We find ourselves in a society marked by relational detachment. As Allan Bloom once observed, Americans today are “spiritually unclad, unconnected, isolated, with no inherited or unconditional connection with anything or anyone.[1]” This condition should not surprise us. We live in a nation shaped by what many have called the great Enlightenment experiment.
The Enlightenment was a powerful intellectual and cultural movement in 18th-century Europe. It emphasized reason, science, and individual rights over tradition and religious authority. Influenced by Enlightenment ideals, American Founders such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton laid the groundwork for a culture that would prioritize logic, evidence, and personal liberty. While most Enlightenment thinkers did not outright deny the existence of God, they often downplayed the supernatural, elevating reason, ethics, and natural law as the foundation of truth.
As one critic notes, “This individualism involves a centering on the self and a concomitant shutting out, or even unawareness, of the greater issues or concerns that transcend the self, be they religious, political, or historical. As a consequence, life is narrowed or flattened.[2]”
Even within spiritual life, individualism reigns. Faith becomes a private matter, and spiritual gatherings are often casual, convenience-based, and loosely held. Support within these communities is extended more from empathy or friendship than from a sense of covenant or responsibility. Many no longer know how to deeply connect—to God or to others. Tragically, they are often unaware of just how isolated they’ve become.
In contrast, we believe that belonging and attachment are essential to spiritual maturity. When you are spiritually reborn, you are not only reconciled to God—you are adopted into His family. This identity brings with it a call to mutual responsibility: to God, to others, and to the shared redemptive story. Gratitude and love—not just personal preference—become the foundation for spiritual relationships.
Individualism stifles discipleship. Jesus modeled discipleship through community, shared experience, and deep relational attachment. Practices like the Lord’s supper, Sabbath, baptism, weddings, and funerals are not merely symbolic—they are shared events that bind the spiritual community together.
The effects of individualism are showing. Today, 64% of evangelical young people leave the church as adults, revealing that we are retaining only a fraction of our next generation.[3] Among adults, only 20% report participation in any form of discipleship, such as Sunday school, small groups, or spiritual mentoring. Given that relational attachment is vital for making disciples, these numbers are troubling.[4]
The church has not been unaware of its decline. It has tried countless strategies—curriculum changes, new programs, children’s ministries, youth events, and small group models. Yet these efforts have largely failed to reverse the trend.
[1] Allan Bloom, “The Closing of the American Mind, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987), p.87.
[2] Ibid., p. 86.
[3] https://www.christianpost.com/news/barna-group-releases-myths-and-realities-of-young-people-leaving-the-church.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com