Over the last few years, you’ve probably heard the phrase “Christian Nationalism” a time or two, since there’s been a lot written in articles, blogs, and social media posts about it. I’m not going to cover it here, but most people who write about it see it as a huge threat and something to be avoided. Not surprisingly, people have vastly different opinions about it, but there’s another trend that is far more dangerous to the mission of believers than that one:
Christian Individualism.
Ok, so I don’t know if that’s an actual sociological term, but it should be, and the two words in it should never be together. The only reason we consider Christianity to be an individual faith is because we live in a “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps” culture that values the individual over the many.
But the Bible talks about individuals following Jesus together with other individuals who are following Jesus. Biblical discipleship isn’t just “alone time with God and the Word” and jotting down some takeaways in a journal that no one sees but you. Biblical discipleship is the body doing life together, sharing meals together, studying Scripture together, and so on. If that last sentence made you squirm a little, then I think you’re starting to understand the difference between Christian Individualism and Biblical Christianity.
In her book, “Find Your People,” Jennie Allen talks about a pastor in the underground church and his response to her question about why the American church has lost its connectedness, especially in comparison to the people he’s with in the Middle East. His answer?
“Because the West is all about individualism, convenience, and being comfortable. Discipleship is inconvenient, uncomfortable, and very messy.”
Why has the pandemic taken such a toll on all of us? Because it kept all of us from being with all of us. It’s time to dig deep together again, to allow others in to see our messes, and to grow as one body of many parts instead of one church of many individuals. Paul summed it up like this:
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…” (Ephesians 3:14-18 NIV, emphasis mine)
Paul’s whole prayer is in the context of family. He prays that we would be rooted together – trees who stand strong in the storm because our roots have grown deep and connected before the storm – and that the rootedness we have would display God’s love and power to the world.
There is no easy route to this kind of power.
It takes time.
Together.
In the dirt.
Photo by Liam Charmer on Unsplash
