Anyone who was born after World War II feels the impact of individualism every day. They really have no concept of an alternative society — one based on community and rooted in common values and purposes. Because they’ve never experienced the alternative, they have a hard time seeing the problem with their individualism. Changes in the use of technology and the rise of social networking, email, and online “communities” only make the problem of individualism worse.  Online communities lack the permanence that we associate with real-world communities.  If past history is any guide to the future, users tend to switch from one community to another based on personal interest and their need at the time, from services like MySpace, to Facebook, to Twitter, to whatever is next.

The breakdown of our common beliefs and purposes has not only plagued American society but the American church as well. The “hard to swallow” premise I am making here is that today’s church is not a community; it is a collection of individuals. This is not to place blame on church leaders or parishioners but is simply descriptive of the way things are. The pervasiveness of individualism in the church is one of the primary sources of frustration for its leaders, and it has caused many a pastor or priest to scold their people for their lack of commitment to the church. Only now are we beginning to understand how unrealistic this call to commitment is, and why it is unlikely to bear the desired fruit, given the lifestyle advocated by an individualistic culture.

After finishing his work of creation, God made only one adjustment to his original design—the addition of human community.  Genesis 2 is clear that man was not made to be alone.[i] Because it reflects the way God designed us, many people do have a longing to make a commitment to a community. Deep down, people want community, but they don’t know how to get it.

[i] See Genesis 2:18.