While this post doesn’t relate directly to the life issues, Eric Rauch, of American Vision, in his article Don’t Tread on Me?, is worth a read.
“One of the most crippling heresies among modern Christians is that Christianity is a ‘personal’ faith. Now, there is a sense where this is true, but it has been so inflated by evangelistic programs and techniques, that it has become the driving force of modern religion. Nearly every religious bestseller in the last twenty years has been written with the individual in mind. For every book that can be purchased at any popular Christian bookstore chain that discusses how the Gospel of Christ can transform a community, I can show you 50 that discuss how the Gospel of Christ can transform you: transform your marriage, transform your finances, transform your Bible study, even how to transform your sex life. Ever since Norman Vincent Peale, mainstream Christianity has been repackaging the same message and Christians have been buying into it. The message is that Christianity is primarily a private faith, a secret belief that has nearly limitless power to prepare you for any personal circumstance that life throws your way, yet one that is nearly powerless to change your neighborhood, community, town, or city. You see, the powers that be have informed us—and modern Christianity has conceded—that Jesus can only transform individuals; it takes a civil government to make any lasting societal change.”