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May 16, 2004
"Christian Cool"?
The New York Times has an interesting article entitled "Christian Cool and the New Generation Gap" that's a smorgasbord of Christian sub-culture — including Christian rock, Relevant Media, Stephen Baldwin's Livin' It DVD, and the emerging church.
Here's my take on it, blow by blow:
Theologian Michael Novak's comparison of "alt-evangelicals to missionaries, who 'feel they've learned something valuable from their faith and want to share it' using the native language" is right on!
Novak's comment that "in boiling it down, trying to make it relevant," Christian culture-mongers "leave out the hard edges and the complicated points" and "make the faith less than it is"? Um, I beg to differ. Sure that's a pitfall, but that doesn't cut across the board.
Nice quotes from Relevant's Cameron Strang, including this zinger: "We're all sinners. Your sin isn't any worse than my sin. We don't say, 'Stop the horrible gays.' You want to reach them, you don't want to protest them. If we looked like goody-two-shoes, clean cut, we couldn't have a conversation with our lesbian friend at the coffee shop, because she couldn't relate." (Tell that to Jim Dobson!)
Note to the Times: Time to fire your fact-checker. The new Third Day CD is entitled Wire (not Wired). Get it right!
Note to Timothy Williams, author of an anti-Christian rock tract: You said, "If we're going to be relevant or on the world's level to draw people, we might as well give free beer in the parking lot." I kinda like that idea. Thanks!
Note to Stephen Baldwin: Brother. Brother, brother, brother in Christ. You want to create "the first get-down rock 'n' roll, cool Christian brand"?! I know Luis Palau is giving you straight-up advice, so who is giving you these crazy ideas?! "I've been to conferences with youth pastors, and they all said, 'Dude, we've been waiting for something that's cool and edgy and Christian.'" Oh ... That explains it. Dude ... No.
Note to Tim Lucas, pastor of Liquid: "Popular culture is a wonderful buffet to dine at, but it's easy to overeat." That's the money quote, man. Great closer. Good on ya.
[Thanks for the link, David.]
Posted by Steve K. at May 16, 2004 10:27 PM
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Note to Timothy Williams:
If we don't get these people under control, someone might turn water into wine at a party!
Oh Wait. Jesus already did that...
Posted by: Nick at May 17, 2004 12:51 PM
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