The Christian Church may have achieved what Chinese Communism failed

There's a story posted on NPR about the effect of the Christian Church on Western culture, in particular, the de-emphasis of [communal] extended-family structures towards more individualistic structures called: Western Individualism May Have Roots In The Medieval Church's Obsession With Incest.

This reminds me of a story of a friend, an Chinese immigrant. When the Communists were recruiting to their cause in China (they had many of the peasant class but needed the support of the middle class), they would have open air gatherings where the communist 'missionary' would exhort their audience to reject their families and in its stead, put their faith/trust in the government. The medieval church may not have overtly stated their intent to become the center of social and cultural life but that was likely their intent... and the consequence maybe some of the defining features of Western Culture.