Back in the early 1980’s, there was a song about a man living on autopilot. The days went on, and he lived without reflecting on his life, his home, or even his wife. The first verse included the phrase, “How did I get here?” It was certainly written tongue-in-cheek, but we can ask this same question as we look at society and an increasing trend toward extreme individualism.
For so long we have lived on autopilot. We have simply assumed that the way things were will still continue to be. But over the past few decades, we have seen changes that our grandparents or great-grandparents would have found unthinkable. How did we get here?
Carl R. Trueman’s book Strange New World is a helpful guide in answering this very question. Just one thread from the book that would be helpful to tease out here involves a shift in how we understand ourselves. I include us in this shift, because all people (particularly in the West) have been impacted by this shift.
Generally speaking, Western culture has become even more individualistic than it already was. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at your smartphone. Almost every single app has been curated according to your personal tastes. Whether watching videos or listening to music, things have been arranged according to what you prefer.
This is a minor and somewhat innocent proof of this shift to more extreme individualism. But with this change, comes something more problematic. Individualism teaches us that our “true selves” should not be formed by something outside of us, like our family, a church community, or Scripture. Rather, it’s our inner feelings and desires that should determine who we truly are.
What’s the big deal in that?
In the past when someone encountered a difficult ethical problem, they would seek out wise counsel, or perhaps look to God’s Word. Now, someone is more likely to consider their feelings, and what they think is the right thing to do. The ability to know right from wrong is now found in the individual person, not in what God has said.
Does this remind you of anything? In the Garden of Eden, Eve was at a crossroads as the serpent tempted her. Would she listen to God’s command to not eat of the forbidden tree, or would she listen to her desire to eat this delicious looking fruit? Some problems never go away.
Just as Eve’s sin brought great disaster upon the world, our culture’s turn to the inner self has come at a great cost. You have read the stories; you have seen the headlines. The lives of men and women, boys and girls, are being ruined by the idea that we determine our own truth, our own morals.
And while this is primarily a Western phenomenon, we can’t underestimate the power of social media and technology. It has never been easier to connect with people all over the world. This means that what shapes the West will not just stay in the West. It’s truly a “strange new world,” where the first and greatest secular commandment is to be true to yourself.
But Scripture presents us an alternative. The Bible tells us that our “true self” is the self that is found in Jesus Christ, who gave himself up for our sins. And in Christ, we see a way of living where we put ourselves last, that we might love God and neighbor.
In response to individualism, Scripture provides us “one another” commands. Calls to love, serve, encourage, and so much more. As our world continues to move in a direction that emphasizes the self, Carl Trueman’s book helps us see that some changes are not for the better. Perhaps it’ll help equip you with thinking about challenges at work, or in your neighborhood. But we also hope it’ll give you strength for today and hope for tomorrow.
The problems in our culture look big. But they are not too big for the One who conquered sin and death, Jesus Christ.
About the Author
President of Haven Ministries since November 2023, David Wollen is the host of the daily Haven Today radio broadcast. He resides in the greater Chicago area with his wife, Marci, and their three children. They are active leaders in their church where David serves as an elder and part of the preaching team, and Marci leads women’s ministries. David is passionate about teaching God’s Word with God’s heart. He sees this as synonymous with Haven’s longtime tagline: “Telling the Great Story … it’s all about Jesus!”
Strange New World
The world we’re living in today is virtually unrecognizable from the one we grew up in. The question is, how did we get from there to here? And how should the church respond?
Historian Carl Trueman shows how cultural influences ranging from traditional institutions to technology and pornography moved modern culture toward an era of “expressive individualism.” Investigating philosophies from the Romantics, Nietzsche, Marx, Wilde, Freud, and the New Left, he outlines the history of Western thought to the distinctly sexual direction of present-day identity politics. Trueman then goes on to explain the modern implications of these ideas on religion, free speech, and personal identity.
Strange New World offers a concise presentation and application of some of the most critical topics of our day, providing an indispensable resource for individuals or small groups to better understand the increasingly strange world we’re living in and what the church can do to respond.
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