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We are human, and human beings have never shaken off the sense that everything true participates in a tradition. But we are also Americans, and Americans are impatient. We'd like our church authentic, and we'd like it authentic when we first put it on.

Down the road is a sanctuary where the stained glass is a bit tacky, the prayers are formal, and an uncomfortable number of the people are old. They've been singing the same songs for decades now, hymns that sound stiff and unyielding at first. Downstairs is a food pantry that opened for business when faded denim was a sign of need, rather than ease.

We walk in, uncertain of where we should sit. The regulars make room and hand us a hymnbook. We hold it—heavy, thick, and unfamiliar—in our hands. Its cover is threadbare at the edges. We open it and try to sing along.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Andy Crouch wrote our cover story on the ultra-authentic Emergent church movement.

Our Good Question column looked at Authentic Fellowship in contemporary churches.

Chad Hall, in a column for our sister publication, Leadership Journal, says the church is becoming less an authentic church and more like a not-for-profit organization.

Earlier Andy Crouch columns for Christianity Today include:

When Backward Is Forward | Christmas may be the best argument against genetic enhancement. (Dec. 23, 2004)

Salt-and-Pepper Politics | Choosing between candidates whose consciences are too clean. (Oct. 04, 2004)

'Live More Musically' | The difference between Christian practice and a Starbucks purchase. (July 29, 2004)

The Cruel Edges of the World | There are some places that bring the distant biblical text closer to our lives. (June 07, 2004)

Pilgrims to Nowhere | Freedom isn't much good if you don't have a sense of direction. (March 30, 2004)

Glittering Images | A profound Christian rethinking of power is overdue (Feb. 17, 2004)

Before the Deluge | All of us have a sexual orientation that bends toward the self. (Dec. 03, 2003)

Two Weddings and a Baptism | It's still impossible to predict what will advance the gospel in Hollywood. (Oct. 15, 2003)

Wrinkles in Time | Botox injections as a spiritual discipline. (Aug. 11, 2003)

Rites of Passage | Self-improvement is our culture's most durable religion. (June 6, 2003)

Christian Esperanto | We must learn other cultural tongues. (June 4, 2003)

We're Rich | But why is it so hard to admit? (Feb. 20, 2003)

Blinded by Pop Praise | To see God "high and lifted up," just open your eyes. (Dec. 17, 2002)

The Future Is P.O.D. | Multicultural voices have an edge in reaching a rapidly changing America. (October 12, 2002)

Rekindling Old Fires | We can resist technology's chilling effects on how we spend time together. (August 2, 2002)

Interstate Nation | The national highway system is a lesson in how to transform a nation. (June 21, 2002)

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February 2005, Vol. 49, No. 2