Is Christianity my hobby?

The difference between a vibrant life and the wholesome American dream

Next week, we dive into our 7-part series on spiritual warfare, but I thought today’s question was the perfect way to preface the series. I’ll explain why. 👇

Spiritual warfare won’t be felt by just anyone. The reality is, if Christianity is just a hobby, you are of no threat to the enemy. He’s not worried about your impact. I hope that doesn’t sound harsh. It’s just the facts. The devil doesn’t care if you claim to be a Christian if your life doesn’t reflect that.

If he can get you to live in a perpetual “I’ll do it later” mindset when it comes to growing deeper in your faith, he doesn’t need to lure you into an alley of drugs, gambling, and prostitutes. He rejoices when we keep kicking that can down the road until “after college”, “once I have kids”, “when I retire”, or even on our deathbed long after we’ve sown all the wild oats we can. Honestly, living as a hobbyist when it comes to Christianity makes the devil’s job easier.

So, before we even talk about spiritual warfare, let’s talk about whether we’re actually an enemy of the devil. Hint: Being at odds with the devil is a good thing.

Now I don’t think a single believer would ever say that Christianity is our hobby, but have we ever entertained the question? Maybe we don’t want it to be true so bad that we hear it and answer an immediate “NO WAY!” I’m the real deal!

Today, though, I really want us to pause and consider this question. I also want us to ask God to search our hearts before declaring our answer.

You don’t need to take my word for it. I’m not here to call out the hobbiest by any means! And if you’re subscribed to a Substack all about prayer, I bet your intentions and faith are as real as they come. However, I still think wrestling with this question is helpful, even if it just clarifies for us the difference between a deep, abiding faith and a hobby. Also, a few other reasons:

1. Even with the best of intentions, it’s easy to slip into.

2. We might be too busy to even notice it’s our reality.

3. A casual faith may be all we’ve seen around us, so it’s all we know of Christianity.

So let’s entertain this question and start by defining hobby Christianity for a minute.

I was introduced to this term while reading Jonathan Pokluda’s book Your Story Has a Villain.

To put it in Val terms: Hobby Christianity is simply cosplay for our American dream lives.

Surveys have shown that over 60% of people in the US identify as Christian, while 4% hold a biblical worldview, revealing that the number of hobby Christians is actually quite significant.

Maybe it aligns with our narrative, our favorite country songs, or the wholesome life we long for. The difference, though, is that hobby Christianity doesn’t change my life.

My hobby of putting together puzzles is enjoyable, but it doesn’t color how I see my kids, my work, or the decisions I make. I don’t make incredible sacrifices to puzzle or devote a ton of time and energy to it. It’s quite literally just a small piece of a bigger puzzle. It’s tucked into my life, and I have all authority to that puzzle hobby at will. As soon as it stops being fun or feeling good, it’s out. No deep roots.

You get the picture. So here are some questions to consider as we ask ourselves whether Christianity is more of a hobby for us than a surrendered life:

Do I dabble?

Am I dipping my toes in and just taking a look around? Do I want to keep my options open? Or when it comes to Scripture, do I take it all as God’s Word, or are there a few passages I prefer to ignore? And maybe even tear out. And do I like concepts of Christianity, but like to sprinkle in a little Buddhism and New Age? You know. Just in case I’m wrong about God.

Have I invested?

Do I make sacrifices for my faith? Is it assumed that I’ll miss church for every birthday party, shower, tee ball game, or any invitation that comes my way, or is my faith a priority? This doesn’t mean we start equating church attendance with righteousness or tickets stamped for our salvation, but where we put our time reveals what we prioritize. The things that hold us back from attending Bible study, church, small groups, a prayer meeting—it’s honestly staggering. We will let anything be an excuse to miss time with the Lord and His kids. And financially? I bet many of us have invested more in tickets to see Taylor Swift this year than in our local church. 😬 🤷‍♀️¹

Do I keep it casual?

You enjoy it, but you’re not overly attached. If the pastor gets a little long-winded or the music grows stale, you’re ready to bounce at any time. This goes in line with investments. When something becomes more than a hobby and something to be taken seriously, it actually feels impossible to keep casual. We care about it too much. If we can keep our faith casual, I think it’s possible that we haven’t dug deep enough into understanding life with Christ and the incredible power it holds compared to life without Him.

Do I compartmentalize?

Is my faith just a Sunday thing? Do I communicate with God outside church business hours? Could I leave my Bible in my glove compartment since I only break it out at church anyway? Is Sunday for God and Monday-Friday for work? A life that is an outflow of our faith is like looking at life through a different lens. It affects everything. And if it doesn’t affect everything? It might be a hobby?

This question is tough. And maybe you’re sick of these tough questions, but I ask them because I know if we are willing to ask them, God is willing to answer them, and the answer could just change our life.

My prayer is that the questions we ask here will transform our lives, not because this is some big fancy substack, but because we are inviting God in. So even if it feels scary to know the answer, I promise, we don’t want to keep things casual with God.

So here are some questions to pray about this week:

• Do I reorient my life around Christ, or try to fit Him into mine?

• Is my faith transforming my decisions, or decorating them?

• Make me aware, Lord. What spiritual disciplines would I still practice if no one were to see?

And get ready for our series on spiritual warfare (Lord, willing! Coming next week!). Let me know if you have any related questions you’d like for me to cover.

1. If you feel like your church isn’t worth financially supporting for one reason or another 1) negligent spending 2) a preacher’s with sneakers type of leadership I get that this answer is triggering. But please know there are TONS of churches out there that spend wisely and give generously.