Materialism and The American Dream

America. The land of the free, the home of the brave. And the home of the American Dream. 

Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against the American Dream. I believe that everyone, regardless of race, gender, social class, or circumstance of birth should have an equal opportunity to succeed. The danger, however, is how we define this success. Today, the American Dream is defined less as "equal opportunity for success" and more as "get a huge house, a nice car, and lots of money." And this is where my heart is deeply troubled. 

What net worth must you have to be content with yourself? How much money? How many cars? How big of a house? How much stuff? How many times have you bought something only to find that it doesn't satisfy your craving for more? It doesn't take much time scanning the media to realize that celebrities are among the richest in the US, yet have so many issues within their lives. Between drugs, abuse, divorce, and suicide, it's hard to argue that being a rich celebrity is the greatest thing ever. I'm not saying all celebrities have these problems, however I don't think the rapper Notorious B.I.G. was too far off with his song title "Mo Money Mo Problems." 

"But I'm not a rich celebrity, so who cares," you say. Well that depends on to whom you compare yourself. Though you personally may not bring in 6 figures this year, the US as a country is the richest in the world in terms of average wage per citizen. There are 193 counties in the world, by the way. Still feeling average?

For the past 3 years, my heart has been heavily burdened by 1 John 3:17, James 2:15, and a passage from Deuteronomy 15. 

"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" - 1 John 3:17 

"If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?" - James 2:15 

Both of these passages are surrounded with text speaking on loving not just with words, but with deed, action, and truth. The passage in Deuteronomy 15 tells the owners of slaves that when they release them after their 6 years of servanthood, they are to give generously of their own possessions so that the freed slave will be able to live on his own, never to return to slavery.

Now here's my question for you: 

How can we as humans, regardless of religious beliefs, justify living in excess when there are people in this world dying from hunger, malnutrition, and disease? 

This question has stabbed me in the heart, and time is twisting the knife. It's an uncomfortable question to ask and is all too easy to dance around and ignore as we falsely justify our lifestyles. I know that I personally can't answer this question with a statement that I'm comfortable with.

David Platt wrote a book on this topic of faith and the American Dream that I'm currently working through called "Radical," and you'd have to be joking if you read it and said it didn't make you feel uneasy. We as Christians in America have abandoned the radical ideas of Christ and have instead created (as Platt puts it) a "nice, middle-class, American Jesus" who "doesn't mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have." How far have we fallen when we spend millions on new churches while giving a few thousand to the poor? 

To this I have no answer. My heart is restless, but I know God is at work. I also know that I cannot live ignoring these truths--something has to give. I once was asking myself how much I had to give, but a better question would be how much do I really need? 

I feel I could talk on this forever, but I believe I've made my point. In closing, I hope you'll take some time to examine where your priorities lie. "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Don't leave here pointing fingers; we have enough of that going on around us already. Instead, evaluate your own self, as it's you that you have to live with. Whether or not you feel called to address such things is not my business. I know the Lord has a unique calling for everyone, and as a body of believers we can't all be doing the same thing. 

Take some time to think on it, then I'd love to hear your thoughts.


Bing