Suburban Christianity Leads to Spiritual Death

[James Nored]

I came across an article on Digg.com today called, Why Does Hollywood Hate the Suburbs? The article points to movies like Revolutionary Road that paint the suburbs as places of "spiritual and mental death." They are also stigmatized "materialism, lack of imagination, and conformity."

I am largely a suburban kid. I went to high school in Edmond, OK, suburb of Oklahoma City. I ministered in Liberty, Missouri, suburb of Kansas City. And now I'm back in McKinney, suburb of North Dallas.

It is no coincidence that I have stayed in suburbia. I am comfortable there. It feels like home. I know the homes, the schools, the chain stores--Home Depot, Target, Chili's. And of course, there is always a mall close by.


Chain restaurants are like suburbia itself--safe, predictable, comforting, and rather unimagitative and boring. I remember Chuck Monan, my preaching buddy, taking me around to a lot of "holes in the wall" in OKC. It was some of the best food around. But I never would have gone to these places on my own. You see, that's what suburban folk do--they stick to the comfortable and the familiar.

So guess what suburban Christians are looking for? A safe, comfortable, predictable Christian experience. Are the playgrounds safe and fun for my kids? Do they sing the 20 most popular Christian songs that are on Christian radio? Are they going through Max Lucado's latest book? (We are going through Fearless right now.)

All of this is fine in one sense, but let to itself, it leads to spiritual malaise if not spiritual death. My friend and missional leader Alan Hirsch, author of The Shaping of Things to Come and The Forgotten Ways, says that there is something about middle class, suburban Christianity that is antithetical to following Jesus. A similiar point is made in the book, Death By Suburb. One of my favorite stories in this book is of parents working on their child's 6th grade science project while their son is off playing videos games. When the child get's his grade, the parents proudly say, "We got an A." The point it that the parents are finding their identity in their child's accomplishments, which is a type of narcissism.


Here are some of the problems with suburban Christianity:

1. Materialistic Christianity -- This results not only in personal materialism, but it in picking a church because they have the shiniest building.
2. Consumeristic Christianity - Members come to worship, assemblies, events, etc. to be fed, never to give. They go to the church that offers the most goods and services.
3. Crossless Christianity - I know that a certain preacher in Houston in one of the biggest churches ever seen has inspired millions of people. I am grateful for this. But I have never heard a call to sacrifice from him. This message, of course, would be counter to suburbia, which never advertises, "Come live in the Woodlands. You will have to sacrifice for others and your kids may not be safe. But if you'll deny yourself, you'll love it here."
4. Christless Christianity - There is a whole book on this subject which I am eager to read. But Christ just doesn't fit in suburbia very well. Can you see Jesus riding around in his SUV, dropping off kids at soccer practice or church? No, I'm afraid Jesus is far too radical and dangerous for today's suburban Christianity.

The evidence is in, however. Typical suburban Christianity does not produce disciples of Christ. It produces consumers who hop from church to church looking for the best deal for their tithe--or rather, their 2.5% giving. And if the children's or youth program or the preaching or the worship or the carpeting isn't cutting it, their try the store--I mean the church--down the street. Rarely does a family say, where can I be best used? Where does God need me the most?

Calls to go feed the homeless? Far too unpredictable. And messy. Calls to go on mission trips? Too dangerous. And disruptive to one's schedule. Calls to devote money and resources to reaching lost people? Hey, don't you know that I'm the customer? Meanwhile, members take this consumer mentality back to their marriages and their other personal relationships, and we wonder why Christians are divorcing and have few real friends, just like everyone else.

Becki and I are not immune to this malaise. We both would enjoy living in the hubub of the new urban living. We enjoy meeting people and having lots to do. It would be a great place to do ministry. The reason we have ruled it out right now? Our kids. It's not safe or predictable enough. That is the problem with suburban Christianity. It prevents us from taking any chances or putting us into situations where we would have to grow and depend upon God and each other. And by our actions and inactions, we teach our children that this is what the Christian faith is all about. And our kids drop out in droves.

Have you experienced the spiritual death of suburban Christianity? What is the solution?

[Daniel Whalen]

I'm tech-challenged, but I'll get up to speed. Your above line about following the Master as being 'too messy, too unpredictable' hits hard.
Where does the term Zorap come from? We call our group Ziklag.

[James Nored]

Daniel, wow--that is an amazing ministry. Would love to keep hearing about your ministry. Do you have a headset? We do some multimedia chat in the "Zorap" room (see menu tab) and webinars periodically.

[Daniel Whalen]

James. I'm working primarily with a local homeless shelter here in Anderson, IN for now. My 'office' is at Burger King (they have that wonderful bottomless cup attitude). We have built a discipleship group of a dozen homeless guys that is just awesome. This site has so much potential ... it staggers the mind. Look forward to getting acquainted.

[James Nored]

Daniel, I got my start in ministry by going down to the jail with a young preacher and sharing Christ with the inmates. What a great ministry you have started!

Crossless and Christless Christianity is indeed a major problem today.

[Daniel Whalen]

I died in the Burbs! Thank God for grace and the power of the resurrection. A few years ago I helped start a ministry for men in transition from prison/jail to freedom. We hoped to link Christian men from congregations in our city with men who had given their lives to Christ while incarcerated. We soon learned it is easier to get men out of prison than to get them out of the pew. I find the 'crossless' 'Christless' issues to be the greatest hindrances.

[James Nored]

Thanks, Jason, for sharing. Yes, each group can learn from and challenge one another. Service does wonders to break down stereotypes, misconceptions, biases, and unconquered areas of our lives.

[Jason Whaley]

I have experienced what you're talking about here, James, and still do. We haven't attained a solution yet. For now I'm trying to learn how to share instead of buy and sell faith. I can learn from the nonsuburbanite and he can learn from me, the suburbanite. I probably believe the superiority of classes/tribes, etc., is an illusion best dissipated by sharing, by serving and being served by The Other through relationship with others.

[James Nored]

Jonathan, I have heard similar stories as the one you relate about suburban Christians going into the inner city. We really need suburban Christians to do this type of thing--it helps transform us and can provide help to those in the inner city. But we must go in a spirit of humility, realizing that those on the ground in that area know how best to do ministry there.

Thanks for sharing your experience. How would you characterize your work in Venezuala?

[Jonathan Hanegan]

I also grew up in the suburbs. In college, it was not easy to transition into inner-city ministry. I was not used to being the only white male in an all-black neighborhood, or the only gringo speaking Spanish is an all Hispanic barrio. Most of the time I felt uncomfortable to some degree. After spending so much time in the inner-city, struggling alongside poor immigrant families, I found it hard to return to the suburban mega-church. Everyone was always so happy, well dressed and people did their best not to let everyone know they were having problems. It would be very unjust for me to judge the suburban context based on my limited experience, but I did notice several striking differences.

When "volunteers" (a word which implies minimal commitment) would come from the suburbs to "help out" in the inner-city, many times they failed to see what was really going on. Our church was on a corner. Across the street was an elementary school, diagonal was a house of prostitution, and on the other side, next door to an old widow that came to church was the neighborhood crack house. After graffiti on the church property and gang violence between members, we had to pay off-duty cops to provide security during church activities.

Many would come from the mega-church (where everything seems to work smoothly) to our church (where things didn't always go so well) and criticize. One day they put up a bilingual sign announcing the meeting times of the church. I told them that they made a mistake when copying down the Spanish name of the congregation. They just, "just leave it, they'll get it." One brother even suggested we move the church, because who wants to go to church in such a bad area of town. He suggested that we probably wouldn't grow much because our church wasn't "safe." I even remember a time where another brother and I tried to convince a prostitute to not offer herself in front of the building during Sunday services not by telling her to work somewhere else, but to come inside for services and a hot meal.

When the suburbians came to the inner-city they saw disaster and chaos. I saw God's redeeming power in people who would have otherwise not known God's love. I saw children fed and clothed who otherwise would have gone the winter without a good heavy coat. The suburbians came to "help" but what they needed to do was learn from their inner-city brothers and sisters. I learned a lot from them and there is still so much more I have to learn!