I heard a story on the radio recently discussing the fading reality of the “American Dream.” The story said only about 57% of Americans still believe the American Dream is achievable or worth pursuing. I say, “Die, American myth, die!!”
I happen to believe that many (not all!) of the promises of the American Dream are largely empty, anchored in idolatrous and self-centered pursuits at odds with a Jesus-shaped life; and this powerful cultural narrative has been one of the most potent yet subtle enemies of the gospel and faithful Kingdom living in the last century.
Millions of Christians in the last century have let the values and aspirations of the American Dream color and shape the kind of faith they have in Christ, instead of letting the values of the Kingdom of God critique and challenge the values of the American Dream that has been dangling like a carrot in front of their noses since childhood.
How do you define the American Dream? How do you feel about the promises of the American Dream? Are they compatible with biblical Christianity? Would you like to keep the Dream alive? Or would you welcome the burial of this cultural narrative?
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Jeremy L. Berg 
Independent of one’s religion, the American Dream should be about improving the quality of life of the society, and improving the opportunity for all who strive to accomplish their dreams, without hurting others. What if we change our focus in the pursuit of the “American Dream” to support others in achieving their dreams? What if all 312 million people in the U.S. identified one thing they would like to improve in our society, and started working to achieve that change?
Anne – From a Christian perspective, the focus is not striving to achieve your dream or my dream or anybody else’s, but rather everybody discovering and working together on earth to achieve God’s Dream for his world. Jesus calls this grand dream of God “the Kingdom of God” urging his followers, the church, to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.”
Jesus instructs us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven” — because that’s what we all long for — whether we know it or not.
Peace,
Jeremy