Responsible Individualism vs. Radical Autonomy

I am in awe of what it took to build this country. Whether one looks at the transportation system, with its roads, bridges, and railroads; or its energy system, delivering electric and gas through pipes and lines to the most remote of places; or the building of cities with their underground infrastructures or tall buildings - all of these, and more, speak to a lot of men and women working very hard. They worked as teams, and yet they worked as individuals, responsibly supporting their families and building their dreams.

I think that there is a responsible individualism present in the Bible. Certainly, the Christian life is born not out of our works, as responsible as we might try to be. It is the finished work of Christ that is our hope and salvation. And yet, we are responsible, as individuals, for the decisions and choices that we make. No one is saved because their parents were, and we cannot save our children. Each individual needs to hear the Gospel and respond.

But there is something else going on in our country these days. It seems that responsible individualism is being eclipsed by a surge of radical autonomy. What is the difference? I have described responsible individualism as not necessarily self-focused. Oh, there have always been selfish people. But an individual can harness his/her desires and make tough choices that are good for himself/herself without being selfish, or good for his/her family without being self-focused. But radical autonomy is a person who decides that he/she will decide for themselves, often in spite of family, what they are going to be, not by exercising commitment and hard work, but by merely declaring that “I can be whatever I want to be.” And so, they are demanding that historic marriage and gender definitions be altered to accommodate their notions. 

But there is a further angle to this. For the responsible individual, he/she might expect that the government could encourage their personal industry through common-sense regulation and provisions, but they did not rely on the government to make it happen. But now, with radical autonomy, these persons are declaring what they proclaim themselves to be, often contrary to nature and custom, and now, in this new environment, they are demanding that the government clear the way for them - that the government legislate their new, alternate lifestyle, and declare it hateful for anyone to disagree. This is a very dangerous world.