Pleonexia May 22, 2009
Posted by Dan R. Dick in Congregational Life, Religion in the U.S., Stewardship.Tags: church, Stewardship
11 comments
Pleonexia — (Plē-ō-nĕx´-ia) — the insatiable desire for more; a condition of deep dissatisfaction with what one has; seeking fulfillment through the acquisition of possessions, prestige, or power.
Besides being a great word that’s a lot of fun to say, pleonexia is an insightful description of much of modern culture — including church culture — in the United States. At an individual level, people organize their entire lives around getting — getting homes, jobs, money, cars, clothes, (in my case, books), toys, and then getting bigger, newer, fancier, costlier versions of each. It is like a disease — which is why pleonexia is such a great word. It sounds like a disease.
Viral pleonexia is infecting our churches, pushing us to pursue bigger sanctuaries, bigger staffs, bigger budgets, bigger program, bigger parking lots, bigger projection screens, and even bigger egos. No matter how much we have, we want more — even when we don’t very well manage what we already have. Bigger is better, no matter the cost. Money, time, energy, expertise are all aligned to expand and grow. Size not only matters, it becomes the only thing that matters. Pleonexia may be the swine flu of mainline Protestantism in the U.S.
