The West is spiritually exhausted

What does the author of The Gulag Archipelago have in common with the actor who played Dwight Schrute on The Office?

They both recognize spiritual exhaustion in Western culture and call for spiritual renewal to shake off the materialist malaise that plagues society.

In Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, Rainn Wilson lays the groundwork for a soul movement he believes is much needed. Given that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn sounded this note in his controversial 1978 commencement address at Harvard, some might say the proposed renewal is long overdue.

Wilson is an actor, the author or co-author of three books, and hosts a streaming show on Peacock exploring places that tend to make people happy: Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss. Wilson also cohosts a podcast with Reza Aslan called Metaphysical Milkshake. Together with a range of public thinkers, they explore life's big questions.

Soul Boom is an attempt to address the pervasive anxiety of the age. It’s easy to agree with Wilson’s thesis that the solution to the world’s problems is a spiritual revolution. Still, how he proposes bringing it about raises questions for faithful Christians.

Below is the book summary.

Soul Boom: Why We Need A Spiritual Revolution

RAINN WILSON

The trauma that our struggling species has experienced in recent years—because of both the pandemic and societal tensions that threaten to overwhelm us—is not going away anytime soon. Existing political and economic systems are not enough to bring the change that the world needs. In this book, Rainn Wilson explores the possibility and hope for a spiritual revolution, a “Soul Boom,” to find a healing transformation on a personal and global level.

Obvious Problems

Wilson puts his finger on a real problem: Young people, in particular, are looking for meaning in the world and are struggling to find it in the prevailing secular worldviews. Loneliness, depression, anxiety, and suicide have been growing concerns in Western culture for a decade. The COVID-19 pandemic only aggravated the declining trends in social and mental well-being.

Though there might be disagreement on the particulars, some of the broader social issues Wilson diagnoses are widely recognized. Racism, economic stresses, sexism, consumer culture, the rise of populist nationalisms, and concern for the environment are frequent topics in the news. They’re issues commonly cited by anxious people to account for their drift toward despair.

Many contemporary activists seek materialistic, purely political solutions to these pervasive problems. In contrast, Wilson argues, “The solutions . . . don’t lie in the halls of government but in every human heart and soul” (41).

Counterfeit Solutions

However, the spiritual revolution Wilson has in mind is a long way from the gospel. He proposes creating a movement called “SoulBoom” to embody the revolution. This movement has much in common with Wilson’s Baha’i faith.

According to the Bahá’í World News Service, more than 5 million Baha’i adherents are worldwide. That’s about 0.06 per cent of the population. The tiny religion was founded in modern-day Iraq in the middle of the 19th century by a self-styled prophet called Baha’ Allah. The Baha’i faith “teaches the oneness of God, the unity of humanity, and the essential harmony of religion.” It’s the sampler appetizer platter on the religious menu––there’s a lot of good stuff there, but not enough of anything to satisfy.

Like Baha’i, Wilson’s proposed “SoulBoom” borrows pieces from other significant faiths to resolve disagreement. He provides a laundry list of essential tenets his movement would celebrate: the existence of a higher power, life after death, the power of prayer, transcendence, community, a moral compass, the force of love, increased compassion, service to the poor, and a strong sense of purpose.

Wilson also wants to add basic principles: human diversity, the absence of clerics, the divine feminine, cooperation between science and faith, connection to the natural world, concern for justice, active service, practical spirituality, love of music and arts, and humility. This is a ready-made religion for the 21st century. Just add believers.

The problem is that Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and the rest aren’t compatible. Religions aren’t like LEGO bricks. The parts can’t be disassembled and mixed to form a new coherent whole.

Opportunities for the Gospel

Though faithful Christians cannot endorse Wilson’s model for a spiritual revolution, there are a few points of common interest and encouragement in Soul Boom.

Wilson openly lobbies for building something rather than simply tearing things down. He notes, “It is far easier to protest something than to create something new” (236). Similarly, he writes, “You don’t fight the darkness with more darkness. You fight it by turning on a light” (236). Wilson sees that humans need purpose from outside themselves. He simply opts to invent it himself.

“SoulBoom” would result in stable ethics. Wilson argues, “A moral code that doesn’t bend with the ups and downs of social trends is crucial” (176). The preferred moral code would, of course, match with contemporary progressive social norms. However, at least the system would admit that constantly revising morality makes everyday life unlivable. There’s room for discussion about what’s right.

The rejection of materialistic assumptions about the world is another shared interest. “SoulBoom” would affirm a deity—the details are vague. Conversations about religion and reality can start with this understanding rather than arguments about whether there’s anything beyond what we can measure and sense.

Most significantly, it’s encouraging that a conversation about spiritual renewal is taking place. This mass-market book is about the need for something beyond this physical life. Young people are primarily looking for something more than Western culture offers. It’s a good time to share the gospel.

It’s encouraging that a conversation about spiritual renewal is taking place.

Christians may not find much “how to” help in Wilson’s Soul Boom. However, they’ll gain an awareness of the conversations outside their churches. They’ll learn ways to start conversations about deep, important things.

Both Solzhenitsyn and Wilson are right: we need a spiritual revolution. It may be that the vestiges of spiritual vitality hadn’t been fully exhausted in 1978 when Solzhenitsyn made his plea. Wilson believes Western culture is ready now. But true renewal will only come through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Andrew Spencer