Now you might be wondering at what I'm getting at. It is simply this; what is Christianity actually for?
Measuring something's value by its utility is such a disgustingly 20th-21st century concept. Oscar Wilde correctly said "All art is quite useless," and the sentiment applies to everything of any real worth in life.
Isn't it more a 19th century concept? I don't disagree with your point, but I always associate ideas of "utility" more with classical liberal philosophers of the early 1800's than modern day thinkers. And since we already saw
backlash against that mode of thinking by 1850 a la Hard Times; I'd hardly say the 20th century was exactly a sudden spring of utilitarian thought.
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