Bad Religion, Heresy and my own, personal Jesus
In his book Bad Religion New York Times Columnist Ross Douthat describes how, America has always inhabited a strange paradox of being formally secular, but also relying on religion –
more heavily than almost any other Western world – to provide a moral framework for its citizens (Douthat, Kindle location 118), something has changed, however in our current culture.
Christianity has lost it’s place or at least its prominence and we have lost something important, a traditional – or orthodox – center that binds us together and just as important as what we have lost is what has replaced what is gone: ‘a rise of a variety of destructive pseudo-Christianities in it’s place’ (Douthat, Kindle location 139).
I find a lot to like about Douthat generally. I fairly regularly read his work in the Times and while we tend to have somewhat differing views on many things political, I appreciate his perspective, that he is willing to share his excitement and ‘geek out’ at the latest papal encyclical and that, at least based on his twitter interactions, he doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously and enjoys a good laugh – even if it is at his expense.
When it comes to the argument Douthat makes in this book, there is likewise much that I find compelling and am sympathetic to. Much of this is in his diagnosis of the problem as he sees it with our current cultural context.
Douthat says of America that it: ‘remains the most religious country in the developed world, as God-besotted today as ever; a place where Jesus Christ is an obsession, God’s favor a birthright, and spiritual knowledge an all-consuming goal. But it’s also a place where traditional Christian teachings have been warped into justifications for solipsism and anti-intellectualism, jingoism and utopianism, selfishness and greed.’ (Douthat, Kindle location 135)
As Randall Balmer said in his review of the the book:
there is much to commend his argument. Yes, the indexes of religious adherence are down, and the quality of religious discourse in America has diminished since the 1950s, in part because of the preference for therapy over theology. Theological illiteracy is appalling; many theologians, like academics generally, prefer to speak to one another rather than engage the public.’ (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/books/review/bad-religion-by-ross-douthat.html)
Where I diverge with Douthat is on his diagnosis of the cause for this situation. He traces American culture and Christianity to a sort of ‘golden age’ after World War Two, when the center of traditional, orthodox Christianity was broad enough and strong enough to withstand the heresies and pseudo-Christianities that have always (and will always) exist.
Balmer talks about our preference for ‘therapy over theology’ and I find this to be a much more compelling cause. That is, there has undoubtedly been a significant cultural movement away from community generally and more towards individualism.
We have always been, as a part of human nature (of course), self-centered…. but our technology and culture has developed to the point now where we can begin to realize and act on the impulse to self-reliance…..we are no longer so obviously bound to community by our needs.
Of course, as I say that, what I really mean is that we are no longer bound to each other by our obvious and immediate needs. So, instead of being drawn into community out of necessity we isolate ourselves and in that isolation make ourselves much more susceptible to the kind of heresies and pseudo-Christianities that Douthat warns about.
As we are isolated and separated from the community that we are called to experience and practice our faith in, we also become more isolated and desperate for those connections to others and that relationship in community. Separated from that community of faith we often look to other connections and relationships for that sense of community.
This longing and searching for connection and relationship has lead Christians of different stripes in different directions. Some have sought alignment with political power and authority while others have sought to find common ground on social issues.
In the end, it is not – for me at least – that we have lost a ‘traditional Christian’ center to our country, but rather that even those that Douthat would identify as being part of that group have been affected by the shift away from community and towards an inward facing, ‘self-reliant’ and ‘self-regulating’ world has meant that we have lost some of the depth and richness of our faith that can only be found in the midst and experience of community.
About the Author
Chip Stapleton
Follower of Jesus Christ. Husband to Traci. Dad to Charlie, Jack, Ian and Henry. Preacher of Sermons, eater of ice cream, supporter of Arsenal. I love to talk about what God is doing in the world & in and through us & create space and opportunity for others to use their gifts to serve God and God's people.10 responses to “Bad Religion, Heresy and my own, personal Jesus”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
“Of course, as I say that, what I really mean is that we are no longer bound to each other by our obvious and immediate needs.”
Thanks, Chip. That is the one thing I’ve noticed as a person who has lived since the early fifties and seen all the changes. When I was a wee lass neighbors helped each other; now they assume their neighbors will get assistance from the government.
I know numbers of sincere Christians who give less than they used to because of this assumption. I don’t think they are careless or lazy or making excuses – they believe that their taxes are already going to help the poor.
And there might be something to think about on the macro level – as a nation we care for our poor, maybe not perfectly, but I know we do better than Afghanistan where widows and orphans are left homeless.
But you said ‘obvious needs’. There are still the less obvious needs, inner peace and loneliness, that we can minister to.
As you point out, how to help them see that their selfishness is the problem.
You make an interesting point about the loss of community and the rise of individualism Chip. This is not something Douthat focuses on so much, though it may well be a contributing factor to the folk theology and the therapeutic gospel that he counters so strongly.
“So, instead of being drawn into community out of necessity we isolate ourselves and in that isolation make ourselves much more susceptible to the kind of heresies and pseudo-Christianities that Douthat warns about.”
This is something that is quite unique in the Western world (especially the U.S). In many Asian, African, Latino, and Middle Eastern cultures, homes for the elderly and infant-care facilities simply do not exist. Extended families live together. Neighbors function as ex-officio family members. Young singles flock together in tight groups who do everything together.
In many of those societies, church is an all day affair. It is a celebration, a family reunion. In America, many church goers consider themselves regular even though they many only visit church once a month and are not a part of any small group experience.
The common rationale is that we are ‘too busy’ or that we don’t have time for church that lasts more than an hour, etc…..
But that thought process belies a preoccupation with time, and also with an misunderstanding of what we actually need and how often…..we tend not to be in control of our time at church and that loss of control is just another uncomfortable place for us
Wow Chip, beautifully said: “…we have lost some of the depth and richness of our faith that can only be found in the midst and experience of community.” I found myself thinking of the following….There is a fairly new term used to describe attachment disorder, called “disorganized detachment”, which is what it sounds like. People are disorganized in their communities, marriages, and families and regularly miscuing or missing each other in their connection, which creates more anxiety from the lack of attachment. It is estimated over half of our society deals with this. With the emergence of phones and electronics that tends to break attachment and connection, it is considered higher. With the increase of disorganized attachment, it is negatively affecting our faith as we struggle to connect with one another. Thank you for the powerful reminder that our faith does not grow exclusively without the faith and community of others.
Disorganized detachment – what a world we live in! This is both sad and predictable though, right? Our devices – and our own ‘worlds’ – are so much easier to deal with and to live in than in relationship and community – but no matter how ‘available’ our devices might be – even the best of them will eventually leave us hollow
Yep Chip,
I had some challenges with some of Douthat views on bad religion. I agree that we are a self-led country. We are more focused on ourselves than the needs of the communities we are assigned to serve. Many of our churches do great work for those you come to the church and do not go out to the community except for special days, thanksgiving and Christmas. The members of the church need to engaged more with the needs of the community by becoming a missional church.
True, community is key in the pendulum swing of American Christianity, I believe. I don’t agree with some of Douthat’s remedies to that (ie. the Benedict Option), but it seems to be a the root of our loss and longing.
Well, I should probably follow Douthat on Twitter. Maybe I will develop an appreciation?
You quoted, “America ‘remains the most religious country in the developed world, as God-besotted today as ever; a place where Jesus Christ is an obsession, God’s favor a birthright, and spiritual knowledge an all-consuming goal.'” The problem is, this is not true in major portions of America. Douthat makes proclamations like this without caveat. If he only said things like, “In my understanding…” or “In my experience…” or even “parts of America,” I might be able to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he just seems to arrogantly make assertions without much research.
I agree with you about the conclusion, though. It seems true that “traditional Christianity” is not necessarily the answer, but Christian community as opposed to self-reliance could be. I wonder if, ultimately, that is what Douthat is preposing. As a Catholic, his view of community is deeply tied to traditional Catholic Christianity, so it would make sense that he would embrace this.
Chip the personal Jesus affect has literally forced Faith to be discerned less in community and more individually. It is so sad and even more of a concern about the example we are setting for the generations coming behind us. They are more withdrawn and yet have such a deep longing to feel connected and apart of a community. Great post as always Chip!