Eugene Peterson in his book entitled Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination writes “one of the immediate changes that the gospel makes is grammatical: we instead of I, our instead of my; us instead of me.” Jesus made this change a permanent part of our worship with the Lord’s Prayer. We pray in that prayer “Our Father/give us our daily bread/ forgive us our debts as we forgive/lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Jesus will never allow us to approach God with selfish or parochial agendas.
We hear much today about the selfishness and self-centeredness of our society. The whining of people who already have too much is deafening and sickening. But then I am not sure what we should expect in a nation where competition is assumed to be as American as apple pie, where the purpose of advertising is to make us miserable with who we are and what we have so we will buy products promised to make us happy (and those advertising know these products will never make us happy—in fact, they’re betting on it so they can sell us the new, improved version of these products which, of course, will also fail), and where material wealth and success is assumed to reflect God’s blessings. The only way I know to address the selfishness and greed of our society is to question some of the assumptions held closest and dearest to our hearts. And seldom does any culture do that voluntarily. Almost always such a change comes only through catastrophe.
What I want to address in this article is a sinister way in which this selfishness has poisoned our worship and understanding of the faith in our society. The excessive individualism of our culture has spilled over into what I call “me and Jesus” religion. In this approach to the faith, prayer and worship become a preoccupation with one’s personal problems, ambitions, desires, happiness, success, and fulfillment. Discipleship becomes a sham in which individuals follow certain principles for recognition and prosperity. God’s will (which we are to pray for above all else in our personal and corporate lives) becomes “an individual plan for my life” designed for my personal gratification. Sin in my own life becomes trivial as I focus on societal norms and mores. True evil becomes those “nasty and abhorrent sins” that “those kinds of people” commit. God’s call for justice becomes petty and picayune crusades that make people think they are a making a difference for God in this world. Heaven becomes my reward for being on the right side. Eternity becomes my retirement program as I live off the interest of a good life of comfort and success.
In flagrant and subtle ways this self-serving understanding of Christianity has permeated our society. The crass examples are easy to spot on the airways as “evangelists” and other charlatans promise money, success, happiness, and a place in eternity to all who will get on their bandwagon. Some years ago a church in Louisville made the headlines with this kind of religion. During worship members would stand and say that in the name of Jesus they were claiming a Lincoln Continental, a new house, a mink coat, a diamond ring, or a million dollars. And they proudly believed that God would honor those claims. The pastors of this church encouraged this practice and shouted that this was “real faith.” Within three years the senior pastor left for greener pastures and the church went bankrupt. For over a decade the enormous edifice of that “church” stood empty as a monument to sick religion.
Such examples are easy to spot and jeer. The more subtle forms of “me and Jesus” religion in which we participate are more difficult for us to recognize. For example, we still harbor the impression that righteous living will be rewarded with success, respect, and recognition. Tell that to Jesus who lived and died a pauper and who suffered the worst of all deaths. Or sometimes by “we,” we mean ourselves and our kind. A parochial “we” can be even more destructive and dangerous than a selfish “I.” Most forms of neglect, prejudice, oppression, and war result from a limited understanding of “we.”
The best way I know for us to escape the snares of “me and Jesus” religion is to take seriously the Lord’s Prayer. We must remember that one of the most profound changes made by the gospel is indeed grammatical. If we can approach God in the first person plural (we, us, our) at least as much as we approach God in the first person singular (I, me, my), we will make a good beginning in developing a mature discipleship and an authentic faith. And if we can widen the circle of those included in our “we” to match the heart of God (“for God so loved the WORLD”), then we may become worthy of the name “Christian.”
