American Character and Church
Finding Purpose in Your Spiritual Life
Some problems are bigger than others in life. If you are spiritual, the church seems useful when seeking help with issues. I have joined a growing group of Christians who profess their faith but have chosen not to attend services regularly, if at all. I have difficulty sitting through a service and listening to a sermon that doesn’t resonate with my daily life. A typical service focuses on prayer, confession, forgiveness, and redemption, which are all good. However, “Go and sin no more” does not offer much direction. I’m looking for fresh insights and actions that can give purpose to my participation in church and help make me a better and happier me.
Over the years, I have gradually separated God from the church, thinking that I can explore and strengthen my relationship with God better on my terms and in my own way. I have visited multiple churches and denominations and still have come up empty. If I need help, there are other types of institutions to explore. So, I spend time online researching topics that might help.
Pew Research has reported a long and significant decline in Christian Church participation. On the surface, declining church participation may seem nothing more than individuals like me just getting fed up and dropping out. However, more severe consequences may come with making this choice and becoming a statistic showing the loss of just another parishioner.
When I listen to the news, I quickly get the impression that the American social fabric is frayed and starting to unravel badly. Over the years, something has been changing that is also changing the American Character. It, too, is falling into a long and significant decline. Could the decline in church participation and its corresponding reduction in social influence have something to do with the weakening our collective character?
Our character — This complex set of principles and beliefs about ourselves and the environment in which we operate defines who we are. If enough people share these same qualities, it defines us as a community and nation. Reflecting on trends in the current social and political environment, I am questioning whether opting out of the church while still hanging on to my faith in God makes sense. Could I be part of a more significant problem by doing so?
The VIA Institute on Character is an independent research organization studying the causes and effects of character on our society. It has identified twenty-four distinct traits that make up an individual’s character. They call them character strengths for a good reason. Stronger character traits provide greater motivation to fill your needs and a sense of self-satisfaction, fulfillment, and happiness. When enough people share these character traits, it reflects nationally and becomes part of the national character.
When we talk about the strength of character, it implies that each of the qualities is variable. We have control over how our character evolves, for better or worse. We can dial up or down the influence of each trait that impacts our overall sense of identity at any given time. You might easily recognize several traits: bravery, curiosity, fairness, honesty, humility, kindness, love, perseverance, perspective, teamwork, self-regulation, and more.
Our community and the reactions to influencers residing in it, such as People (Family and Friends), Media (Radio, TV, Books, and the Internet), and Institutions (Schools, Government, Employers, and Churches) help shape character by either strengthening or weakening the qualities that we embrace.
People — Think of your experiences where your parents offer love and daily life perspectives. The actions and beliefs of parents and other family members can shape your character by choosing them as role models. Friends can be hugely influential in the same way. We are social by nature. Peer acceptance is essential. Engaging with those who aspire to build the exact character strengths that you want will go a long way in helping strengthen your own. If you have no opinions or preferences, you adopt someone else’s for better or worse.
Media — The Internet significantly exposes you to new people, thoughts, and perspectives that differ considerably from family and friends. It can be a great source of entertainment, as well as knowledge. Understanding the motivations underlying media content and weighing them against your beliefs is essential before accepting them. Look at multiple sources to get different perspectives — always question. Websites have a specific goal defined by their author to shape your opinion or create a call to action. Search engines drive multiple websites with similar content based on your search history. It can be an information trap with inherent bias built in.
Institutions — Government lays the ground rules for social interaction and communication. It codifies them in the form of laws and regulations. Freedom, Truth, Justice, Peace, and Equity are a few. They are a powerful resource for strengthening our character and helping us find common ground with our neighbors, whomever they may be. The Bill of Rights embedded in the US Constitution is a great example.
Institutions — Public and Private Schools provide more than knowledge-based learning and skills. Starting in Middle School and continuing through High School and College, social-emotional learning and development play an increasingly more important role. They offer opportunities to engage with a broad range of students discovering who they are and their path in life. It can also be stressful and anxious as you build relationships and choose friends.
Institutions — Employers rely heavily on screening candidates to determine character strengths for those who apply. Teamwork, Leadership, Communications, and Problem-Solving are essential skills possessed by individuals with strong character qualities and are universally sought after along with specific technical skills by employers. Companies invest heavily in training programs for employees to strengthen these skills. The culture in the company you choose to join will also help shape your character.
Churches — Historically, they have played an over-arching role as a community’s social and emotional conscience. A church is a physical place where people gather to practice their shared beliefs in God and each other. As part of a community, a church attempts to meet the community’s needs along with other secular institutions. They often offer resources such as food, shelter, clothing, education, etc., to help fulfill their Spiritual mission.
Churches have taken to the media to provide their messages to appeal to a broader public. This can blur the interpretation of the Good News found in the Christian Gospels to suit the individual spiritual and secular needs of church leadership.
Churches are active nationally in private school education at primary and secondary grade levels and beyond. The clarity of the connection between the New Testament Gospels and the life of Christ as a role model for individual character development is evident among families of students in many faith-based private schools. Character development, as a priority, was lost among the many other pressing social needs attempting to be met by public education administrators. COVID school shutdowns resulting in student social and emotional isolation have given renewed importance to student mental health and how it affects academic performance.
The value of local church support in improving social and emotional mental health issues is lost to many families. Instead, other sources of character influence expand their role in the process. People, Media, and other Institutions begin to reshape the American Character by putting alternative role models that weaken attitudes and beliefs that we once shared. Churches need to regain their footing as influencers in shaping the character of individuals and families in the local community and, ultimately, the nation. It gives them a sense of purpose in solving critical problems within their communities.
Strengthening character offers an improved social and emotional learning environment. It sets the stage for increasing motivation to be better, stronger, and happier. Strong character traits allow people to identify their needs, set goals, build better relationships, and find ways to address them.
American Psychologist Abraham Maslow published his research findings titled “A Theory of Human Motivation” in 1943, and his work remains relevant today. His observations are often summarized in a pyramid diagram divided into five levels. Each level represents a group of needs that, for the most part, must be satisfied before moving upward to the next level, as depicted below. Character traits most appropriate to strengthen and achieve success in meeting each level of needs are shown in the diagram on the right. Others may apply, as well.
Basic needs (hunger, clothing, shelter) start at the pyramid’s base. The Character traits that need to be more highly developed to satisfy these needs include Hope, Perseverance, and Teamwork, among others (shown on the right side of the diagram). When assessing needs and character strengths, they can be fully developed after starting to address other needs. Suppose character strengths in critical areas weaken or adverse events occur. In that case, satisfied needs can suffer, requiring more time, energy, and resources to restore.
Personal and family crises have lasting impacts. Health, divorce, job loss, addictions, war, crime, incarceration, and natural disasters, are among the events that can de-rail someone’s progress. The ability and speed of recovery are primarily dependent on character strengths. It is always a work in progress.
Each corresponding level of needs noted in the pyramid requires further development of different Character Strengths until Self-Actualization is achieved. Here, Creativity, Curiosity, Spirituality, Perspective, and Humility are character strengths being emphasized. With it comes self-fulfillment and happiness.
Character Strengths are the fuel that drives personal motivation to identify and meet needs that lead to being a better person and finding happiness. Accountability is the mechanism that keeps us on track and helps temper behaviors. But who are we accountable to?
In youth, parents take on the primary role. Parents have a HUGE responsibility towards their children. Ideally, parental love (a Character Strength) and their obligation often allow their children to avoid the challenges associated with meeting their needs in the first two levels of Maslow’s hierarchy for food, shelter, and security. However, as children age, at least partially, accountability is shared with others outside the family, intentionally or otherwise. Schools, churches, and other institutions become involved and can set expectations for accountability.
The third and fourth levels of the pyramid are starting to come into play, along with different character strengths to be addressed. As teens, peer groups begin to form. Some can be positive and help strengthen character development. Organized sports, school clubs, church groups, and online social networking and gaming activities come into play. Building these relationships requires acceptance and affirmation, making accountability a prerequisite. Exposure to peers significantly behind in their character development can distract those still developing their own and slow progress.
Adults have an even broader range of influencers as they start their careers and family formation. Media, social networks, employers, family members, friends, government policies and practices, and church doctrine all come into play at various times. As with teens, these relationships require acceptance and affirmation, resulting in the potential for varying degrees of accountability among them. Self-Actualization brings with it the happiness that is sought by all. Spirituality surfaces as a character strength as curiosity and contemplation of an afterlife take hold. Faith and accountability to God become more important for many as they age.
Science and Spirituality are working together to strengthen character. Scientists and researchers make the VIA Institute on Character and Abraham Maslow’s Motivation Theory observations and analyses. A case can be made that their results implicitly incorporate religious principles and beliefs reflected in their existing character within the social behaviors and attitudes of the sample populations on which their findings are based. The bigger question is, if church participation continues to decline, does the American character continue to change as other influencers gain? If so, is it really for the better?
It will look decidedly different without a more substantial influence from faith-based organizations as influencers. Traditional social concepts such as freedom, justice, equity, and honesty could diminish.
For those who haven’t seen the 1946 Holiday Classic Movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” it tells a story of the consequences of losing an influential person of solid character in a small community. Without George Bailey exercising his strong faith-based character that keeps a small savings and loan bank from going under, other forces would influence the local community, changing the town into a cold, insensitive, and greedy “Pottersville” in his absence. Frank Capra, the Director of the movie, got it right — character really does make a difference. If you haven’t seen the movie, please take the time to do so.
Churches can and should play a central role in helping define the American Character. They provide a place where religious services are performed and a gathering place where faith-based character strengths can be identified and practiced before engaging the larger community, whether in-person or virtually. The challenge is that not all churches subscribe to interpreting the Bible in the same manner. However, there is likely to be more common ground by focusing on just the four gospels.
Having a faith-based character development component among the other influencers offers a well-established and credible source as a role model demonstrating the value and importance of strengthening character. The New Testament gospels provide lessons and insight. According to The Student Bible, published in 1986 by The Zondervan Corporation, thirty-eight parables and sixteen teachings of Jesus are in the gospels. These lessons are so rich in their depth of meaning.
Here is an example of how a parable can translate into opportunities for strengthening character development. For example, the “Parable of the Sower,” Mark 4:3–20, found in the New Testament, describes a farmer sowing his seed on a path, rocky places, among thorns, and fertile soil. He likens grain to God’s Word and the areas it falls as the different ways that people respond to and accept it. Jesus describes four different types of people that hear the Word. When Jesus explained the parable, He revealed information about each group’s attitude and behavior that says much about their character.
If you are curious about what a faith-based exercise in character development might look like, try the following:
· Click the VIA Institute on Character and Abraham Maslow links to familiarize yourself with their materials.
· I have used the New International Version of the Bible. You can search for it on the Internet. Read the quotation in the New Testament for “The Parable of the Sower” in Mark 4:3–20.
· How many of the four groups are represented when you place yourself, selected family members, and friends?
· Select a person you are familiar with that fits in each group in the parable and identify character strengths you associate with them. How weak or strong are they?
· Align the character strengths identified with the motivational needs at each level that help drive them towards self-fulfillment, Spirituality, and happiness. What steps are needed to accomplish it?
· The exercise is not to judge any individual’s character but to make you aware of how character strengths can vary when linked to motivational needs and faith in real terms.
In the end, attending church, virtually or in a building, must have a sense of purpose. People go to work or school and build relationships expecting some benefit to their lives by participating. Attending church is not that different. The Pew Institute statistics on church tells me that a strong sense of purpose is missing for many.
Character development is the core discipline that drives our motivations to do more and be more. Religion can help strengthen character. When shared, it builds community — supporting the American Character as we go. To me, that is purpose. It desperately needs to be promoted, and I am willing to step up and be part of that solution.
Hopefully, I’ll find my church soon. Stay tuned.
References
Pew Research — U.S. Christians projected to fall below 50% of population if recent trends continue | Pew Research Center. (2022, September 13). Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. https://d.docs.live.net/50eacef4cb7c9ffb/Desktop/American%20Character%20and%20the%20Church.docx
The VIA Institute on Character — Find Your 24 Character Strengths | Personal Strengths List | VIA Institute | VIA Institute. (n.d.). https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths
A Theory of Human Motivation — Classics in the History of Psychology — A. H. Maslow (1943) A Theory …. https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.html
It’s a Wonderful Life — (1946) — IMDb. (1947, January 7). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/
The Student Bible, 1986, The Zondervan Corporation, Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT 1973,1978,1984 International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
