The Let's Get Real Podcast with Rob Lundberg: What is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism?
Manage episode 314518602 series 3087587
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is the the worldview of many Millennials and Gen Z's. The term that was first introduced in the 2005 book Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by the sociologist Christian Smith with Melinda Lundquist Denton. The term is used to describe what they consider to be the common beliefs among U.S. youths.
How would you describe it? Moralistic therapeutic deism consists of: (1) A God exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. (2) God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. (3) The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. (4) God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. (5) Good people go to heaven when they die.
Moralistic therapeutic deism is not a biblical view. In fact it has become a driving force for the kind of skepticism that leads many to deconstruct whatever faith they have. It is the product that is reflective of a weak discipleship in many churches that promotes an anti-intellectualism that avoids the questions about faith coming from the culture. Don't think the younger generation is not skeptical? Guess again.
Today, these beliefs are a reflection of many Millenials and Gen Z young people and the catalytic beliefs for those who now declare themselves as Progressive Christians, or Nones, even atheists? Just recently, Sean McDowell posted an article entitled, "HOW SECULAR IS GEN Z? MORE THAN YOU MAY THINK."
Have a comment about what you hear or a question? Email us at roblundberg315@gmail.com or go to my website at roblundberg.org. We would love to interact with you and answer your questions and offer a solution that will help you stem the tide in your church, your family or your group.
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