Making Bigger Humans

Lots of people talk about "slip," about how life has changed over the years. "America," they say, "is less moral" or "has lost her values" or "just isn't what it used to be." Like the frog in the pot, sometimes it's hard to see that our goose is getting cooked. (Yes, a horribly mixed metaphor.) Nonetheless, I think it is absolutely true.

Earlier Christianity had a clear notion of human nature. The term itself was a synonym for the nature of that nature -- the sin nature. Christianity understood that humans were sinners by nature and sinned because of it. Sin was a violation of a holy God. The necessary remedy was forgiveness. The ongoing solution was better theology, a better understanding of God and His Word. We got all that. We don't anymore.

The world changed in the latter half of the 20th century. Instead of a common nature, our culture began to believe that each person had their own nature, their own core values, their own reality. "That's true for you" became a phrase with meaning, as if "truth" could be variable. Authenticity is "whatever I say it is." The problem, then, became less about a violation of a holy God but a deep concern about what others think of our impulses or behavior. The solution stopped being forgiveness and moved toward healing and therapy. Instead of better theology and a deeper understanding of God's Word, the aim became self-help, Bible verses that coincide with our feelings, and "spiritual formation." Bible bookstores became bookstores which became Christian trinket, poster, and potpourri stores. Pentecostalism could rise in this environment because it focused more on experience and feelings than text and context. Billy Graham preached repentance; Joel Olsteen preaches "your best life now." All structure has become "me" rather than "God and His Word."

We -- Christians in America -- have built bigger humans in the last 70 years or so. When we saw people as sinners in need of a Savior, we had to pursue a Savior rather than a self-sufficiency. Now that we've moved to bigger humans, we aren't nearly as concerned about saviors or even Truth. Rather than letting God determine worship and church and practice, we've let marketing forces and public opinion and "how we feel" do it. Instead of standing on the Word of God, we've shifted to standing on human feet of clay. We've built a structure that no 12-step program can fix. We don't need to progress to bigger and better humans; we need to return to Christ, to His church, to His Word, to knowing God. Doing so will be a swim against the tide ... even among Christians.