Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is the religion practiced by most Americans these days. We just elected a President who appears to share these beliefs.
I first learned about Moralistic Therapeutic Deism earlier this year listening to the White Horse Inn. Michael Horton’s new book Christless Christianity is a wake up call to the church to return to the Gospel of Christ and away from Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.
So what is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism?
As described by (Christian) Smith and his team, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism consists of beliefs like these:
- A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
- God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
- The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
- God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
- Good people go to heaven when they die.
This kind of thinking dominates America. Just look at Oprah, Joel Osteen, advertising, Hollywood, and politics. What about (my) your own church? What about (my) your own thinking?
