My faith has complicated, challenged and ultimately transformed my love of clothes. Over time, I’ve learned to question the role that we as US Christians play in the global narrative around clothes. Our purchases can be a form of advocacy for the world we seek – votes for a better world. Yet, the average American throws out 65 pounds of clothes annually and wears 20 percent of the clothes in her closet.
What type of world is this careless consumption creating? Around the globe, slavery and trafficking affect the lives of workers in the textile industry, many of whom create inexpensive fashions but do not earn a living wage. What kinds of simple, transformative actions can we take to create a world that more closely resembles God’s kingdom?
As an act of stewardship, the first change I made was to stop buying lots of cheap clothes that I just wore a few times. I also realized that while clothing can be donated, it’s far better to buy only what you need, repairing each item for as long as possible, than to wear something a few times and give it away.
This message is excerpted from “Wearing our faith” by Rebecca Ballard in the January/February 2017 Gather magazine.
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