Choices, Choices
Lynn Robinson
April 1, 1999
Marketing specialists relish in the differentiation of consumer tastes. Social critics complain about the grip of "choice" upon the American public. Even within the context of local congregations and larger church bodies, the word evokes polar responses. Those concerned about the growth of the church want to provide choices to the population of seekers who are searching for God in some way. Others want congregations that know how to discipline and constrain choice.
Having a choice, all by itself, obviously doesn't reduce us to ravening consumers. Maybe we should be more careful about distinguishing acts of conscience (important decisions, made by the individual in light of revelation, reason, and tradition, like which god to serve) from acts of consumption (like which toothpaste to use). One is the ultimate act of human dignity; the other is just vanity. Any church worth the name will try to figure out which kind of choosing it's encouraging in its members.
If the data presented in this episode of research are any guide, when it comes to religion a lot of Americans are either very courageous or very consumeristic-take your pick. Few religious Americans believe that regular participation in communal worship is "very important" (Table 1). The change between 1988 and 1998 is minimal, but the 3 percent increase in the "not very important" response is surprising-remember, these are Americans who describe themselves as Christian or Jewish. Americans are equally unwilling to concede teaching authority on faith and morality to their church (Table 2). Again, it's remarkable how few of those who identify themselves as religious think that their faith community might have some prior claim on their loyalties.
Of course, if the church is ...
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