I was reading the book The Next Evangelicalism and the author, Soong-Chan Rah proposes that the 2 greatest sins of North America that have crept into the church are individualism and consumerism. Here are some of his points.
Regarding individualism, we have turned God into something small that fits inside our own personal world. While it is true that God is close and personal, He is also the God that transcends our own lives and is larger than the whole universe. Rah says, “Even small group ministry, which is supposed to be the primary expression of community life…often yields a narcissistic, indivdualistic focus. Small groups become a place of support and counsel rather than a place where Scripture challenges teh participants towards kingdom living” (p. 37).
Consumerism, closely related to individualism, also creeps into our mentality towards church. When choosing a church, the word “shopping” is used, and individuals will entertain the idea of leaving a church if it is not meeting his or her personal and indiviudal needs. “We’re purchasing a product rather than committing to the body of Christ” (p. 47).
I think I largely agree with his ideas, even if he writes them from a seemingly angry perspective. But there is insight and perspective to be gained from his writing. He also notes how in trying to cater to the individualism and consumerism, pastors may cater their message to what will meet the needs of some individuals but that is not what the purpose of delivering the Word should be. It should be what God needs to say to the whole community, not what individuals need to hear.
However, a lot of my writing has been about how we can better meet the people in our community by meeting the people in the culture they are most familiar with. The idea is to remove cultural barriers to worship and let the Gospel be its own tripping stone rather than culture itself. But in trying to cater to the cultural needs of individuals, am I feeding the consumerism and individualism that is talked of here?
The tension is this: on the one hand, you want people to worship God as freely as possible, not to be hindered by cultural forms or being distracted by anything else. On the other hand, you do not want to cater to people’s tastes and give them what their itching ears want to hear. How is this tension resolved?
I have not had time to flesh out my thoughts regarding this but perhaps your thoughts will help me shape my own. Would love to hear what your thoughts are.
