Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Romans 1:16-17)

In Christian Smith’s 2006 book “Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Eyes of American Teenagers,” the author coined the phrase Moralistic Therapeutic Deism to summarize the religious beliefs of the majority of teenagers in America. As Smith puts it, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism consists of five core beliefs:

1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth

2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about one’s self.

4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.

5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

I can’t help but read that list and wonder why this spot-on description of religion in America must only describe teenagers. Certainly there are many adults who demonstrate this exact view on religion as well. The Moralistic Therapeutic Deity described in these core beliefs is about as non-offensive and agreeable as you can get. He stays out of our way unless we need him, hoping that we’ll be nice to each other and have high self-esteem. And no matter what we believe, if we’re a good person, we’ll go to heaven when we die. What’s so bad about that?

Flying in the face of this “religion,” of course, is the God described in the Bible and the gospel message proclaimed therein. Man is not the center of the universe, existing to be cared for and served by a weak god. No – God is the center of the universe, and He is holy, and we are rebels who have kicked God off His throne and installed ourselves as the sun around whom the whole world should revolve. We are separated from God, and deserving of eternal separation. Our only hope is that someone would take the punishment we deserve and make us right with God. And the good news is that this great and holy God loves us rebels so much that His own Son willingly died for us, offering us complete forgiveness of our sins and His perfect record so that we might be restored to a right relationship with God, both now and eternally.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is a false religion. It gives us an impotent god who would not dare challenge our place as the center of the universe. It does not inspire passion, love, worship, or joy, but instead creates “nice” people who in the end are self-centered. Don’t mistake it for the real gospel, which alone can save us and bring us to into relationship with the real God.