The Camel through the Eye of the Needle: Or, How American Christianity Learned to Enjoy Its Symptom

Aukusti Asikainen

— 2 min read

In the US, the old Puritan ideals of commitment to faith and “divine favour” through hard work (e.g., the Protestant work ethic) have morphed into modern prosperity gospel teachings, which hold that money is a sign of God’s blessing and so on. This majorly clashes with Jesus’s teachings and warnings about materialism.

For example, in Mark 10:25, the following is stated: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." In the US, megachurches and televangelists often promote this bullshit of spirituality tied to financial success, turning faith into a commodity rather than a communal bond. This creates a paradox: churches preach humility while building empires of opulence

This individualism fuels support for policies that prioritize personal liberty over communal welfare, such as opposition to social safety nets, free healthcare, and so on. Despite biblical texts calling to care for the poor (e.g., Proverbs 14:31), Evangelical alignment with conservative economics often ignores systematic issues like poverty, race inequality, class antagonisms etc. Viewing them as “the people's own fault” rather than collective responsibilities, once again, opposing biblical texts.

These contradictions contribute to the church’s declining influence, as non-believers perceive, especially US christians as judgmental and self-righteous rather than compassionate; A 2022 Ipsos survey for the Episcopal Church ("Jesus in America") found non-religious Americans describing Christians as self-righteous (around 50%), hypocritical (55%), and judgmental (54%), contrasting sharply with how Christians self-described as compassionate and loving. This suggests that outsiders see a focus on personal moral superiority rather than on outward, justice-oriented action.

This can also manifest in response to crises, such as during pandemics, when some prioritize personal freedoms (e.g., resisting masks or closures) over community health, with this individualism being yet again against the biblical teachings.

While progressive Christian movements offer some hope for reform, they often fall short of dismantling the root problem: US capitalism's deep co-optation of faith. Groups like Sojourners and voices such as Shane Claiborne push for social justice and communal living, but they stay unpopular because of the unchallenged master signifier, money.

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