My Missional Thesis

So in my endeavor to really figure out how missional/incarnational Christian community is going to work in my life and in my community I've put together a more well-formed thesis than the so-called "manifesto" written below. I wanted to take the time to re-state the entirety of my thought processes so far, and also bring to your attention how exactly I want to get started. I'm excited about all this, hopefully you are too.

I've got several points here:

I think that society "at-large" sees a disconnect in Christians and Christianity today. I've explained it like this: If the church was actually embodying Christ on Earth the way it intends to, and the way it's expected to, there would be people out there saying "I don't agree with the religion of Jesus, but you have to admit that his followers accomplish great things."  Instead, what we get (despite there being some truth to the "greatness" of the works of the Kingdom) is that most folks will tell you that they think Jesus has some great ideas, but that his followers are judgemental jerks.

I think that modern evangelicalism is faced with a huge problem in that the Church has lost nearly all of its intrigue, status, and attractiveness. Since Constantine, The Church has been, especially in the eyes of the outsider, an establishment and not a community.  The Church is a brick and mortar building: a place you go to be with God.
Unfortunately, in modernity, and moreso (I guess) in post-modernity the Church is seen as place you go to be JUDGED by God's people, and--if that's any indication--by God Himself as well.
There's an obvious need here to transform the church into something that less resembles this unattractive "establishment," and more resembles the kind of community that Christianity was built upon prior to Constantine's legalization of the faith.

I'm very, very interested in the prospect of doing church differently. And not in the cliche way of doing it exactly the same but with rock music (though I say that with tongue firmly in cheek as I continue to attend, and love, a church body doing something approximating that).
What I am proposing, and I'll be very forthcoming in explaining that this isn't a new idea, or even my idea, is organically putting together a community of likeminded folks with the goal of living a Christian life together.  We'll simply enjoy life, enjoy each other, enjoy our marriages and food and fun and all that God has provided us. We'll seek to grow together in maturity in Christ and we'll study His word.
This community will be constantly "on mission," helping out in our community and loving our neighbors and our world.
This community should be so attractive, and so powerfully changing lives both within the community and outside of it, that people will constantly take notice of it and desire to become a part of it.  So we'll invite those folks along to live life with us, to do mission with us, and to enjoy life in Christ (maybe that should be capital "L" Life?).
This community will therefore turn evangelism on its head.  Rather than "believing and then belonging", (or after an alter call, handing out Bibles and pamphlets welcoming folks to community and helping them with what they should do with their "new Christian faith,)" we will instead have a "belong then believe" approach where people will be free to join our community and do life with us and, we think, in so doing will see WHY we do life the way we do and come to believe the way we do.  And, frankly, if they DON'T come to believe the way we do, they're probably still welcome to take part because a) there's always hope and b) we're going to need all the hands we can get to accomplish all the good we hope to accomplish for His glory.

So I guess this thing begins in a somewhat real way in the Fall of 2011 when Melissa and I expect to hand off leadership of our 707/CVC LifeGroup and will begin leading a curriculum based Bible study of some kind from our home in Cleveland Heights.  More info on this will be forthcoming. But that day is still 10 months away, and intentionally so.

Obviously, though, planting a sign in our front yard that says "Missional/Incarnational Church Starting Here 2011" is the first step in becoming, not a community, but an institution. So the first step is actually in beginning to foster an intentional Christian community organically and naturally.  This calls for inviting along all the friends we can, but also making new ones.
The first step for THAT is in an event Melissa and I are currently planning for January. Which is where this post began.
I've been in contact with a couple of local musicians and am intending to throw a house show at our home in Cleveland Heights.  It will, hopefully, be a really big deal of a show and will pull in folks we know as well as folks we don't.  In keeping with the missional aspect of this entire thing, the show's proceeds will benefit a local Cleveland Heights charity organization.

Watch this space for more information.  After testing the waters a bit over how exciting an endeavor this is (people seem to think "VERY") and beginning to generate a bit of buzz, I need to now work on planning the thing in earnest.  Once it's a bit more nailed down, I'll be posting more frequent updates on it and, y'know, INVITING FOLKS.
Thanks for taking the time.
God Bless.

P.S.- Want to get excited about all this, and get a (excuse the word considering their other publications) "primer" on this way of thinking? I still cannot recommend ENOUGH Hugh Halter & Matt Smay's The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series)

The Lord's "Supper"

Occasionally in the last two or so weeks I've found myself contemplating the act of communion as it exists for most of us today. I can't help but wonder if there isn't a way we could get more from this sacrament, and I've also been pondering whether or not it is at all what Christ had in mind.

Some background:  One of the holy traditions (sacraments) in the Christian faith is that of communion.  In remembrance of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, we eat bread and drink wine as He did, and as He instructed his followers to do.  The bread represents his broken body, the wine represents his shed blood. (Gospel basics: He died in mankind's place so that the sins committed by mankind could be atoned for, despite mankind's inability to atone for these sins itself.)  Here, though, is Luke's account of things:

14And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Today churches act out this sacrament in various ways, and place differing levels of importance on both the act, and its elements.  In my experience though, when my church takes communion it has never resembled the act performed by Jesus and his followers. The only similarity, even, is that we're eating things that are vague approximations of what Christ ate. (that is: oyster crackers, King's Hawaiian(tm) bread, pita, wafers of unknown origin/makeup, etc. and, invariably, non-alcoholic grape juice from the smallest vessel you can imagine)

Now I understand that Jesus and the twelve did not sit down to a table of bread and wine.  They ate these things over the course of a meal made up of other things.  Even so, I'm reasonably certain that they did not partake of these things the way that we do today.  It was surely not a thimbleful of grape juice and a tiny wafer of bread each.

Furthermore, Jesus and the twelve were not partaking of this in the context of a church service at all.  It was a passover meal, yes, but it was not something to be done after the sermon and before the closing song while the worship band plays.  It was in an altogether more intimate, and less congregational atmosphere. It was thirteen guys around a table, and not a couple hundred sitting in rows (or worse, performing it casually on the way back to their chairs).

I wonder how much of the impact of this act we lose as a result of the way we perform it today.  I'm saddened that I don't even have an answer to that question because I've NEVER performed it any other way.

How different would communion feel if we actually had a mouthful of bread.  What if we each actually had a large piece, and it finishing it actually took a conscious effort.  What I'm not saying is "what if we had so much bread that it was difficult to finish it all (though... what if?)" I'm saying: what if we actually received enough bread that if we swallowed it without chewing it we'd NOTICE?  Imagine if we had a tall glass of grape juice, or even (gasp!) wine!  How would communion change if it were actually taken around a table? If it were actually taken with, and after, a meal?  How would it change if there were actually time to contemplate it while we were partaking, instead of in the moments before and then (ten seconds later) in the moments after?

I think it's a real shame that I have absolutely no idea what the answer to these questions are.  I can hazard a guess, though. I'll bet it takes on a bit more depth. I bet it's a bit less forgettable and feels a lot less like empty ritual.  I want to try this. Soon. Who's in?

Proximity

Right now I'm preparing for my weekly Community Group meeting, and something's sort of occurring to me.  In a few minutes, Melissa and I will get in the car and make the 40-some minute drive down to Brecksville to lead our group.
Our group is comprised of people who are all otherwise free on Tuesday nights, but they come from Akron, Strongsville, Broadview Heights, Valley View, and Cleveland Heights.  To give you an idea of that sprawl, it's a 45-50 minute drive from Cleveland Heights to Strongsville or from Akron to Cleveland Heights. It's about a half hour from Valley View to Strongsville.  These distances, these drives, are not entirely insignificant. And they're indicative of one of the problems of the attractional church model.

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Okay, back from group now. I'll continue:
My friend Andy Sikora has talked about this issue, but it really seemed to hit home for me today.
The last couple of weeks I've gone out with a friend from my church a couple of times. He lives less than 2 miles from me, it's been easy to do spur-of-the-moment get-togethers and we've had a great time.
In contrast, Andy, a close friend I met at the SAME church, lives in Berea. Google Maps puts us 42 minutes or 26.6 miles apart. Andy is a runner and has completed a couple marathons, but get real.
It's impossible for us to hang out spontaneously.  It takes days of planning and usually one or both of us has to run the entire plan by our wives before we greenlight it. Additionally, Andy has never seen my house, and I've seen his exactly twice, this is not exactly a situation that lends itself to easily keeping each other accountable in matters of each others' households.
The beauty, then, of incarnational ministry is that by being intentional about our communities, and our neighbors, we can have these sorts of relationships with people who are actually nearby. We can do life with folks, and meet up with one another, with ease.
I love Andy, and we're not going to stop hanging out, but it seems that by doing church in an intensely LOCAL way we're doing ourselves a huge favor.  Proximity, to borrow the word from my church's current sermon series, is not only important in terms of our relation to God, but also our relation to other believers.

I'm still just beginning to put together (mostly by reading, reading, reading, and reading) what an incarnational community is going to look like for me, but it will absolutely have to be a true community.  I love the people in my 707 Community Group, but when I think about the fact that my schedule virtually prohibits me from spending time with them outside of our 90 minutes at Panera, I cannot help but feel that I'm doing a huge disservice to them. I don't want to create a church in which I'm too busy, or too inconveniently located, to be with the people who want to, or need to, be with me.

Distracted Hearts

So last week as part of the Proximity Series at sevenoseven we talked about five conditions of the heart that prevent us from coming closer to God: The Diseased Heart, the Distracted Heart, the Damaged Heart, the Deceived Heart, and the Disbelieving Heart.

The idea of the distracted heart was one that really struck a chord with Melissa and I.  Chad shared Isaiah 58:2 which reads:

Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God.

This was a description of a community that was succeeding in living a life aimed at Christ, and free of distraction.

Let's look at this another way: There are 613 commandments in the Jewish Law. The most popular, obviously, being a certain ten.  But in Matthew 22 a group of Sadducees and Pharisees got together and tested Jesus on which one was, in his opinion, the greatest. He, with Deuteronomy 6:5 in mind, says in verse 37:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

It would seem that loving God without distraction, and with all of our being, is of the utmost importance to God. Jesus ranked it number 1 out of 613.

I wrote out the following prayer, highlighting the three main ways Jesus asks us to love God.  I encourage you to look it over, and perhaps pray on this idea. It's what we'll be doing as a Leadership/Tech Team at sevenoseven tonight.
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Dear Heavenly Father,

We know how important it is that we love you with all of our being, yet it is easy to be distracted by the quick pace of life, its highs and lows, its distractions and burdens. Help us to live in a way that pleases You.

It is our prayer that we might love you with all of our hearts. Let us understand that all love comes from you, all joy from you, and that when we get caught up in the goodness of this community, and this life, let us remember with our whole hearts that all of this stems from you.

It is our prayer that we might love you with all of our souls.  Let us in times of quiet or pain look towards your support.  Let us on hard days and busy days look to you for guidance.  You created this world, help us remember that there's nothing in it bigger than you.

It is our prayer that we might love you with all of our minds. Help us to discern right teaching from wrong, and to overcome our insecurities and doubts.  From you comes all knowledge, we pray that you help us to learn what it is that you wish to teach us.

We ask for all these things in the name of your precious Son...

3D Ministries

So a couple of weeks ago Andy Sikora (from Renew Communities) was telling me about 3D Ministries. An organization started by some of the same folks behind the incarnational revolution happening in Sheffield, UK. They've got a great video about what this new style of church is all about, and you can see it here. (Seriously, click that link and watch that video).

Additionally, they offer the ability to plug your church into their network for all kids of awesome support and education, which is something Andy is considering doing with Renew Communities.  Before he decides, to, though, he's planning to head out to LA for their taster event.  Information for that is on their site here and it looks like a pretty neat experience.

I bring this all up because he suggested I come along.  Surely there'll be interesting things I can learn and apply in the Heights, and I just might want to plug MY organization (or whatever it turns out to be) into 3D Ministries down the road too.
What do you think?

Check out renew communities

So, let's say you're interested in everything I'm talking about on this blog, but you live on the other side of town.  Turns out you're actually still in pretty good shape.  My good friend Andy Sikora is putting together a missionally minded community/church organization RIGHT NOW in Berea, Ohio.

Renew Communities is launching next spring (in time for Easter!) but you can get involved right now.  Head over to Renew Communities' Blog.  Andy was, until a couple weeks ago, the Lead Pastor and Teacher of sevenoseven, the young adults ministry of Cuyahoga Valley Church. But now he's doing THIS. I want to support him in any way that I can, and you should too.

Community is what this is all about. Connecting people is hugely important, so hopefully as time goes on I can tell you about some other people who are seeing great things happening like Andy is.  Pray for Renew Communities, check out their site, and get involved if you live out there!


Renew Communities

Welcome!

Hopefully you're reading this post because I successfully fed this new blog through my twitter and facebook accounts. Welcome!
This is a new blog I'm starting as a place to post theological thoughts, church-y wonderings, and other missional miscellany. I'm planning to keep it updated regularly as I work through discovering what incarnational community will look like for me, and for Cleveland Heights.
So, check it out.

If you want to get a little more information on what this is all about, I cannot recommend enough Hugh Halter & Matt Smay's The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series)

7 (brief) contemplations on repentance

I wrote this for my theology class. We were given these passages and told to highlight their importance with regards to repentance. Just thought I'd share.

To start with, I should say that I've been fortunate enough to hear teachings on nearly ALL of these passages within the last year or so. Mostly, though, this is because of the tremendous number of podcasts I've listened to combined with teachings I've heard at my church.
Now, half of them I've heard taught by Arminian leaning pastors, and the other half (including ALL of the passages listed from Luke) by (vehemently) Calvinist teacher Matt Chandler. So I've got a pretty evenly split view of this. Here goes:

1There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Luke 13:1-3 teaches us that there is no one more or less worthy of either death or salvation. The people asking Jesus about the Galileans believed incorrectly that an especially terrible fate had met these Galileans as a result of the Galileans' especially terrible sins. Jesus firmly tells them that this isn't the case, and his listeners are deserving of the very same fate unless they repent.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we confess our sins, however, he will forgive them. 1 John 1:9 teaches us that forgiveness is available to us if we ask for it. Because God is good, we can rest assured that this is true. He will not reneg on this deal.

9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 stresses the difference between true repentance, that is "Godly sorrow," and "worldly sorrow." The difference is simple. If you are sorrowful that you were caught (that is "found" or "discovered," not "trapped") in sin, and do not wish to remain caught or be punished, that is worldly sorrow. If however, you truly wish for God to forgive you because you love him and do not want to offend him, that is Godly sorrow. Simply wishing to escape guilt or conviction is not sufficient for repentance.

3 r“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:3-6 explains that the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, the fulfilled life God desires for us to be able to have through (and with) Him, is available to those who show repentance. By mourning (Godly sorrow) and seeking righteousness, we may experience God's mercy and then the weightlessness that accompanies his removing guilt from us.

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words

and blameless in your judgment.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 51:1-10 is a prayer of King David's after his sin with Bathsheba, and after his confrontation by Nathan. It is a gorgeous example of what true repentance looks like. It is an admission of guilt, a plea for mercy, and a rejoicing in God's generosity in giving that mercy. I've prayed through it myself in moments of conviction.

18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’

Luke 15:18-19 is the Prodigal Son's thoughts to himself regarding his predicament. Not wishing to continue to eat with pigs, he wonders if he's worthy for some sort of partial forgiveness from his Father. It's also his acknowledgment at the wrongness of his actions. He soon discovers that this admission of guilt and quest for forgiveness will be met with what he least expects: he'll be told this action was sufficient to allow him to be treated again as a son.

8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods iI give to the poor. And if I have jdefrauded anyone of anything, I restore it kfourfold.”

Luke 19:8 is another powerful example of repentance in action. Zacchaeus was a "wee little man," but more importantly he was one of the most despicable men of his day. In this passage he chooses to complete a 180 degree turn and atone for his wrongful ways. In volunteering to repay his transgressions four-fold he is selecting freely the harshest available punishment. He is coming in contact with Christ and deciding that he has been living improperly and wishes to RADICALLY alter course. This is not worldly sorrow at being caught, it is Godly sorrow... he wants nothing more than to live free of guilt in the Kingdom of God.

Amen.

Manifesto of a Missionally Minded Christian

So earlier this week I was having a late night Facebook Chat with my buddy Brian. We were discussing my having just finished Hugh Halter & Matt Smay's book Tangible Kingdom.
I was explaining to Brian what I loved about the book, how fired up I was to go and LIVE the book, and also sort of summarizing what it was about. I've taken that conversation and formed it into something of an essay on the subject of missional living and what I hope to begin in Cleveland Heights. Enjoy.

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Basically the book early on establishes the "problem" of church as it exists today, and has existed since, basically, Constantine.
Once it was "legalized," Church became a place you go to be with God.
and that was fine for like 1600 years or so...
the problem is that now the world has changed in some strange ways.
Clergy, who even as recently as 25-30 years ago were respected as pillars of their communities on par with professionals like doctors and lawyers, are no longer viewed with much respect.
"Church" is seen as stale place where you go, not to meet God, but to be judged by Him and His people.

We Christians have acquaintances we'd love to bring to Christ, but perhaps could never see inviting to church.
It's hard to imagine some folks being comfortable in the pew next to you.
But the problem isn't just that the church has lost respect amongst non-believers.
It's CONSTANTLY disenfranchising believers.
more are leaving churches than are coming into them.

So, what Christians need to do in order to be "fed" and, more importantly, to make Christ someone that an outsider might actually find INTRIGUING is radically challenge expectations, change dynamics, and begin to look differently.
That said, this does not necessarily mean "doing church differently" (which, frankly, is what rock and roll worship services are for) or being "emergent" or "hipster" for the sake of buzzwords or coolness.
It means a return to the way church was done BEFORE Constantine. That is, the churches that were started in Acts.
These were communities living in Christ together, depending upon one another and sharing with one another. Living out in the world and NOT barricaded away from society in some evangelical gated community watching knock off movies and listening to watered down music that is "Safe for the Whole Family (Tm)"
They were real, accessible communities that were so dynamically different and inviting and appealing that ANYONE who interacted with them would be drawn towards being a part of them.

And so these people WOULD become a part of them.
They would get coffee with them, have parties with them, and live LIFE with them.
and in so doing would see that the folks involved in these communities were onto something. and this belonging would stir in their hearts a desire to believe as the others believed.

This is a concept of evangelism known as "belong then believe." and is the antithesis of the worn-out idea of "believe then belong" where you come up front, say the sinner's prayer along with the pastor, and then shuffle off to the fellowship hall to get your packet about "what to do with your new faith" and your free bible.
back to the communities... they meet where life happens.
instead of aerobics in the church basement, they happen at the local gym.
instead of utilizing the fellowship hall, bible studies meet at folks' houses, or the local coffeeshop.
These people get together all the time to do LIFE together, and they do it with intention, and with God in mind with every step.

There may not even BE a sunday worship gathering.
If there is one, it's for the sake of fun together, and NOT an excuse for shallow "programming" or fancy concert-style worship.
All of those things have their place.
But they aren't welcoming to 80% of America anymore.
80% of America wants nothing to do with that stuff.

so instead we have barbecues.
and parties.
and get-togethers.
and live life.
and do it intentionally, and invite people along.

and the sojourners out there see this community and want in.
and once they join, maybe they learn that we do all this because we love Christ.
and then they see how they can love him to.

So the whole idea of the Tangible Kingdom is living The Kingdom of God here on earth now.
It's that idea that Christ was talking about a parallel world that exists in the hearts and minds of those living well by seeking God's face.
he said it was here now, and anyone could access it by believing in Him.
So we're going to seek him and live together, and live well. Support and love one another.
and common grace will allow others to see it and begin to experience it.
then, I believe, they'll see where this spring of quenching water is coming from.
and want in on THAT.

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So, let's get started, shall we?

Hipster Christianity

Recently there's been a lot of talk about a people group called "hipster Christians." These are uber-hip folks who blend all that is chic right now with a real Christian faith... ...or so says Brett McCracken, the author of the new book about this "trend," titled Hipster Christianity.
One part Stuff Christians Like and one part honest look at the changing face of the modern Christian, the book seems to be making waves as it both describes the modern, young adult Christian and simultaneously oversimplifies and generalizes him to the point of ridiculousness.
Who are these people? What should we make of them? Is this even a thing?
Let's look:

A bit of background: I attend sevenoseven (707), the young-adults ministry of Cleveland-area Cuyahoga Valley Church (CVC). The lead pastor of CVC, Pastor Rick Duncan, asked the staff to review an article about 'hipster Christians' that McCracken wrote to promote his book in Christianity Today, and respond to some questions about how CVC/707 is doing with regards to being hip, relevant, and earnest. Bryan Karas, my good friend and 707's worship leader asked me for my input, and so here we are.
First, you'll want to check out McCracken's article here.

I responded as follows:

Bryan,
First and foremost I have to say that sevenoseven, and by extension CVC, can absolutely not be all churches to all people. I think that what we do, we do very well, and with authenticity, and some of the things referenced in this article are things we either cannot do (open up shop in the warehouse district) or it would be irresponsible to try (serving alcohol).

I feel like this article was describing a good thing, but describing it cynically. As we discussed on Sunday, social justice and fixed wheel bikes are both in vogue, but they're not related. The same goes for genuine worship services and lumberjack chic.

I think that the crowd 707 caters to is largely aware of and accepting of the church paradigm as it has existed and I think far fewer of our people are actively rebelling against the kitschy Christian subculture that the article claims most "hipster Christians" are rebelling against. We've got our fair share of God's Gym t-shirts in the crowd, and yet we attract a set of authentic and earnest "hipsters" as well.

The fifth page of the article, which dealt with the problem of hipster culture as a rebellion, and one that therefore is sexually immoral and drunken (the words used were "Pabst guzzling") rang entirely false to me. I don't believe that those of us who identify with this movement do so in a way that is contrary to the Scriptures. It's simply contrary to the schlocky megachurch culture of Testa-Mints and CCM which we grew up on but through which we never found any real intimacy with Christ.

I do not believe that we are up to anything solely for the sake of being hip, or at least nothing that seems transparently cynical or inauthentic. But we are hip in a way that allows us to connect with an audience that has certain expectations of music and the relatability of the message and those who would present it.

Steps to become "more hip" strike me as unnecessary and would likely be met with rejection. It alienates those who think we're doing "just fine" and usually is transparent enough to never actually attract those who we might hope to. Staying hip is more a process of staying true to ourselves and trying constantly to continue to do what truly interests us--an objective we're achieving through the 707 Leadership team.

Lastly, if CVC were to ever be interested in reaching out specifically to this hipster culture (at its own peril, as I dear it may not be large enough to support too large a gesture) it would likely need to do so not through 707 but through an entirely new ministry. This would need to be a ministry with some independence (maybe no more than that which 707 enjoys, but perhaps slightly more). It would need to more closely resemble the house-church movement, or the model of our existing LifeGroups, but would probably have to embrace the decidedly grown-up and not-Baptist aspects of this movement... meeting in bars, questioning everything, and, yes, skinny jeans.

Hope this helps, feel free to share this (in its entirety, if you like) with the team. I wrote it with everyone in mind.

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Bryan Karas provided a response of his own for the team, after I get permission from him, I'll gladly post THAT here as well.

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Finally, A FANTASTIC and biting critique of McCracken's book was provided by THe Other Journal at Mars Hill Graduate School. James A. K. Smith explained why so much of this was really Poser Christianity.

In conclusion, I DO NOT consider myself to be a Hipster Christian, but I meet many of McCracken's criteria for what constitutes one. As I said in my rebuttal I think it's true that hipsters are rebellious sexually, or in terms of drunkenness or any of the other examples he mentions. Additionally, I think it's funny that he purports to be showing a brand new view of a brand new people from his own brand new perspective, and then trots down evangelical bogeymen like alcohol (gasp!).

It's true there are huge changes happening, or emerging if you like, with regards to how God's people do life and seek to be viewed. That's, in essence, exactly what this blog is about. Stay tuned and maybe we'll find out what that looks like.