The Law of Reproduction

Following an extensive study of the religious beliefs of American teenagers, sociologist Christian Smith chose the term “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” to describe their default belief system. Here are its basic tenets:

1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.

2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.

5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

As Ross Douthat reviews the history of religious life in the United States in his book, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, he characterizes the 1960s and ‘70s as the period when accommodation became a predominant value among influential theologians and other church leaders. People were encouraged to be less dogmatic, to acknowledge that truth is relative, and to open their minds to the wisdom of non-Christian traditions. Many believed that such openness would lead to a more inclusive Christianity.

Perhaps you can see how the combination of the belief system that Smith outlines and the climate that Douthat describes were not necessarily good for the life and health of the community of faith. If the central goal of life is to be happy and it’s all about me, then I really don’t need to be that concerned about other people. Furthermore, if being good and nice and fair to others means that I’m not supposed to question their values or behavior, then I should just keep my ideas to myself.

The truth is that disciples of Jesus Christ have a responsibility not only to introduce other people to Jesus, but also to equip them live a life worthy of someone who is known as a Christian. Disciples make disciples. Fully devoted followers of Jesus are committed to helping others become fully devoted followers of Jesus, too. The strength and influence of the church is wholly dependent upon its commitment to making disciples. Producing transformed lives, and seeing those lives reproduced in others, is the core challenge to every believer and to each congregation.