Quote on American Christianity from a book about Jane Austen

Mr. B. surprised me with a book he'd heard about somewhere (perhaps Focus on the Family?) called A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith. The book isn't really about Jane Austen - it's about Lori Smith's thoughts and questions about her life during a trip she took to visit historical Jane Austen places.

Here's the quote:

"The American Christian mentality can be a dangerous one. We are so successful, so rich, that we begin to equate these things with the blessings of God. They are great blessings, to be sure. But in some ways this leads to a faith that evaluates God's work in our lives and the lives of our friends by the amount of stuff we have received. When things work out--our marriage, children, 401(k)--God is clearly present. When things do not work out, we tell ourselves and others to hold on, that God will surely come to our aid and act quickly on our behalf, bringing us what we want/need/desire/cannot live without. This is not entirely untrue; God loves to give us good things. And yet what we end up with in many ways is a faith focused on all of our riches, a faith that works only in America. Just thinking about trying to encourage Third World Christians the way we talk to each other belies the fact that these 'truths' we hold on to are not universal."