“Along the way we’ve gradually moves from Christian community. It’s like the slow drift of a ship that has lost its anchor. No single wave carried us out to the WEIRD Sea, but over the years, there has been a profound, imperceptible shift in our Western understanding of Christianity.”- Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore
As Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore move on in Chapter 5 of The Missing Messiah, they note our tendency to look at Jesus through WEIRD eyes without even realizing it. Therefore, people see Christianity as a campaign for individual achievement and personal salvation. Rather than as a communal movement of the Messiah.
Consequently, Kyle and Mark stress, even our language betrays this shift. Hence, we speak of:
- personal salvation.
- my walk with the Lord
- private devotions.
- quiet time.
In addition, the authors observe:
“The WEIRD-ing of Jesus . . . [is] the culmination of centuries of Western philosophical thought, accelerated by specific social and technological developments in the latter half of the twentieth century. . . . Again . . . being able to read the Bible ourselves and knowing we can approach God directly are beautiful privileges that have nourished faith across generations. . . .
While it was once inconceivable to sever Christianity from its communal roots, the pendulum has swung so far in the past few centuries that many Christians can hardly conceive of faith as anything other than a private, personal matter.”
In conclusion, Kyle and Mark add, the post-war (World War II) economic boom created unprecedented middle-class affluence. As a result, that enabled many Americans to pursue individual consumption and leisure activities. While not necessarily bad, each subtly normalized the idea of viewing all things through the lens of personal choice and individual fulfillment.
Today’s question: Have you noticed a profound, if imperceptible shift in our Western understanding of Christianity? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A Netflix algorithm – Jesus?”