Therapeutic Moralistic Deism

A friend of mine recently returned from the Duke Youth Academy for Christian Formation. He was allowed to observe what turned out to be a rather ambitious program. For two weeks over the summer, high school youth from all over the country were brought in to talk about what it means to be the Church. As my friend explained the details, I was amazed by the quality of the event, especially the leadership. Remarkable leaders in art, theology and ethics took the time to sit down with these young people.

"This is a chance of a lifetime really." My friend explained. "These young kids essentially live together for two weeks. They hear inspiring messages and are given the room to ask all kinds of questions. The program allows them a rare opportunity to experience community in a very intensive and meaningful way."

He then went on to explain the challenge. Namely, what happens when the youth return home to share the experience and insights gleaned from their time together?

They encounter something that my friend terms "Therapeutic Moralistic Deism" (quoting Christian Smith, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers). While we may not generally use these words, I suspect that we are fairly familiar with the meanings behind them.

Therapeutic refers to the self, particularly in regard to helping or healing. The point is that young people today learn to understand God primarily as some kind of personal helper: God is the one who helps me pass the test...God is the one who helps me make the basketball team...

Moralistic refers to the general values that we encounter at every juncture of the society. For many young people, there is nothing unique about Christianity. There is no distinction between Christianity and the general morality of the larger culture--no notable distinction between following Jesus and obeying the rules...God wants me to be a good person...

Deism refers to a belief system that was common during the foundational period of American History. It acknowledges a Creator but rejects the claim that God is as an active agent in the world. The common image for the Deist is a Great Clockmaker. God winds up the world like a clock and then sets it down to run its course: I believe in God but I really can't see God working in the world...

The purpose of the Youth Academy for Christian Formation is to allow high school students to experience Christian community. As they spend time together discussing their faith, the Church and the larger world, they experience God as more than a personal helper or maker of rules. The time together, the friendships and leadership create a space for God to be included in the conversation.

As my friend explained the details, I was struck by the commitment and outlay required to make such an experience even possible. (Thanks God for the Duke Endowment!) Recreating this experience in our own churches sounds like a steep task to be sure. And yet, at the same time, is it really that difficult? Is it really so hard to make room for God in our conversations?

The problem with Therapeutic Moralistic Deism is that it denies God an authentic place in our midst. It repels God's voice in our conversations by imagining that God is either impossibly distant (deism) or overly personal (therapeutic). Part of making God relevant to our lives is acknowledging that God is a living presence distinct from us and yet close to us. Can we imagine God as a distinct but very interested party to our conversations? We live in a fascinating world, God might have some interesting things to say about it.

Or to put it another way, perhaps Christian community is fundamentally organic. Maybe our life together is akin to a living organism of sorts. Living things logically dry up when they cease to be connected to quality (living?) sources of water and nourishment.