Duck Dynasty and the Idol of Consumerism

First, I want to say that I have enjoyed watching the show Duck Dynasty recently. You could call me a fan since I purchased the first two seasons on DVD. It is family-centered outdoor fun that ends with prayer each episode. My son Elijah loves watching Jase catch bullfrogs and has attempted it in our local pond. The Robertson’s appear to have a clear testimony of Christ from what I have heard. All this is good.

But I do have some concerns that the whole fascination with Duck Dynasty may not be helping American Christians with certain idols of the heart (cf. Ezek 14:3). The main idol I am referring to is the materialism in our culture.  This hit me the other day when I visited a Christian bookstore. There were two product displays: one was full of Duck Dynasty trinkets. The other was a child sponsorship display for World Vision and some other orphan care ministry. They were at opposite ends of the store.  They reveal opposite mentalities I believe: the consumerism and wastefulness that characterizes our culture that will soon be forgotten on the one end of the store and the sacrificial, generous giving that has eternal rewards on the other end.  

Now I’m not anti-capitalist and I am genuinely happy for the Robertson’s who have worked hard to build a business. And they may give their wealth away very generously to missions and the poor. But how often do we Christians pour out our money on things that in a few years are almost forgotten and sold at a garage sale? That is my prediction of what will happen with Duck Dynasty t-shirts and bobble heads that are being bought right now. In five years they will be hawked for a couple of bucks, lost or thrown away.  I once volunteered to work a booth at a Christian music concert in the Deep South. The well-known group sold over $13,000 in merchandise that night. That was ten years ago. I wonder where that $13,000 in merchandise is today.

The words from the Prophet Isaiah are well worth meditating on:

“if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.” (Is 58:10)

Remember, this is coming from a guy who has already spent $20 on Duck Dynasty DVDs. I have a long way to go in pouring myself out for the hungry and afflicted. But I do want to battle the idol of wastefulness and consumerism that rages in my own heart.