church have non-things, non-people, non-services, and could it be a non-place? A non-thing is something that is produced and is distinctive to an area. In light of ministries, small groups, studies, and events; do these reflect the local church or do they come from one church and everyone replicates it? A non-person is one who removes their personality and does a task. This is tragic to have occur in ministry. A non-place is a place that replaces diversity with uniformity. It has been said that Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week. This goes beyond race and relates to age and income level.
As the local church we cannot afford to accept this trend of nothingness. Jesus called us to be a light unto the world and to be ourselves (the way he created us) in the process. As a leader in the local church this practice is not acceptable. This morning I had a discussion with another pastor here about the formation of a new ministry at the church. We discussed models from other churches, “boxed” ideas, and finally ended the conversation understanding that for this specific ministry to success in the church and community it could not be “nothing” and needed to be more organic and mold to who are a part of it.
As Ritzer shared, the globalization of nothing can be an alarming trend but there are steps that each one of us can take to shape and adjust the world we live in. This may be through economic choices but more importantly I see great opportunity in ministry to make sure “nothing” does not cover up the life changing and empowering message of Jesus Christ.
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