Pastor Rick Warren Says That Marketing Materials are ‘Tools of Satan’

Of the 4.49 billion web pages that exist on the Internet today, many are e-commerce sites that aid companies in marketing and selling their services.

Consumer marketing takes on many forms. Most marketing tactics are conquered online, where many purchases are made or at least researched. Companies target their audiences based on demographics, and continue to inform the customer of new, upcoming sales and products with email and social media marketing tactics.

Rick Warren, an evangelical pastor, believes that these marketing tools, along with shopping catalogs and glossy magazines, are used to create envy and are therefore, “tools of Satan.” He believes that envy is no longer one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but that it has become a marketing tool, itself.

“The Bible tells us envy is a root of every other sin,” said Pastor Warren, of California’s Saddleback Church. “It can destroy everything and everyone around you.”

By tempting one’s desire to live another person’s life or obtain things that they do not have, catalogs and magazine advertisements distract Christians from the Bible’s teachings, according to Warren. However, this is not to say that Christians should not desire things.

“Dreams, ambitions, goals, and desires are all things that God puts in you,” said Warren, but desiring material things or a life other than your own distracts you from worshiping God. An item that becomes the object of your affection is an idol.

Christians should be content with their lives, according to Warren, but may also strive for the betterment of themselves and their devotion to God.

“Envy is resenting other people who have something already and thinking that you can’t be happy until you get it, too,” says Warren. “Instead, learn to be grateful for who you are and what you have. Everything you have is a gift from God!”