Church Near Malls Takes On ‘Affluenza’

St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach is just a mile from Fashion Island and close--dangerously so, as the pastor describes it--to South Coast Plaza. Thus situated in one of the most affluent cities in the nation, the church decided to take a bit of time this holiday season to examine the burden that wealth can create.

In a pair of classes that concludes Sunday, the church will examine the disease coined “affluenza.” Symptoms include swollen expectations, stress and the social scars of bankruptcy, organizers say.

“It’s keeping up with the Joneses,” said the church’s pastor, Gary Collins. “You see the glossy ads in magazines and on television, and that builds your expectations. You assume this is the way people who make it live, and if you don’t get there, you feel disappointed.”

The Christian view, Collins said, is to value not what you can accumulate but the relationships you build. Last week about 30 members of the congregation watched a videotaped program on the subject aired on the Public Broadcasting System. This week at 11 a.m., after services, the church at 2100 Mar Vista Drive will hold a discussion about materialism aimed at encouraging participants to examine their own values and behavior.

“Wealth creates its own problems sometimes,” Collins said. “I try to tell them that some of Jesus’ supporters were wealthy. Wealth is not in itself evil, but it can be a burden, and Jesus warned about how it can take over your life.”