WEIRD?

This article from the National Post summarizes new finding from psychologists who have studied cultures and subcultures around the world. The scientists' basic hypothosis is that, contrary to popular belief and understanding, Westerners (people living in industrialized, wealthy economies) actually see the world differently from the rest of humanity. The researchers called this subgroup WEIRD - Westerners, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic. They make up about 12 percent of the world's population but account for 96 percent of behavioral sceince experiments. The generalizations that researchers make about "humanity" and "homeosapiens" are actually based on a small segment of human beings who view the world and their place in it very differently from everyone else.

This may come as no surprise to many people. Having lived in a non-WEIRD country for a significant time, and traveled to other non-WEIRD countries, this was a "duh" moment for me. People who are WEIRD are individualist and define themselves by their characteristics and not their place in the broader society.

But this article did crystalize for me the way that we as Westerners, particularly as residents of the United States, read  the Bible and practice our faith as followers of Jesus so differently from the rest of the world. We have a hard time understanding the hidden and subtle messages of the gospel that Jesus gives. We especially have a hard time with parables. Of course, there are many barriers to being immersed in the world of Jesus - 2,000 years, different languages, industrialization. But there's also the fact that we, more than any other society or people, live so differently and think so differently from the rest of the world.

Jesus' message is not individualistic. It's personal, but not individualistic. It speaks to the community more than to a single person. It calls for transformation not of one mind but of every mind. It offers healing not just to the one who has a manifest illness but to all who suffer from the sickness of sin. When we start to recognize and be changed by his message - and by his very present and real Spirit - we can't keep to ourselves. We start to spread that message far and wide with every avenue available to us: our spending, our vote, our reading, our friends, our prayer, our worship. The message makes us uncomfortable. It challenges us. It can make those of us who are WEIRD into a radical.

This excites me. We're focusing on being a radial for the kingdom of God this fall in worship and in small group studies. Join me in prayer, in Bible study, and in action as we seek God to overcome our WEIRDness with God's love and mercy.