An obsession with money, sexual expression and keeping-up with technology are the main features of modern Irish life, a top cleric claimed today.
Ireland's recent wealth and prosperity have had positive but also negative affects on society, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Dr Trevor Morrow told the annual CS Lewis lecture.
Held in Dublin and named in honour of one of Ireland's best known faith writers, the event raises questions on matters of social concern.
"Ireland is the way it is today because we're making choices to suit our own vested interests and agendas," Dr Morrow told his audience at the Mont Clare hotel.
He claimed a new mindset on wealth must be developed, including a balance between private riches and adequate public provisions.
"If happiness is found through giving, peace through relationships and contentment in wonder, then the deceptive power of money and its potential sacred status needs to be addressed both individually and corporately," he said.
Ireland, he added, had embraced various views on sexuality.
These include the conventional Christian expression of love, marriage and the traditional family unit.
But there is also an acceptance of alternative sexual lifestyles, either by choice or through genetic predisposition, leading to a growing debate over values.
The CS Lewis annual lecture is now in its second year and is organised by Evangelical Alliance Ireland (EAI).
It is a national movement of individuals, churches and organisations from within all streams of evangelicalism in Ireland.