Moving on post-American Dream

There are dozens of "posts" in our current day and age. These include, but are surely not limited to, post-Christendom, post-modern, and post-colonial. I want to talk about another one though and how it relates to our mission as Christ's Body.

Growing up I was taught about the "American Dream". I never had a class that dealt with the term and never saw it in a text book, but I was taught it nonetheless. Basically, it was the idea that if I worked hard, was a good person, and was determined to be successful, I would be. This would bring me all the things that make life easier. Things like a good wife, a few kids, a nice house, a nice car, and all the handy things to put into that house to make life blissful. Maybe I'd even get a white picket fence. That's the dream. I know we could argue for hours on what the American Dream really is and what it consists of, but I think my description is a fair one as far as this post goes.

I was born in 1972. Kind a weird time for the American Dream. We were about to learn just how much we couldn't trust our government. We were about to see the divorce rate hop on a rocket and take off (my parents split up when I was 5). We were close to seeing our economy go on a virtually unending series of rises and falls. My generation was one of the first to see the American Dream for what it really was. A farce.

In many ways, I have achieved lots of the milestones associated with "the dream". I have also, many times, lived through the antitheses of "the dream". Most of the anti-dream stuff I have lived through was purely economic, but there are other issues out there that can all but obliterated "the dream". Divorce is a huge one. Absent parents has hurt. The emergence of an extremely individualistic society (one of the toys you try for while pursuing the dream) has done much harm.

This leaves many folks in our society in a weird kind of limbo. The generation before the Baby Boomers, "the Builders", still believes in "the dream". By and large they have lived it and still do.  Many Boomers I know still believe in it as well even if they haven't achieved it. My generation, the busters, or Gen-x, or whatever we are, have heard of it, been taught it, but by and large think it's not real. Then you have the Generation Y and Internet Generations who really don't know what it is and would laugh if you described it. Their world is much different than the Golden Age.

That's where the Church comes into the picture. We are called to be salt and light in the world. We live in a lost, hurting, and dying world. We say that all the time, but sometimes fail to define and describe what that means.

We live out amongst people who's lives flat out suck. They are on drugs or know someone close who is. They have AIDS. They live in a world where porn is easier to find than a clown at a circus. They're parents are not only split up, but neither of them care about them so now they don't know how love anyone. Those who's parents are together have watched them struggle to keep work, or have had a hard time finding or keeping work themselves and the only help they've received is from the government. In spite of medical advances they know someone close who has a cancer or some other terminal disease and know they will lose them to it and feel alone. They are mired in depression because of the ugly, violent world we live in. War and terrorism are words they are numb to now, but still haven't learned how to deal with.

What kind of Church do all of these people need to be reaching out to them? Do they need the churches full of folks who are taught to seek "the dream" and hold it up as God's favor? Do they need 10 steps to a better life? Do they need a church that preaches against them instead of wrapping it's arms around them? Think they'll respond to "good words and prayer" instead of action and love from a group of affluent believers who drive $50,000 dollar cars and live in houses too big for their families?

I don't mean to pick at other believers with those questions, but it's time that we, as a Church, once and for all put away this idea of the American Dream. We may not directly talk about it, but with our lives and actions, we are buying into it and functionally telling everyone that it's the pinnacle of living.

So I am going to go out and find these people. I am going to go and love them, and tell them about the real dream. I am going to go and let them know that there is indeed a God and not only does he love them, but he wants to redeem them and everything about their lives. He wants them to not only bring their lives to him, but their addictions, their broken relationships, their let downs, and all those things that get in the way of living life to the fullest. Because see, to be reconciled with God means that not only are they safe and redeemed for eternity and have a home with God in the future, but they have a relationship with the Almighty. That means that no matter what tries to move into their lives RIGHT NOW and make them miserable, he has already overcome it. That's a much better message that fire insurance. And he doesn't need to give them money and things and houses and cars to give them joy.

So let's go ahead and put out the smoldering pile that has been known as the "American Dream" and show people Jesus. He'll give them a new dream, a real dream, and live it with them.

(I have ranted a little. If I have offended, frustrated or aggravated, I apologize.)

Comments

[Chris Alford]

love it man...

[Tina Willis]

This is a great post. I've also heard of and been taught about the "American Dream". It aludes me, like the proverbial carrot at the end of a string, and no matter how hard I try and work and "live right" I am no closer than I was the year before...
I especially like where you said, "Do they need the churches full of folks who are taught to seek "the dream" and hold it up as God's favor?". These are bold words, but I was taught that if you "lived right" then you'd have God's favor and His favor closely resembles the "American Dream". How ironic...and if by chance you fell short of "the dream" then you must be in some kind of sin, because you weren't being blessed. It's not by works, but this is the state of mind that this kind of teaching puts people. At least it did me. Always feeling like you're not good enough because you aren't living "the dream".
What you said here really sums it all up, "Because see, to be reconciled with God means that not only are they safe and redeemed for eternity and have a home with God in the future, but they have a relationship with the Almighty. That means that no matter what tries to move into their lives RIGHT NOW and make them miserable, he has already overcome it." I agree with you brother! There's a real message for the church in this. I appreciate this post!

[Rich]

Thanks for the comments Chris and Tina! Always good to here from you Tina. And Chris, good hanging out again...

[Jake]

What I find kind of strange is that, even though the American Dream has crashed and burned, so many people around the world still yearn for it. Perhaps this is the result of their living conditions, cultural situations, and prompted by the false sense of reality that Hollywood puts forth (as a generality, I realize there is good stuff in the movies too). Good thoughts, Mr. Wagner.

[Rebekah]

The sad thing is that we worship this idol, The American Dream, so much that even if we know it's a farce we still pretend we're living it. Even if we know we don't really have it, we try to present to others around us that we are living this 'dream'. So, our life has the potential of being an endless cycle of seeking after this "perfection", and acting as though we have it even if we can't seem to grasp it.

What really bothers me is that the church has taken this on in so many ways with buildings, numbers, and presentation. The bigger, the better and more,more,more...the american dream, right? We've created an "americanized" version of christianity, and forgotten what biblical christianity looks like. Try and sell our "americanized" version of christianity to those christians underground in China, or christians in a third world country....they probably wouldn't recognize it as christianity at all.

The reason the "American Dream" is so dangerous is that it makes people think that if "they" work hard enough or do enough they will have it. Where does that leave our faith and what do we have to trust God for if we can do it all and achieve it all ourselves? We're left depending on ourselves which will most definately leave us with a mess and farther away from God and the truth in our lives. The root of indvidualism is pride, and God says he resists the proud. Self-reliance is not, or should not be, something that the children of God seek to have and display in life. In weakness there is strength, but not our strength, God's strength.

This is an awesome post! (sorry for the loooong comment)

[Chris Alford]

I thought God was supposed to give me the american dream and the american dream more abundantly if I go to church and apply the 7 steps to american happiness. lol

Your comments were right on Rev. Rebekah!

[kristine]

Great post Rich.
I'm right with you when it comes to seeking the lost, the abandoned, the misunderstood, the marginalized... This friend of mine from Brazil once said to me - "You Americans! Always hoping and lusting after this American Dream like it's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!" He found this to be what makes America the place where many want to be because of its neverending optimism and the way we all eat up those rags to riches stories. He also saw it as a place where one could experience great heartache, disappointment, and pain. As he spoke a certain bitterness emerged for from his perspective, I think he might have been trying to decide which was better - accepting one's station in life or longing for more...