The Rugged Individualistic American Way

As Christians, we must not think that the Old Testament narratives are irrelevant past history and simply interesting stories for us to read. These events in Jewish history serve as warnings to us not to disobey God (1 Corinthians 10:1–13) as well as encouragements to build our faith (Hebrews 11) and hope (Romans 15:4). The story of Balaam is mentioned by three different New Testament writers: Peter (2 Peter 2:15–16, Jude 11 and John in Revelation 2:14. As a short note, Balaam was a magician, sage and prophet for hire. He was in it for the money. Balaam may have received his name later in life when his powers with the spirit world became known.

Balaam's name came from a Hebrew root meaning "destroyer" or "devourer." It is unlikely his parents named him destroyer intentionally. In either case Balaam's name suggests that he was a veteran conjurer of curses. He is brought into the bible narrative when he is solicited by Barak, king of Moab to curse the future of Israel. This of course ended poorly for Moab because Balaam actually blesses Israel instead.

There is a lesson to be learned in this narrative and it centers on ‘the Way of Balaam’ or the mindset that made Balaam be and do as he did. The arguments of whether or not he was a believer of Yahweh are a moot and distracting point. One needs to focus on the latent narrative in Numbers of Balaam’s mindset and thinking that put him where he was in the Bible narrative. A mindset that has actually become identical to the American Way. The American way refers to a nationalist ethos that adheres to the principle of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and brags of American exceptionalism. If we are honest we would admit this isn’t very Biblical. In William Herberg’s writing...Protestant, Catholic, Jew: An Essay in American Religious Sociology (1955), he makes a striking statement that could easily describe Balaam and modern Christians like Balaam:

The American Way of life is individualistic, dynamic, and pragmatic. It affirms the supreme value and dignity of the individual; it stresses incessant activity on his part, for he is never to rest but is always to be striving to "get ahead"; it defines an ethic of self-reliance, merit, and character, and judges by achievement: "deeds, not creeds" are what count.

The Bible does not stress individuality. The supreme value is not in the individual but in Christ and His true Church. Supreme value is communal. Action for action’s sake is just pointless movement. God told us to teach others everything He taught us (Matthew 28:19-20). It wasn’t focused on self it is focused on others. Not resting so one can get themselves ahead isn’t the primary focus, it is to push the Kingdom of God forward. Our modus operandi as Christians is not self-reliance but rather reliance on God. Worst of all the Christian is to focus on ‘creeds’ or truths and teaching that helps them maintain a biblical and moral ethical standard. The Way of Balaam and the American Way teach a cult of works. 

This in turn has produced an Americanized religious cult of works. This unbiblical Way of Balaam/American Way has been exacerbated by the rank immorality, greed and sin of unbridled capitalism. Is capitalism inherently bad? No. But…anything not walled in and controlled turns into a demonic free-for-all (Proverbs 5:15-23). Just so we’re clear, socialism is even worse because it places absolute power in fewer hands. The American Democracy is optimal in  fallen world but the idea of the Way of Balaam/American Way is demonic. One cannot get where they need to go running out the back of a train going in the other direction. At some point you run out of cars and end up sitting on the tracks.

If we jump to the New Testament in 2 Peter 2 we will see that Peter focuses on the danger of false teachers secretly entering the church and leading people astray. Peter promises that God will judge the deceivers doing this (v. 3). He warns believers to exercise spiritual discernment or they’ll be taken captive by false doctrine. The false teachers in Peter’s time are like Balaam in that they knew the right way but turned from it. Like Balaam they were covetous, and they led people into immorality due to their greed and sin (v.14). This Way of Balaam has entered the church today. Instead of sound doctrine to drive it right back out the front door, it has been embraced.

Things like the Social Gospel were on clear display even in the Southern Baptist Convention and otherwise sound Biblical teachers. The impetus was the 2020 COVID lockdown and the arguments of whether the church should gather or if it was a risk to believers. It divided the churches almost directly down the middle. At least it exposed the Way of Balaam that had infiltrated the church. This embracing of Balaam-esque theology has brought low the effectual message of the Gospel by making the church the culture. This in turn has further degraded the moral/ethical condition of an American society already in steep decline (even by secular standards). Sadly, no one recognizes that this is the root cause. In the end it was about money. One needs to realize faith had nothing to do with these derailments.

The Way of Balaam is motivated to make money and use opportunities ethically or unethically, not to serve God and His people, but to satisfy craving for wealth. In other words, Balaam was a hireling who sold himself to the highest bidder. Many religious leaders do this also by whoring themselves to the culture to be ‘popular’, teaching sermons that ‘tickle’ people’s ears. In some cases preaching and teaching the things the highest tithers want to hear in ‘their’ church. Balaam and these modern day equivalents use “religion” only to make money and to cover up sinful cravings of prestige and wealth. Balaam and modern day ‘prophets’ use “religion” to entice people to sin.

The Way of Balaam encourages leaders to go to God to get their duty altered, not to learn what God’s duty is for them. Balaam and false teachers always have a hidden agenda that isn’t hidden from God at all. Thankfully, if God isn’t allowed to rule in a person’s life, He overrules and accomplishes His purposes just the same. In truth regular Christians do this when the deliberately or unwittingly use Scripture or the Pentecostal, “God said to me…so you should listen to me” to manipulate people into believing their motives are strictly Godly or benign. When we walk in the way of Balaam we deliberately rebel against the will of God and try to change it to suit our own needs. How often have we see people twist Scripture to justify their sinful behavior? They use God to profit themselves, not Him. Let’s face it “Religion” is big business today and it’s easy for preachers, musicians, executives, writers, and others in Christian service to get Christianity to service them. They use precepts and ideas for money, reputation and popularity instead of perpetuating the kingdom and spiritual character, thereby defaming the entirety of Christianity in the process.

It is a sad reality that some believers care little about Bible doctrine and theology and easily fall prey to heretical influences for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Once captured by false teaching and doctrines the new converts of these cults bring them into spiritual bondage. The false teachers and teaching of Balaam’s, Peter’s and our day prey upon ignorance of Scripture and this is the point of attack that the Christian needs to engage the enemies. Sound teaching prevents theological detours into error. The greatest evil is corruption of the highest good: Scripture. False teachers use the cloak of Scripture to cover their purposeful misinterpretation of it. Some even do so unwittingly because even they are ignorant of their own ignorance. That type of ignorance comes from arrogance. The very thing that brought down the devil (Ezekiel 28).

The ‘Doctrine of Balaam’ that creates the ‘Way of Balaam’ is actually easier to state. When in Midian do as the Midianites do. A more familiar phrase would be, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Today I believe it is stated, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” or “While in American do as the Americans do”. Nowhere in any of these statements is the mention of God. The lie embedded in the Doctrine of Balaam is the lie that it’s permissible for saved people to live like unsaved people, that God’s grace gives us the right to disobey God’s law. That is an abuse of grace. We cannot do this. Any teaching that makes it easier to sin is false. Christians need to be wary of anyone teaching this. Any Christian that encourages sinful behaviors of the culture is a Christian in error. They are a cancer and need to be excised. Israel inevitably killed Balaam but the false doctrine or the Way of Balaam he supplied outlived him. The liar can be destroyed but the lie is not so vulnerable. That is why the Christian needs to guard so vigilantly against it. It is a metastasizing cancer of the mind. We are told in 2 Corinthians 10 how to deal with this outright. We are to destroy the idea taking it captive and punishing the person or entity providing it…even if it is us. If we don’t, God can and will.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

Solomon also issued a warning.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

If we don’t stay vigilant, life will no longer spring from the heart...death will.