"The cultural captivity of the church has meant that the church is more likely to reflect the individualism of Western philosophy than the value of community found in Scripture. The individualistic philosophy that has shaped Western society, and consequently shaped the American church, reduces Christian faith to a personal, private and individualistic faith" (p.30).The individualism of our culture has so seeped into our faith practice and church expression that much of our "faith" looks more like a faith in the ways of our culture than it does the redemptive power of the gospel.
Sermons have been constructed in a Dr. Phil psychotherapy style so that people can live their "best life now", instead of what it means to be the people (plural) of God at work in the world. Worship music has been infused with "I" so that one can "feel" God close by. And sin has been reduced to a checklist of personal morality instead of challenging the sacred community to work and pray against the evils of structural and corporate sin.
Rah calls this individualism for what it is: Idolatry.
This critique is not of one particular church, but rather our natural bent has Westerners (all of us and our churches are guilty of this individualism). As such I'm wondering: How can we move further and further away from a "personal"/"individual" expression of our faith towards one that reflects God relating to all of his people? What are some "warning" signs of church/person's faith that has been corrupted by individualism? What will the effect be when we abandon the golden calf of individualism?
1 comment:
Maybe it's the combination of a long day, being out of town & the Dynamic Lake County Red wine (55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot & 17% Syrah & a mighty good price at Trader Joe's) which incites this comment but I am so in agreement with you! The fact is that we have often distilled God's desire for His people into a philosophy of a "personal relationship" with God; something that not only misrepresents the truth but actually seems to trump, it is painful to witness. The concept of personal choice (and resulting consequences)is abundant in Scripture but the idea of a "personal relationship" would be absolutely alien to first century Christians. Shane Hipps' book "Flickering Pixels" gives this some important context - someday we can discuss it over coffee. Thanks for bringing this up; we need to address this as a community of believers and the potential damage it can do.
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