Narcissistic Christianity - Is there A Problem Here?

Oh boy, let's live the American lifestyle. Let's buy big
houses, big cars, move to the suburbs, and go to a
fun church with lots of "programs."

"And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
— Quoted by Jesus Christ, conveniently forgotten by material-addicted Americans


"To keep me from becoming conceited ... there was given me a thorn in my flesh ... to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
— Apostle Paul, also forgotten by the money-worshippers


I find it puzzling that those who are so quick to ruthlessly and harshly judge me seem to conveniently forget their own dogma. See, I grew up in church too, but I kind of got a different take on Christianity. The one thing I admire most about my Jesus Christ was His beautiful humility. Jesus owned nothing except a tunic, robe, sandals, and a walking staff. Yet, today's American Christians seem obsessed with owning their trophy house, SUV, big-screen TV, and whatever else they can go into debt to buy. When I see giant vehicles with a fish on the back, when I see their mega-million fancy church buildings, when I see their golf course lawns, and when I see them pack the malls during Christmas season, I'm just wondering where the hell is the humility?

The Prayer

Family members and friends have called me "jaded and cynical," but, come on, am I really? Here I am living in a culture that is full of selective ethics, paradox, and hypocrisy. And when I question this, I'm called a cynic??? My sister recently called to say she was buying a trophy house, a house she can barely afford. "We really prayed about it," she said. Wow? Is God now telling people to buy trophy houses? Is He telling people to go deeper in debt?
Again, where is the humility?

As I have grown older, the American obsession with comfort, wealth, and buying "things" has come to disgust me. This is not about Christianity. And don't give me that crap about God has blessed you with wealth. I don't believe for a second that God rewards people with money. Hello, doesn't anybody get it? The entire ministry of Christ was about the heart, not the wallet, and not politics. If you are to be blessed, it will be a blessing of joy, grace, internal peace, and an overwhelming feeling of love — not a high definition TV or a new Hummer!

White Flight

Where I live in metro Atlanta, white flight continues as the White People continue to move farther out into the farmlands to create their little bedroom communities, complete with McMansions and a strip shopping center at every corner. Why would white Christians want to flee the Blacks, Mexicans, and other immigrants? Shouldn't they seize this opportunity to witness to diverse peoples? What is particularly troubling is to see churches packing up and moving out with them. If a church was really Christian, shouldn't it stay put and develop ministries to reach out to these newcomers to the community? I know of two churches who have done just that — they ran. Once in Heaven, will Christians still be running away from people who are different than them? And then I hear people say, "But the crime is bad." So, what are you doing about it?

The irony is that these people of color are humble, just like God wants us to be, and have a wonderful sweet spirit about them. Yes, my town is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, but I have made the decision not to run. I would much rather live in a community of poor, humble, and diverse people rather than to move to the boonies and exist in an artificial, double-standard, yuppie, sprawl, hell.

So...

The pursuit of wealth is a self-consuming, selfish, and destructive habit. Yet, many conservative Christians will go to extremes to justify their narcissistic and hypocritical addiction to materialism.

"Narcissism is the pattern of traits and behaviors which involve infatuation and obsession with one's self to the exclusion of others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of one's gratification, dominance, and ambition."
— Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia