Chasing the American Dream?

Barna Research Group has some new information out about what constitutes the American Dream in people's minds. I'll jump straight to the polling results and commentary and then provide my thoughts at the end:

What Adults Want Their Future to Include

Desired Outcome	2008	2000	1993	1991
having good physical health	85%	91%	92%	93%
living with a high degree of integrity	85%	81%	n/a	76%
having one marriage partner for life	80%	79%	n/a	n/a
having a clear purpose for living	77%	75%	71%	n/a
having a close relationship with God	75%	70%	74%	72%
having close, personal friendships	74%	75%	79%	73%
having a comfortable lifestyle	70%	61%	72%	59%
having a satisfying sex life with your marriage partner	66%	63%	n/a	n/a
having children	66%	65%	n/a	n/a
living close to your family and relatives	63%	60%	63%	67%
being deeply committed to the Christian faith	59%	53%	n/a	n/a
making a difference in the world	56%	47%	n/a	n/a
having a college degree	46%	51%	n/a	n/a
being personally active in a church	45%	42%	n/a	n/a
traveling throughout the world for pleasure	28%	26%	n/a	n/a
working in a high-paying job	28%	29%	43%	36%
owning a large home	18%	21%	30%	23%
owning the latest household technology/electronics	11%	9%	n/a	n/a
achieving fame or public recognition	7%	6%	10%	10%
survey sample size	1003	1002	1202	1003

The Ideal Life

In commenting on these outcomes, George Barna, who has overseen this tracking research since it originated in 1991, pointed out some of the highlights of the new findings.

"Stability rules," Barna noted. "Out of nineteen factors, only two have seen even a ten-point shift in nearly two decades. That’s rather remarkable consistency. So much in our world is changing, yet people’s dreams for their life hinge on the same, unchanging desires: health, relationships, character, faith and comfort. As our life context changes, so do the ways in which people pursue and realize these dreams, but their desires remain anchored to some fundamental values that seem to weather the changing times."

Barna also indicated that the mainstream media has portrayed American society as changing more radically than it has. "There have been some hugely significant changes in the laws of the land over the past quarter-century. However, when you examine what people want, in essence they are seeking what used to be described as traditional family values: a single marriage for life, a solid family experience, displaying good character, living a life that has meaning and impact, and having an active faith.

"Sometimes the abundant opportunities and challenges of daily life distract or divert people from their commitment to these outcomes," the researcher continued, "but in their hearts they have retained some pretty basic and traditional hope and dreams. Leaders might take note of this and compare their own vision and plans for the future with the ideal life that Americans hope to experience."

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Me: I am beginning to distrust a lot of these polls, because I don't think that people are answering truthfully, or if they are answering truthfully they might just be saying what their aspirations are without taking any real steps to accomplish them. I can say that spiritual growth is a goal in my life, but if I never get up from in front of the television and do anything to grow spiritually, then it really is not a goal. The same can be said about a number of issues. I think that these polls might reveal the things that people think are good in life, but when it comes down to it, our choices show what we really want. For example, only 18% of people say that owning a large home is a value to them? Have you seen the size of new homes recently? How many people that you know are still scrambling to get into bigger and bigger houses?  That might not be happening all over the country, but it is definitely happening where I live. It might be embarrassing to admit that that is a goal, but I think that it remains a goal for a large number of people.  Some of these values just do not match up with how people really live, day in and day out.

It has been said that you can tell what a person values by looking at their calendar and their checkbook. How we spend our time and our money says way more about us than random polls do. I am glad that 45% of people say that they want to be personally active in a church. But, considering the fact that the most recent polls tell us that average church attendance is actually around 20-25% of the population, it makes you wonder how much difference there is between people's stated desires and their actual behavior. It does seem that many people have decent values, at least according to what they say. Maybe the big problem is that they do not know how to live according to their values, or they do not see how it is possible. Maybe the tyranny of the urgent, selfishness, or weariness keeps them from really pursuing the things that they say they want. We live in a country where 75% of people want to be close to God, 59% of people want to be deeply committed to the Christian faith, and 45% of people want to be personally active in a church, yet church participation is falling throughout America, and every other philosophy is gaining ground. Why is this? Are these desires really genuine, or do people just see God as a means to a happy life?

Maybe this disconnect has something to do with what David Kinnaman has found in his research, also stated on the Barna website in February, 2008 (He also wrote the book unChristian along with Gabe Lyons):

People are expressing more hostility, doubt, frustration and skepticism toward Christianity - and this is particularly true among young people. Their perceptions of Christians are filled with images of judgmentalism, hypocritical lifestyles and political activism. They also believe Christians have singled out homosexuality above all other sins. They conclude that Christianity is old-fashioned, boring and unintelligent, and that Christians are insincere and too focused on getting converts. The followers of the Prince of Peace are thought to be unable to live peaceably among others.

These may sound like harsh statements, but they spring from extensive research we have done with Americans ages 16 to 29. Whatever your impressions, these negative views are front and center in the minds of young people in our culture. In just a decade, the perception of evangelicals has become eight times less favorable among young non-Christians when compared to the image held by Boomer non-Christians.

In fact, one of the most common reactions that young people have about the faith is that present-day Christianity is no longer like Jesus intended . This is where we initially came upon the term "unChristian." In our research with young people, they kept saying things like, "Christians go about things in an unChristian manner."

So, how do the stated aspirations of people in the aforementioned poll jive with the frustrations of emerging generations? Has the Church lost Jesus in our daily lives? Do people take their spiritual search elsewhere because we do not effectively or intentionally display who Christ is to a watching world? Do people want Jesus but not the Church? Or, is it just all their problem? This could be a great wake-up call for us! Perhaps the Church could come in here and do more to display the beauty of the Christian life in community so that people can see that the life that they have wanted is available in Christ. Isn't this why "sinners" flocked to Jesus? Of course, to gain eternal life, you have to lose your life, and that might be the kicker for some people. Repentance is not a popular concept, even among Christians. But, I still think that the Church can and should be the connection point between God and people's daily lives. Maybe we can actually connect people with the good values that we have if we would look to and live for Jesus and display His glory in the community that He has initiated: the Church (Please note that I am not talking about the institution here, I am talking about the ecclesia, the called out ones who come together to live for Christ). It seems like His plan is a pretty good one and if we would sincerely follow it we might be able to connect a generation of truth seekers to Christ.

UPDATE: Read the latest Pew Research Polls on American's diverse beliefs in religion HERE. Here's a preview: 57% of evangelicals say that "they believe many religions can lead to eternal life."  Wow.  I wonder if they even know that this contradicts what the Bible teaches (John 14:6 - "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.").  Compare these beliefs with the theological disaster that is the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), (check THIS out as well) and we see the need for evangelicals to actually know what the Bible teaches.