American Dream: Christian Nightmare
The American dream is a big house in the suburbs, a white picket fence, 2.5 kids and an SUV in the driveway. The American dream is to make it all by yourself and owe nothing to anyone. The American dream is staunch individualism and unchecked materialism. More than merely a set of ideals to achieve, the American dream is a guiding philosophy, a source of blind devotion in the lives of millions, but the American dream is contrary to the Christian faith. In America you are expected to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, even if you have no boots. America values the notion of the “self-made” man or woman, but the reality is no matter how successful any of us become, no one is “self-made.” Not only did God make you who you are, but you no doubt had help from some people along the way. These notions of self-sufficiency and individualism are wholly contrary to the Biblical themes of fellowship and community. Nevertheless, many have confused the American Dream with the Christian ideal.
When looking at the progression of Christianity as one of the great faiths of the world, it is often said that, “Christianity began in Palestine as a community, then it moved to Greece and became a philosophy, then it moved to Rome and became an institution, then it moved through Europe and became a culture, finally, it moved to America and became big business.”[1] In America, Jesus is more CEO than savior, and effectiveness in the faith is measured by church buildings, budgets, and butts in seats, not by genuine discipleship and love for one another.
In some circles, American nationalism has become synonymous with Christian faith, and idolatrous patriotism has gone unchecked and grown to obscene proportions. Some churches have built stadium-sized sanctuaries with no crosses, noichthys fishes, no Christian imagery at all—yet the American flag is visible at every turn. Nationalism and the American dream have not merely merged with Christianity, they have in many ways replaced it, and this American dream has become a Christian nightmare. The true Christian ideal is marked by collective fellowship—not individualism, and by generosity—not by materialism or greed. Some mistakenly believe that dreams are mere extensions of personal goals and fantasies, but if your personal dream requires stepping on someone else to make it come true, that’s not a dream; that’s a nightmare. If your dream takes all the credit and acts like no one was there to help you, that’s not a dream; that’s a nightmare. It is a sad state of affairs when the “American Dream” has become so individualized, so ego-driven, so narcissistic that a dream for one person is a nightmare for everyone else.
Dreams are featured prominently in Acts 2. After the commotion of Pentecost morning Peter explained to the crowd that the events of that day had been revealed by dream to the prophet Joel, who foretold that, “your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”[2] Joel’s prophecy began with a dream and found its fulfillment in the same. After reminding them of Joel’s prophecy, Peter preached what is arguably the most important sermon in the history of Christianity, the sermon that started it all. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, he used the occasion of Pentecost and the backdrop of signs and wonders to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter told them that “God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified”[3] and 3,000 were added to their number that day. Those 3,000 people were the beginning of the church, and that church was marked by their fellowship and their generosity.
Verse 42 details four activities that the early church was devoted to: the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Of the four core activities that defined the early church half of them were directly related to fellowship and all of them were done together. Fellowship was not a side activity; fellowship was not an extracurricular activity; it was not a couple of meetings between Sundays or an afternoon service with another church; fellowship was not the second banana to Sunday worship or a quick passing of the peace during service. Fellowship was the primary marker of the church.
It says they were devoted to fellowship and the breaking of bread. Communion was not just a ritual with stale crackers and grape juice on first Sundays. The Lord’s Supper was not a figure of speech; it was a literal meal together. Thousands of years of imbedded tradition has caused us to focus on the ritual and not its meaning. Prioritizing fellowship starts with a new understanding of communion. In the church I’m privileged to pastor, we don’t “serve communion.” we “commune together”. Language matters, and communion should not be a mere noun. Communion is from the verb to “commune,” the same word that we get “community” from. The act of communing literally means doing it together. You cannot have communion by yourself; doing it together is the entire point. Contrary to American individualism, the early disciples were defined by their togetherness, and that communal identity defined the church.
Verse 43 goes on to say, “Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.” The word “everyone” means that after events of the upper room, they remained on one accord. Verse 44 says explicitly “All who believed were together and had all things in common,” and verse 46 further details that “They spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts.” These were daily activities, and they desired to be dependent on one another. Verse 47 concludes the chapter by telling us that the disciples of the early church were “Praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.” Their dependence on one another was not a chore; it was their source of joy, a highlight of their lives.
Besides individualism, there is another ungodly component of the so-called American dream, and that is materialism. The opposite of individualism is fellowship; the opposite of materialism is generosity. Not only did the early disciples fellowship together, not only did they break bread together, not only did they meet daily in the temple courts and in each other’s homes with glad and sincere hearts, but verse 45 says, “They would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Materialism in our society is out of control. From children comparing sneakers to adults obsessing over luxury status symbols, conspicuous consumption is an American staple, and enough is never enough. At its core, the American dream is about amassing as much personal wealth as possible with no responsibility toward the masses who struggle from day to day. It is buying a house and filling it with stuff, then when there is no more room, you buy a bigger house, to fill with more stuff, then you die, and your children fight over your stuff. The American dream is in a word greed, but in the early church they did not amass material possession and call it success, they sold their property and gave to anyone in need. Their success was measured by their generosity.
When the American dream tarnishes the Christian ideal, it looks like preaching self-sufficiency without collective responsibility. It looks like individual prosperity with no burden to help the poor, and it looks like the American flag replacing the cross as the emblem of our salvation. Jesus was not nailed to an American flag, nor did he say, “take up this flag and follow me.” So, as we’re surrounded by greed, individualism, and inequality, it is imperative that followers of Christ keep our eyes on the cross, the ultimate act of personal sacrifice for the greater good. While success in America is defined by what we achieve for ourselves, success in God’s kingdom is measured exclusively by what we do for others.
[1] Common quote on Church history, often attributed to former U.S. Senate chaplain Richard
Halverson in a 1984 speech before the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
[2]Acts 2:17
[3] Acts 2:36
