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On Sunday, our guest preacher from Just Love, Madhur Dey, said something at the early service that I didn’t hear him repeat at the following two services. It was a comment that struck a chord because I’ve been thinking about it in other terms for quite some time. The gist of it was this: the church better be focused on discipleship around the ways of Jesus because the world is constantly discipling people in the ways of the world. There was also an indication that we are grossly outmatched. For many Christians, an hour a week of discipleship is weighed against 24-hour cable news, non-stop coercive economic messaging, and the megaphone of social media figures and influencers peddling their own worldview.
In some ways, this reality resonates with an article I read recently about colleges reflecting on the shift in higher education that has reinforced the worldly notion that making as much money as possible is the highest good. That shift has meant fewer and fewer young people are receiving a classic liberal arts and humanities education, which, for many decades, instilled a curiosity and openness to a wide range of ideas and experiences. David Brooks noted the same issue in his recent farewell essay as he leaves the New York Times after twenty-two years as a columnist.
Colleges have realized that they are producing less well-rounded students and students with less empathy, for example. That thirty-year window of decline aligns with some of the changes in the latter part of the previous century. It mirrors the decline in church participation in those same generations. Taken together, it goes a long way in understanding what we’re seeing today as some long-standing ideals seem to have eroded to new lows. Economics drives a lot of things, but it isn’t everything. We seem to be less happy as a nation than we’ve ever been (we’ve slipped to our lowest point ever on the World Happiness Report, which has data spanning the last 50 years; we’re around 25th place for happiness measures among developed nations).
Happiness is not positively correlated to economic prosperity – the measure of happiness doesn’t ebb and flow alongside economic changes. In fact, at the macro level, as per capita economic success has increased over the last fifty years, happiness has declined. “Money can’t buy happiness” has data to back it up. Happiness is about meaningful purpose, not about “stuff.” Some of the strongest correlates of happiness among teens include sports, social interaction, volunteer work, and attendance at religious services. Interesting. I suspect it’s not dissimilar for adults, but I couldn’t find similar specifics for comparison.
So, back to the original thought, the world is constantly discipling (making people disciples of the world) us, which means the church has its work cut out for it to disciple people by making them disciples of Christ. This means teaching the foundations of the faith. It includes proclaiming freedom from fear and death, and healing and reconciliation when we have impaired our relationship to God (even if it is just on our end). It also involves teaching about the fruits of the Spirit and how following the example of Jesus produces those fruits in us and those around us. That is the discipleship we are to be about with intention and even fervor. I know, Episcopalians and fervor don’t go together in most sentences.
We’re competing with a discipleship that puts money and its accumulation above all else. It promotes appearance over substance. It’s a discipleship of power and how we can wield it for our own flourishing without consideration for others. The messaging is about getting what we want and need for ourselves and letting other folks fend for themselves. It is a mindset that suggests who should be in and who should be out of circles, and who is deserving of justice. The discipleship of this world is absolutely unrelenting and terrifyingly effective. We have our work cut out for us.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it: the struggles of this world and the decline of the Christian church are clarifying. We know what we have to offer, and we know it is desperately needed. Our mission is clear and vital to the world we inhabit. We know how to instill purpose and meaning in the lives of young and old alike, and we know that there is joy in our lives in Christ. Joy and happiness are related, but unique charisms.
The study of young people referenced earlier points the way to some of the practical things we can do to fulfill our mission: offer meaningful worship to help people connect to God, provide opportunities for people to give back and be of service, foster meaningful relationships among our members and our community, and proclaim the Good News of God in Christ throughout all of it. I would add the intentional effort to help people deepen their faith through study and holy encounter to the list. This work should engage all ages, not just young people or retirees. It is sacred work, and it is our work, the work of making disciples as only we can.
