Salvation vs. Self-Fulfillment

In reading more of Michael Horton's book, Made in America, I came across a few things that I wanted to share this morning. Horton describes how our culture has shifted, and our church with it, to a all-encompassing desire for self-fulfillment. Making ourselves "happy" is America's new chief pastime. And it is within the church too. Here is what he says:

"We used to think that the good news of the gospel was that sinners could be saved, or salvaged, from the wreckage of original and personal sin. Today, it seems, there is a new focus. In the old gospel, the problem was, 'How does a holy God accept sinners?' For the new one, the problem appears to be, 'How do basically good people accept themselves?'--a shift indeed....But, this is where society is today. And as society goes, so goes the church....

"As Christians began to think less theologically and more sentimentally, they were less motivated by the aim 'to glorify God and enjoy him forever' than by the pursuit of happiness. Today, we have a gospel of health, wealth, and happiness. We no longer exist for God's happiness and glory (esteem), but he for ours. This attitude is reflected even in the name of a church: The Happy Church.

"Jimmy Carter wrote, 'American people are living lives that are wasteful, self-indulgent, purposeless, and meaningless. There is a crisis of spirit'....Carl F.H. Henry, America's foremost evangelical leader, states, 'American evangelicalism is being spiritually thwarted by its affluence. No group of Christians has...more to learn about sacrifice. Our lifestyles are clearly non-Christian...marked by greed, extravagance, self-gratification, and lack of compassion for the needy'....

"Pollsters George Barna and William P. McKay lament: 'Survey data supply ample evidence of the bankruptcy of the commonly held world views of Christians. It is undeniable that as a body, American Christians have fallen prey to materialism, hedonism,...and even to a jaded form of Christianity that rejects much of the commitment required of faithful servants.' According to these pollsters, 'A recent national survey discovered that no fewer than seven out of ten Christians are prone to hedonistic attitudes about life. A similar proportion of born-again people,' they say, 'deny the possibility that pain or suffering could be a means of becoming a better, more mature individual.' Then, 'as a final example, three out of ten Christians agree that nothing in life is more important than having fun and being happy.'

"Thus, the criterion for religion is that it must make me happy. It must be fun and exciting."

Thoughts?