Another great blog post from a member in the Underground Network!  Read below and join in on the conversation.  You can find the original  post here.  Follow this blog at: http://kingdom1st.wordpress.com

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10 challenges to building relationships and sharing your faith in America today:

By seekingakingdom

Most people are…

1. transient – We live is such a mobile society that most people move on a regular basis. The people who live near you now likely won’t the next year or the year after. Therefore, it is difficult to build deep, long-term relationships. (This is perhaps more true for cities.)

2. busy – It is difficult to build relationships because they take time. And time is what most of us are lacking. We seem to be getting busier and busier with little time for God.

3. skeptical – A recent poll revealed that the three most common views of the church were judgment, hypocritical, and anti-gay. The American people are generally skeptical that the church can offer life to the fullest. Furthermore, post-modernism pushes against our claims of universal truth. Many are skeptical of their need for a savior and our belief that Jesus’ message applies to everyone.

4. autonomous – I read recently that America is the most individualistic country in the world. This radical individualism leads us to stay disconnected from our neighbors and co-workers and is producing a society the grows more and more fragmented. Many prefer to be left alone. (To prove this, read Bowling Alone by Robert Putman or check out a summary here.)

5. suspicious – It seems everyone is trying to make a buck. People are constantly working to make you do or buy something. So often times people question your motivation for starting a conversation or even giving a gift. It is important we consider our own motivations for sharing our faith. It should not be out of obligation, guilt, or to give our lives significance. Rather we should be motivated by love.

6. religiously private – Do you pray before you eating at the restaurant? If so, how does it make you feel? If not, why? There is an unspoken rule that public displays of religion (PDR) are prohibited. It is a private matter for one’s home or perhaps the church.

7. consumeristic – Commercials and advertisements are continually teaching us to be dissatisfied with what we have. We need newer cars, bigger houses, and basically more stuff… all the time. We expect to get what we want when we want it, and we’re disgruntled when things do not go our way. Consumerism has a far-reaching influence in American society, and the church is no exception. Check out this book to see more on how Christians live.

8. materialistic – Granted, we are more and more living in a postmodern world. But this modernistic idea that nothing exists outside of the physical still pervades society. Although I was raised in a postmodern era and taught from birth to believe in the supernatural, this idea that only what you see really exists still rests in the back of my mind. Regardless, all agree that materials are more important than the spiritual.

9. satisfied – Because we have jobs that pay the bills and buy the food, we subconsciously (or consciously) believe we did it ourselves without God’s help. If I have enough and am relatively happy, why do I need God?

10. hedonistic – We as a society are obsessed with pleasure. How many advertisements tell us to do what feels good? We are continually taught to gratify our desires, which leads to our excessively watching movies or TV, playing video games, surfing the internet, etc. No wonder Jesus’ command to “deny yourself” is so difficult for us and a challenge to the world.

Now, obviously these ten traits do not apply to everyone, and there’s some overlap between some of them.

What are your thoughts? Any that you disagree on? Any you would add? How these cultural traits affect your life?