Australia has been heavily influenced by the Enlightment. The Enlightment was a cultural philosophy that was becoming popular when Australia was colonised. Our whole history as Australian "arrivals" has been lived under its shadow. But like other cultural things, it is hard to see.
One of the central tenents of this cultural philosophy is individualism or the "what's in it for me." Previous generations and cultures based their identity and value in terms of community. This is not so for us. The problem is that this can start to affect our understanding of the Gospel. Now combine individualism with consumerism and we get to see a picture of the societal philosophies in which we operate. It is really important that we realise that this is our lens in which we read Scripture and apply it to our lives. This lens does affect our understanding as we read Scripture focused as an individual rather than as a community. We know that our Trinity God is all about community. Sure we are individuals who make up this community, but it is in this community that we find our identity.
"Evangelical doctrines of salvation augment this emphasis. Salvation is defined in terms of the individual's coming to God. Little is said about salvation as a communal event, of redemption as that which liberates us from ourselves into a new peoplehood. Preaching often underlies this individualism" Roxburgh, Alan.
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