“The American Dream and the Deathblow to Christian Living” Question 6/244

If you don’t have a dream, how can you make a dream come true? (Oscar Hammerstein)

    This is a question that makes me say, “Well duh, soldier,” but I’m also tempted to ask myself, “What is my American Dream?” I could imagine many things that shout out “I am successful!” to those around me, but to pursue these things would be foolish and against God’s will for my life.

This will be a bold statement: I truly believe that even in Christian circles, we have a tendency to make the American Dream the god that we serve. I am not saying that this has happened in every American Christian’s life, but I am saying we have a predisposition to making the American Dream our idol at the same strength that someone who has grown up in an alcoholic family has a predisposition to becoming an alcoholic.

Is the American Dream bad? It can be, or it can be good. Is the internet bad? It can be, or it can be good. The American Dream more often than not keeps Christians from living like true Christians. Take for example the American mantra of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” in my own life:

Life –The number missionaries from out of our country have dropped significantly in the past years. Have I been trained all my life to pursue health to the point that I will avoid God’s call to the mission field because I fear sickness or death might overtake my family? Another question: Did the early church have life insurance, or did they practice Paul’s command to the church in 2 Corinthians 8:14 –”At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality.”? If my church is doing its job correctly, do I really need life insurance?

Liberty –How often do I have an attitude of entitlement towards God when I start asking that he take a sin, situation, debt, or consequence away because “it’s not fair”? How often do I fight for my freedom to listen to the music I want, freedom to get a tattoo, or freedom to drink through spiritualistic “Christian liberty” (whatever that is now) while I neglect to use all my energy to fulfill God’s command in Deuteronomy 15:7 –”If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.”? Am I really that self-focused?

Pursuit of Happiness –Have I been brainwashed by so many commercials that my wants have become my “needs”? (My very own walk-in closet, my decision to live on my own, my own car, my own music) Why do I constantly have to suppress the urge to buy fast food instead of waiting a few more minutes so I can make dinner at home? Have I pursued someone else’s happiness
today? Since when was I created to be happy in the first place? Did God really create me to make me happy? Think that one through.

These are just questions I gave myself from my own life.

Has the American Dream killed your Christian walk? Have you committed idolatry without even realizing it?