The Danger of Materialism
Think for a minute about some of the iconic American heroes over the last few decades: classic westerns with the self-reliant John Wayne, the muscle-bound Rambo, and, more recently, the lightning-quick Jason Bourne.
Each of these—while coming from different backgrounds, happening across different eras, and featuring very different storylines—shares one crucial thing in common: They are each solo heroes. They don’t need anyone else. They are completely self-sufficient. They epitomize the self-made man.
Think about other examples in popular American culture, like Frank Sinatra. Sinatra’s iconic song is “My Way.” The crux of the entire song is that he did exactly what he wanted to do in his life, and thus his life was a success. What’s even more audacious is his claim, partway through the song, that acknowledges having a few regrets, but too few to mention. It’s a pretty significant statement to argue that, across the breadth of his whole life, the sum total of his mistakes is almost nonexistent. We are to believe that he is, like the movie heroes above, completely self-sufficient.
The problem is, the story of self-sufficiency is ultimately a myth.
THE MYTH OF THE SELF-MADE MAN
There is no such thing as a self-made man or woman. But, as Americans, this is among the greatest of prizes for us. We adore the story of the independent thinker who came from nothing, pulled himself up by his bootstraps, and succeeded.
This makes sense when you consider the American ethos. There may be no more American a word than independence. It is the epitome of our culture. I believe the American culture today rests on twin pillars of independence and materialism. It could even be said after examining professionalism and materialism in the previous two chapters that they both lean heavily on the strength of this core idea of independence.
Professionalism can be one expression of independence: I do what I do, and it gives me unique value. I’ve worked hard to get where I am today, paid my dues, earned my degrees or expertise, and now deserve respect as a professional.
In previous generations (like Boomers), professional accomplishments helped define a person’s identity as an individual, while more recent generations (like Gen Xers and Millennials) may find more of a sense of individual identity in their professional freedom. In other words, Gen Xers and Millennials are more likely to want what they do to be an expression of who they are as opposed to it defining who they are.
Consider how many of your older relatives held only a handful of jobs in their lifetime, but stuck to them for years or even decades. Certainly, advances in technology and travel, among other things, contribute to this cultural shift. But moving from job to job or even changing careers entirely is more common than not. We value independence and begin to feel limited or bored without new options or advancement. Increasingly, people are working multiple jobs or temporary jobs as freelancers or small-business owners.
MATERIALISM AND INDEPENDENCE
Of course, those same advances in technology and travel along with materialism and capitalism have also resulted in more business restructuring to have temporary or freelance workers instead of full-time employees.
In a 2017 interview with CNN, the CEO of Intuit (which owns TurboTax, Mint, and QuickBooks) reported that “the gig economy . . . is now estimated to be about 34% of the workforce and expected to be 43% by the year 2020.” Meaning that there’s a good chance that people reading this book already do some kind of short term “gig”—freelance jobs, contract work, or side-hustles. (That last term doesn’t have the negative connotation it once did. Hustle in this context means hard work, not a scam.) Individuals and corporations are both starting to value the flexibility and independence of making money without long-term commitments.
“Materialism could not exist apart from independent self-centeredness.”
Materialism could not exist apart from independent self-centeredness. We’re not talking about independence in the sense of political freedom, but the right to personal autonomy. As consumers of material possessions, we’re seeking to acquire our own happiness. The spirit of materialism and independence was perfectly captured in a phrase printed on a shirt Jeremy and I saw in an airport while traveling to do some leader training. In bold block lettering, with each phrase stacked on top of the next, a man’s tank top said, “I see. I want. I grind. I get.”
What could better summarize the current version of the American Dream?
For the most part, we’re free to be, to desire, to earn, and to possess anything we want. That’s today’s perspective on independence. Our independence is coupled with materialism. Work hard, earn money, get anything your heart desires, be happy.
But that consumer worldview is not only failing to deliver on its promises, as Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic explain in their book Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty Isn’t the American Dream, it’s destroying our churches because we’ve embraced this same narrative of independence and materialism.
CONSUMERISM IN THE CHURCH
Christian discipleship and church growth don’t appear to be much different from the so-called secular world around us. While finalizing this manuscript, Fikkert shared with a group of us during a lunch hosted by the Chattanooga Institute for Faith + Work. What we knew to be true from pastoral leadership perspective he affirmed from his perspective of economic development, backed by mountains of data. It was too powerful to not include here.
This toxic blend of salvation of the soul through faith in the gospel while living out our daily lives according to desires for material comforts and the belief that consumption will provide satisfaction is what he and Kapic, and others before them, call “Evangelical Gnosticism.” Yes, this syncretism of the gospel and an ancient heresy should be alarming and offensive.
Sadly, our Bibles specifically and ironically condemn such teachings. Yet our church culture at large, with few exceptions, isn’t even trying to minister holistically to develop people created in the image of God into maturity.
THE STARTING POINT
As leaders, what are we doing to “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge the Son of God, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:12–13 ESV). We aim to get people saved and to join our churches, hopefully convincing them to financially support and volunteer to serve in our churches too.
Leaders, this is not the finish line. This is the starting point. We’re aiming too low, even when we’re hitting our target.
Again, if spiritual maturity is typically measured by daily Bible reading as individuals, and if discipleship (if it happens) is typically measured by the reproduction of sound doctrine and maybe Scripture memory, and if leadership is qualified by theological education (and perhaps business savvy for directing growth strategies and managing staff recruits), then we’re functionally gnostic. We’ve focused our efforts on the acquisition of spiritual knowledge in the mind while disregarding the spiritual significance of daily life in the physical world.
An incomplete gospel is an incorrect gospel.
Excerpted from Leveling the Church: Multiplying Your Ministry by Giving It Away (Moody Publishers, January 2020) by Micah Fries and Jeremy Maxfield.
Micah Fries is the Senior Pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN. Micah is married to Tracy and they have two daughters, Grace and Kessed, and a son, Haddon. Prior to serving at Brainerd, he worked for LifeWay Christian Resources, served as a Senior Pastor in Missouri, as an international church planter in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and as a Youth Director in Dothan, AL. He holds a Master of Divinity, a Bachelor of Arts, and is currently a Ph.D. student, studying North American Missiology. He is the author of a commentary on Haggai and Zephaniah in the Christ-Centered Commentary Series. Micah, along with Dr. Keith Whitfield, contributed and co-edited Islam and North America.
Jeremy Maxfield is a writer and consultant. After graduating from The University of Georgia and Beeson Divinity School, he began developing content for leaders and organizations throughout the country. He has also served in local churches, including his role as Discipleship Pastor at Brainerd Baptist in Chattanooga, TN. Jeremy and his wife, Amanda, have three daughters, Adalyn, Ella, and Katy Jane.