Welcome to the complex life

In 2003, Fox Network created The Simple Life, a reality show in which Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, two young urban and wealthy socialites who had never worked a day in their lives, took on a variety of jobs. These two women left the complex life to embrace the simple life.

We knew this was a setup. Paris and Nicole pretended to embrace the simple life only to enhance their enjoyment of the complex life.

I think it can be safely observed that many of us who identify with Mennonite faith frown upon those who enthusiastically desire the Hilton version of the complex life.

For many Christians, materialism, over-reliance on technology, driving an SUV, and over-consumption of the world’s resources are the sins of this age. The virtuous are those who flush their toilets with recycled water from the washing machine or buy their clothes at Value Village. The sin of this North American generation is too much wealth, and redemption is to be found in the search for the simple life.

While I sympathize with those who bemoan the extent to which materialism is beseeching so many, I can’t help but feel some unease with the notion of equating Christian discipleship with radical simplicity.

The real test of discipleship is not whether one scorns driving an SUV or aspires to eradicate indoor plumbing. There is another element that must be considered. This is where the biblical book of Daniel comes in.

Invitation to Fantasy Island

Daniel is taken to Babylon around 605 B.C. He is an Israelite designated to enter the king’s service, receiving a scholarship to study in the most prestigious university of the ancient world.

I would have been immensely grateful for such an opportunity. First-rate training; superb living conditions; a well-paid job at the end of three years. Fantasy Island! Where do I sign up?

But something unexpected occurs. “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way” (1:8). Doesn’t that sound a little prima donna? He’s lucky to be alive, and he lifts his nose at the best offer he could ever hope for!

Does this temper tantrum set Daniel back? Not at all. In the end, Daniel and his friends shoot to the top of their class and are quickly ushered into the king’s service upon graduation. Daniel becomes one of the most powerful administrators of his time.

Through this whole adventure, as in much of the Old Testament, we see that Yahweh is up to something. Yahweh is in the process of creating a distinct people.

During Daniel’s era, the people of Israel are facing a terrible crisis. Jerusalem is destroyed. The elite of the nation have been taken into exile. The Israelites risk losing their identity as the people of God. For Yahweh, this is catastrophic. If this should happen, it would signal the failure of God’s project and with it the end of God’s redemptive plan for humanity.

A “purpose-driven” crisis

How does God meet this challenge? There is one basic principle that governs the nature of God’s intervention in human affairs: God works in partnership with human beings (see, for example, Genesis 1:27–28 or 1 Corinthians 3:9). The bottom line is that God needs a person to help him with the task at hand.

How can God ensure the survival of Israel as God’s people in a foreign land? At this time, God needs a strategically placed administrator to facilitate the implementation of policies to promote the survival of the Israelite community in Babylon. To put it bluntly, Daniel’s most pressing mandate is to climb the corporate ladder.

Daniel’s mission is to reach the highest possible level of authority in the Babylonian government. But how does a lowly foreigner reach the second highest position in the superpower government of his time? The answer is a “purpose-driven” crisis.

God nudges his agenda forward by allowing a series of crises that open up opportunities for Daniel to climb the ranks of Babylonian administration. In order to accomplish his objectives, God calls a remarkably gifted young man to partner with him. But for this strategy to be successful, Daniel must be willing and prepared to embrace the complex life.

Rethinking the simple life

In our zeal to be countercultural, many of us value a version of the simple life that hinges on a negative characterization of power, money, business, and capitalism, or on embracing a particular environmental ideology.

The problem occurs when this model of the simple life is offered as the paragon of Christian living. We need to remember that lifestyle is to a great extent secondary.

The most critical factor in the discipleship equation is mission.

The overriding concern of the disciple of Christ is not whether he or she should seek a particular version of the simple or complex life. The disciple’s responsibility is to seek God and to be sensitive to his call on their life in partnering with God.

Whenever lifestyle becomes the primary focus, despicable life-sucking legalisms inevitably follow. Mission should be our core motivation.

Does God call some Christians into a life of simplicity? Of course. But God also invites some of us into the complex life of high finance, business, science, engineering, law, diplomacy, etc.

Christian integrity does not mean conforming to any particular person’s feelings about what is an acceptable lifestyle. It’s the ability to recognize God’s call on one’s life and to live accordingly. This is exactly what Daniel does.

In our increasingly complex society, God will call many men and women to the complex life. The imperative to bring the good news to all ensures that God will continue to call Christians to embrace the complex life for the sake of those he wishes to reach. As a church, we need to recognize that reality (Romans 14:1–23; 1 Corinthians 9:22–23), not by condemning those who are so called, but by giving them the tools to manage the difficult call to the complex life.

Pierre Gilbert is associate professor of Bible and theology at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary and Canadian Mennonite University. He lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.