The Christian Case for the American Dream
My great-great grandfather was born on the Chisholm Trail in Spanish Fort, Texas. He was the first in our family to be born on American soil. His parents had fled northern England in the 19th century to escape crushing poverty. They landed on the plains of what would become Oklahoma. They lived in Indian Territory, tending "the poor farm" until my great-grandfather graduated valedictorian and moved southwest to farm cotton in Levelland, Texas.
I was raised on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and the belief that prosperity always comes to those who are willing to work hard. Like many other American families, I believed each generation was able to fare a little better than their predecessors. Until now. According to a recent study conducted by Pew, while 84 percent of Americans earn more than their parents, those gains often aren't enough to move them up the economic ladder. Those born at the top and the bottom quintiles are most likely to stay there. African Americans are more likely to be stuck in the bottom or fall from the middle quintile. Findings like these lead some top economists to say that the American Dream is nothing more than a fairytale.
And there's more. Though the Pew study suggested that a degree generally promotes upward economic mobility, about 1.5 million U.S. college graduates under 25 are unemployed or underemployed. And at an unemployment rate of 14.6 percent—double the national average—one in every seven Americans ages 20-24 can't find work. While experts say that college is still worth the investment, one has to consider how deeply this news impacts recent college graduates.
These harsh realities strike at what Pew calls a "defining element of our national psyche … the idea that all Americans have equality opportunity regardless of their economic status at birth." If Pew is right, we're not just grappling with a grim global economy; we're coming to terms with the death of a Dream.
In May 2009, I sat in a hotel room in Frisco, Texas, holding my two-month-old. I anxiously flipped through TV channels to keep my mind off the fact my husband, Paul, was down the street at the corporate office, tendering his resignation to preempt coming downsizes. He'd known he needed to go for a long time, and things were bad enough that we decided it was better to face the recession with no solid back-up plan—newborn and all—than it was to continue with the company. After all, we had a sizable nest egg to get us through for a while.
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Derek C
Jeff, +1
Kathern Barone
They lived in Indian Territory, tending the poor farm until my great-grandfather graduated valedictorian and moved southwest to farm cotton in Levelland, Texas.
Dani
This is a beautiful post. Thank you for challenging us to live with grace, courage and conviction as we pursue the dreams and incredible freedoms that God has seen fit to bless us with. I wonder if many of these commenters would be so eager to question our American Dream freedoms and prosperity if they hadn't had such easy access to them? Much of this discussion smacks of bitterness and resentment, and I want to applaud you, Haley, for giving us a great example for how to weather tough times without falling into that trap.
Jeff
Many interesting comments made already! We would do well to remember the American history of liberty came from a Pilgrim having to flee other Pilgrims - Roger Williams was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, went west to start Rhode Island, and made religious tolerance a policy of his new community. While we think of religious liberty as one of the most basic rights of our country, in the first colonies, it didn't exist. The drafter of our Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, was declared a heretic by the established church (he didn't believe the miracles reported in the Bible to have occurred). Much of what we cherish and fight to preserve are derived from what some might call non-Christian foundations, including our current economic system. There are no "capitalist" laws in the Bible - there are Torah laws about tribal land ownership, laws against theft, and New Testament stories of merchants, but this is not the equivalent of Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations." It would be an error of logic to call capitalism a "Christian" system. While we as Christians may live in a capitalistic economic system, that doesn't make the system itself Christian, any more than Christians using the English language to communicate makes English a Christian language. We need to remember that the American Dream exists in an economic system which is neither for nor against God - when we esteem any economic system higher than we should, we risk idolatry. The American dream seems to be about personal liberty and self-fulfillment, but the Kingdom of God is about something different. I believe God's Kingdom is about community - a new set of "family" relationships which are mutually sustaining, both spiritually and physically. That's how the book of Acts describes the earliest church, where believers shared their stuff and took care of one another. This is different from the American Dream most of us have been brought up hearing about. Too many Americans use terms like "communism" or "socialism" when they hear about this type of connectedness, but this type of sharing is Biblical - Karl Marx didn't make it up himself. He found the ideas in the writings of Paul and Luke in the New Testament. He just removed God from the story. I don't think we as Christians are called to try to change the entire economic system in America. However, perhaps it's time for a new American Dream for Christians, one that involves sharing, in community with fellow believers, not just seeing them at church when we happen to go there to worship. If we are the "Body of Christ," as Paul calls us, we are organically interconnected and interdependent on one another in a far deeper sense than what we are used to thinking in this country. Perhaps it's time to dream a bigger dream. While we may be Americans, it is only by accident of birth; we are Christians by choice. Our allegiance is to a higher kingdom first and foremost.
Sabrina Messenger
The "American Dream" was never MY dream. This idea of the 2.5 kids, house in the suburbs, complete with dog and SUV gives me the willies because that's just about affluence not about truly living a dream. It has little to do with genuine Christianity. In the Early Church, the rich who became Christians routinely gave their wealth to the poor and lived simply. That is the true way, not acquiring lots of "things" and getting fat on comforts. We need to have an attitude of gratitude for what we do have. Be happy to have a job, don't waste time wishing you were the boss. God has his reasons why we are where we are. It's for us to not complain but to glorify Him regardless of our circumstances.
Jim Laney
When people say the American Dream is about liberty, they mean political liberty. Of course we want political liberty. Why would you want anything else? Freedom means the freedom to do good. Many will take the path to destruction, and abuse freedom. That doesn't mean freedom is bad, or unChristian. It just means people are fallen and sinful. There is a moral imperative for liberty - it gives people the freedom and the means to pursue virtue, God's will for their lives, and obedience to God without interference from others. Who will send more missionaries, who will print more Bibles, the peasant who lives in a mud hut or the suburbanite who has disposable income? Who is more likely to enter the mission field, the son who is needed to provide for the family or the one who is able to attend a seminary without worrying about his parents starving to death back home? All good things can be used for evil, but we don't toss them aside because of that. Twisted thinking will lead us to throw away the best human system for giving people the ability to lead Godly lives on the thin excuse that some ( or many) will not use it wisely. Be careful to examine the spirit, and listen wisely...
JANE HINRICHS
I read this post yesterday and didn't comment because I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it. Today I will comment -- not sure if I will be clear though! I read David Platt's Book Radical quite a while ago. It is fantastic. I am a proud American - -so blessed to have been born into this country. That being said, Jesus isn't American. God isn't American. And as Believers, the American Dream is what we are supposed to live for. Now, I wouldn't give up my American Citizenship for anything (unless God told me to). It is a great thing to have no matter where you live. When people picture the American Dream, they picture the material stuff. My true freedom is in Jesus Christ. I am also an Army Veteran so I know that freedom costs someone something quite dear. In our uncertain times (and all times are uncertain actually), it is best to remember God is our great provider and will always provide no matter what. But we live in a different world. When my grandparents were my age it was assumed (and even rightly) they could get a job with a company and stay there till retirement getting regular raises and a gold watch and good retirement in the end. That is just not so anymore. Actually, it should be more freeing as it is now. We must look to God and God alone for our provision and for the creativity on how to care and provide for our families and all He puts under our care.
S Park
What do we mean by liberty? The ability to live where I want, do what I want, have the career I want, say what I want, buy what I want? That is not liberty. True liberty is freedom from sin, and the ability and courage to confess Christ regardless of the consequences.
LLOYD OMDAHL
The American dream is rank materialism, a capitulation to the secular world. Children are starving, Bibles unprinted, missionaries unsent because those of us with the resources would rather pursue the American dream.
Alethia Brockman
They lived in Indian Territory, tending the poor farm until my great-grandfather graduated valedictorian and moved southwest to farm cotton in Levelland, Texas.
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