Much of modern America’s Christianity is filled with immaturity. In Ephesians 4:11–17, Paul highlights several aspects of what spiritual maturity would look like: a measure of unity, growth in Christlikeness, spiritual discernment, loving discipleship, and selfless service. Unfortunately, personal and spiritual immaturity are keeping these kinds of things from happening in many American churches, leading to instability and division within churches. What contributes to this immaturity? I suggest four things for consideration.
An Accommodation with Pop Culture
Pop culture is what dominates the landscape of America today. Kenneth Myers writes, “popular culture, especially [since 1964], has become a more dominant cultural force than ever before.”1Kenneth Myers, All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1989), 59. This was true in 1989 when he wrote this book, and it is even more so today.
While Christians cannot escape the presence of pop culture, we must guard ourselves from adapting to its value system. The value system and philosophical views of pop culture are not in alignment with those of the Scripture. Nonetheless, pop culture continues to be, not only allowed, but embraced in American churches, which contributes to its immaturity.
An Overemphasis on Reaching Youth
While pop culture has been around in some form for longer, the early decades of the twentieth century really ramped up its appeal and power, particularly in the youth of the day. The 1940s saw the term “teenager” come into vogue,2Diana West, The Death of the Grown Up (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2007), 1. and various youth organizations formed that targeted the youth of the day as the hope of the future of America.3For a fuller description of the beginning of such movements, see chapter one of Thomas Bergler’s book, The Juvenilization of American Christianity, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s Publishing, 2012)
The youth were viewed as those who could save the world from various political threats and also be the leaders in the churches. This youth movement embraced the expressions and behaviors of the pop culture of the day. This has been perpetuated ever since at rapid speed. However, when a church’s dominating emphasis is on the youth, it will lead to the neglect and marginalization of older generations, the prolonging of adolescence, and ultimately perpetuating immaturity within the church,4Bergler, in Juvenilization, chronicles this progression well. In a subsequent work entitled, From Here to Maturity, he offers some suggestions for how churches can correct this.
Reaching the youth is important, but it should not trump the church’s need to reach people of all ages. Titus chapter two highlights a multigenerational ministry, giving emphasis on the mature and older generation. The problem we see today is the overemphasis on the younger, less mature demographic, thinking that churches must cater to them at the expense of the older. This is biblically backwards.
An Adoption of Consumerism
Part of the pop culture philosophy includes the lust for the “new” and the “now.” Whether it was the newest fad, the newest song, the newest dance, etc. there was a burning desire to consume them immediately. The latest and greatest are touted as being better than the more established and proven. However, the lust for the new and the now continued to appeal to the youth culture throughout the middle twentieth century, and continues to do so today. Just monitor how often Apple comes out with “new” technology and urges customers to pre-order “now.”
Consumerism is ubiquitous in America today. If you don’t like what you have, there is always something newer that you can get virtually immediately. And while we are thankful for modern technological conveniences, when a consumeristic philosophy enters the church doors, there will be problems.
Consumerism in the church comes when people view the church as if it was a shopping mall or grocery store. Questions such as, “what is here for my children?” or “do they have the popular or contemporary music that I like?” are often used as the gauge of whether one church is preferable to another. And if one church doesn’t do something or have something that we want, we can always go “church shopping.” This mentality is killing our churches today, and only contributing to further immaturity.
A Cultivation of Individualism
When you put the embracing of pop culture, an overemphasis on reaching the youth, and the adoption of consumerism into the spiritual blender, you inevitably produce a kind of individualistic view of Christianity. “Meism” (to invent a word) is not compatible with mature Bible Christianity. It reeks of a narcissistic self-love. Yet, this is not only seen in the unregenerate world, but it is also growing in our churches, due in part to the prevalence of social media.
However, a “selfie” mentality in a Christian cannot biblically coexist with God’s philosophy of the church. It will fester, producing more immaturity, unhealthiness, and perhaps divisiveness within the church.
Now, we all understand that immaturity in children is common. However, children are expected to grow out of immaturity. So also, “baby Christians” must learn to grow out of the immaturity left over from their old-man days. If immaturity is left unchecked, it will take over a church ministry and essentially destroy it.
Rather than accommodate to pop culture, Christians must cultivate biblical discernment that has a healthy skepticism about the various expressions of pop culture.
Rather than reveling in and catering to childish youthfulness, Christians must value the elders of the church, giving weight to their thoughts and views.
Rather than viewing church life and ministries as a consumer, Christians must contribute to the life and health of the church for the glory of God.
Rather than selfish individualism, Christians need to humble themselves in service and self-denial, like Jesus Christ.
May God help us to grow in grace, and mature more and more into the image of Christ.
References
| 1 | Kenneth Myers, All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1989), 59. |
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| 2 | Diana West, The Death of the Grown Up (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2007), 1. |
| 3 | For a fuller description of the beginning of such movements, see chapter one of Thomas Bergler’s book, The Juvenilization of American Christianity, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s Publishing, 2012 |
| 4 | Bergler, in Juvenilization, chronicles this progression well. In a subsequent work entitled, From Here to Maturity, he offers some suggestions for how churches can correct this. |
