Can Christianity Be Cool?

In his new book, Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide (Baker, 2010), Brett McCracken continues the generations-old conversation about the relationship between Christ and culture. In particular, McCracken, managing editor of Biola magazine, explores the preoccupation of some churches with being relevant, trendy, and, well, hip. Can churches be cool without becoming lukewarm? Brandon O’Brien asked McCracken how what he discovered impacts the local church.

Is being “in the world but not of it” still a useful way for the church to think about its relationship to culture?

Maybe. But we need to be clearer about what we mean by “in the world” and “of it.” I’ve grown up hearing that phrase quoted anytime discussions about the relationship of Christianity to culture come up, as if citing it answers the question. But what exactly does being “of” the world mean? Are we “of” the world if we drink a beer occasionally? Are we “of” the world if we spend all weekend watching sports on TV?

As for being “in the world,” I think it is getting harder for the church to understand its place both within and distinct from culture. In our post-Christian culture, the church is no longer the heartbeat of the worlds of, say, art and academics, as it was for many centuries in previous eras. Now that the church occupies a more peripheral relationship to “the culture,” which is now largely secular, it’s naturally going to be harder to figure out just how we as Christians should approach and evaluate culture.

What elements of culture do pastors and churches find most seductive?

These days, being up-to-date on technology is a huge allure, and for obvious reasons. Things like social networking (Facebook, Twitter), iPhones, iPads, and podcasts have direct application to ministry because they make communication more efficient and more relevant to tech-savvy audiences. And technology is relatively easy to adopt.

A deeper temptation is having “relevant” tastes, wanting to be savvy to what music is cool right now, what films people are talking about, or what the right hairstyle is. It’s incredibly hard to keep up with these trends. So when we try to seek after it, we’re usually a few steps behind.

Are there any cultural values that the church should try to appeal to?

Many younger people would like to see the church more interested in the arts and culture, which is healthy and can be done without compromising Christian principles. Younger people also really would like to see church life become more intellectually robust. I’ve gone to churches where the congregation is entirely twentysomething hipsters and the sermons are 90 minutes long and intellectually stimulating. This goes against the claims that this generation has no attention span or is uninterested in being challenged in church.

Finally, some younger people like history and tradition and a sense of the longevity of Christianity. That’s why some favor liturgical worship styles. They want church to transcend the rapidly changing fads of the day.

So churches don’t need to adopt the latest trends to attract young people?

A church is truly relevant when it seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. It becomes irrelevant when the tangential worries (packaging, PR, what brand of coffee is served in the foyer, etc.) take precedence over living and preaching the biblical gospel.

The life-transforming, history-altering, salvation-offering gospel of Christ is eternally relevant. An “authentic” church is one that preaches the gospel and is honest and open about its imperfections and open with one another in love and accountability.

Tell us about a church that you think is successfully navigating the tension between cultural relevance and Christian faithfulness.

I’ve attended The Bridge in Los Angeles (a plant from Bel Air Presbyterian) for the last year and a half. We meet in a building owned by a Japanese church in downtown Los Angeles, on the border of Little Tokyo and Skid Row. The congregation is diverse in both age and ethnicity, and the church doesn’t try to put on a “cool” worship service.

The church engages in service projects in the community (a group goes to Union Rescue Mission down the street every Thursday) and is active in the arts, including outings on the downtown art walk and sponsoring a summer film series in the church sanctuary as an outreach to the community.

Meanwhile, the preaching by pastor Jim Kermath is solidly biblical, doctrinally sound, and intellectually robust. The church’s real strong suit is its emphasis on community and fellowship. It’s a tight-knit group that embodies humility, service-mindedness, and love, and I think that is extremely attractive.