“Christian hipsters cringe at mega churches, altar calls and door-to-door evangelism. They don’t really like John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart or youth pastors who talk too much about Braveheart. In general, they tend not to like Mel Gibson and have come to really dislike The Passion for being overly bloody and maybe a little sadistic. They don’t like people like Pat Robertson, who on The 700 Club famously said that America should “take Hugo Chavez out.” And for that matter, they don’t particularly like The 700 Club either, except to make fun of it. They don’t like evangelical leaders who get too involved in politics, such as James Dobson or Jerry Falwell, who once said of terrorists that America should “blow them all away in the name of the Lord.” They don’t like TBN, PAX or Joel Osteen. They do have a wry fondness for Benny Hinn, however.
Christian hipsters tend not to like contemporary Christian music (CCM) or Christian films (except ironically), or any non-book item sold at Family Christian Stores. They hate warehouse churches or churches with American flags on stage, or churches with any flag on stage, really. They prefer the term “Christ follower” to “Christian” and can’t stand the phrases “soul winning” or “non-denominational.” The could do without the weird and awkward evangelistic methods including (but not limited to): sock puppets, ventriloquism, mimes, sign language, beach evangelism and modern dance. Surprisingly, they don’t really have that big of a problem with old-school evangelists like Billy Graham and Billy Sunday and they kind of love the really wild ones like Aimee Semple McPherson.”
from Hipster Christianity by Brett McCracken
Ahem! Guilty as charged on most of the aforementioned….
I wonder do I have actual opinions about the things I “tend to not like” or “cringe” at? Perhaps there is an inbuilt device in me that knows its not cool – like gaydar or a kind of kitsch detecting prophetic gift?
Maybe its just a bad attitude or an ill informed lemming-like response to peer pressure?
“It’s hard to deny yourself or take up any cross daily when you’re chained to the shackles of hip”
hmmm… that paragraph sums up a good deal of my feelings on hew mentioned issues…
ha yep
but is it a bad thing? I don’t agree with those statement because it’s cool…
no i dont think it is – i guess that is why i ask myself in the post if i have legit reasons, and for the most part i think i do…
Is that book a little cynical. Like you could basically write off anyone by labelling them a “Christian Hipster” and then ceasing to take anything they say seriously because you prejudge their words as contrived…
its not cynical at all – the book is highlighting the trends of “so-called cool & hip” in the Church, as yet its not making a judgement on the whole trend
Maybe it’s the Holy Spirit at work to an extent? Discernment maybe?
yep – we should never rule that out