But I love the author’s conclusion. Here’s just a snippet:

“And the further irony,” he adds, “is that the younger generations who are less impressed by whiz-bang technology, who often see through what is slick and glitzy, and who have been on the receiving end of enough marketing to nauseate them, are as likely to walk away from these oh-so-relevant churches as to walk into them.”

If the evangelical Christian leadership thinks that “cool Christianity” is a sustainable path forward, they are severely mistaken. As a twentysomething, I can say with confidence that when it comes to church, we don’t want cool as much as we want real.

If we are interested in Christianity in any sort of serious way, it is not because it’s easy or trendy or popular. It’s because Jesus himself is appealing, and what he says rings true. It’s because the world we inhabit is utterly phony, ephemeral, narcissistic, image-obsessed and sex-drenched—and we want an alternative. It’s not because we want more of the same.

The article (click here to read the entire article) is by Brett McCracken, author of the book, Hipster Christianity: Where Church and Cool Collide (Baker Books).

If you read the entire article, you’ll probably find McCracken a little critical of today’s churches. An example:

There are various ways that churches attempt to be cool. For some, it means trying to seem more culturally savvy. The pastor quotes Stephen Colbert or references Lady Gaga during his sermon, or a church sponsors a screening of the R-rated “No Country For Old Men.” For others, the emphasis is on looking cool, perhaps by giving the pastor a metrosexual makeover, with skinny jeans and an $80 haircut, or by insisting on trendy eco-friendly paper and helvetica-only fonts on all printed materials. Then there is the option of holding a worship service in a bar or nightclub (as is the case for L.A.’s Mosaic church, whose downtown location meets at a nightspot called Club Mayan).

A little harsh maybe. There is nothing wrong with meeting where you need to meet if it is the best solution, But I think many of us have seen some of these elements “out of balance” on either extreme. For example. We, like the author of the article, have probably seen the church that seems to just “try too hard.” They concentrate so hard on looks and appeal, but are stingy when it comes to simply opening the scripture and teaching truth. But before we cast stones, we need to realize that this church might just be an “overreaction” to a church that has been dead for decades because they put people to sleep with bad teaching and a lack of relevance. (Most of us have sat through some of these services) There’s nothing wrong with quoting Stephen Colbert or referencing current music. These elements become “out of hand” when they monopolize a service and Jesus becomes lost in the shuffle.

This discussion has huge relevance in youth ministry circles. As McCracken points out, kids are savvy to being target-marketed with the “slick and glitzy.” Some of us need to sit back and take a deep look at our ministries, asking some tough questions. Does slick and glitzy trump relational ministry? Do we spend more time programming then hanging with kids? Are we better at presentation than connecting? (all red flags) But don’t ignore the opposite side of the spectrum. Do we lack good communicators that are gifted at teaching the scriptures? Do we not provide safe arenas where kids can feel safe to dialogue? Do we put kids to sleep? (all red flags as well)

I think many churches and youth ministries are searching for a balance here. It would be nice to be relevant to the culture the way the Apostle Paul was, but at the same time, not stray from the privilege of clearly introducing people to the love of Jesus. McCracken’s article is a good reminder of that. (and a good discussion peice for your next volunteer training)

McCracken is a graduate of Wheaton and UCLA, currently the managing editor for Biola University’s Biola Magazine and working on his Master’s in Theology at Talbot. He regularly writes movie reviews for Christianity Today and articles for Relevant Magazine. You can see an online video interview of him about his new book here.

”
Not talking is one action. Listening is another. Sometimes I think God gave us two ears and one mouth just because He wants us to listen twice as much as we talk. Even so, not talking doesn’t mean we’re listening.
Mom and dad, you may hear the words your teen is saying, but are you really listening to her heart? She doesn’t need your response, your judgment, your opinion or your solution. In fact, she probably isn’t asking for anything. She just needs your undivided attention and a listening ear.

So share your desire to become a better listener. Find regular opportunities to talk, even if they feel a bit forced at first. Eventually, with diligence on your part, your teen will again open up and trust her dreams, thoughts and questions with you.

On the way to the theater (I was going to see The A-Team), we walked passed literally hundreds of these fans sitting in roped off areas, in eager anticipation of the film over four hours away. Not a male in sight! Mostly teenagers, some tweens, and about one in 5 seemed to be moms. Interesting group. I’ve never seen more Twilight t-shirts, tattoos, posters, and yes, even shrines! (Several groups had commandeered a bench and set up a shrine-of-sorts to Patrick and Taylor. Wow. Even Star Wars fans were saying, “These people are so weird!”)

Sp I thought I would share a few thoughts on this movie…

One of the biggest problem I have with the movie (besides the whole vampire thing) continues to be the characters and the choices they make. Edward is so “in love� (aka obsessed) with Bella that he seems unable to make any rational decision outside of their relationship. Likewise, Jacob, who is still in love with Bella, refuses to accept the reality that she will never feel that same way towards him even though she has told him many times. Then there is Bella. She is willing to sacrifice everything, including her family, her dreams and even her soul, to be with Edward (i.e. become a vampire). It’s the same old thing that we saw in the second film, New Moon.

Realistically nothing has changed. The characters are far from role models. As parents and youth leaders we need to be equipped and ready to discuss these issues with our students.

Let’s keep dialoguing with our kids about these issues we see popping up in youth culture.

I have heard it said that it is just a love story so what is the problem with that? Well, it is much more than a “love story” It is about blood sucking, immoral, socially disturbed vampires that are becoming role models for our teens! LOL

You draw your own conclusions from there.

I read the Rolling Stone interview over the weekend, David R. Smith (who writes many of our Youth Culture Window articles) and told him, “We’ve got to chime in on this to our readers.”

So David has been working on a nice little piece about Katy Perry… you’ll see it soon.

It’s fascinating. Here’s a girl that was raised in a strict (and dare I say “weird”) religious home…. she wasn’t allowed to say “deviled eggs” they had to call them “angeled eggs,” no TV, no secular music. So… whenever she was away from home at her friends’ house… she says she was glued to MTV.

Hmmmmm.

Rolling Stone portrays her as a “good girl,” actually comparing her to Taylor Swift. But a paragraph later she is spouting off the f-word, joking like she’s going to show her pubic hair to prove her “real hair color,” and making sexual references that sadly, probably wouldn’t make many kids in this culture wince.

The lyrics of her new song speak pretty loudly as well. I already ranted a bit about that in my expose’ about the Teen Choice Awards where she sang Teenage Dream, singing:

We drove to Cali
And got drunk on the beach
Got a motel and
Built a floor out of sheets
I finally found you
My missing puzzle piece
I’m complete

Let’s go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance until we die
You and I
We’ll be young forever…

All that to an audience of teens and tweens.

What a “good girl.”

Sad. Katy is really talented and seems like a lot of fun. But she’s learned what sells and she’s not worried about who’s becoming corrupted, or sexualized along the way.

Katie has a gift and it would be so great for her to use it to influence kids for the better!

Connect with kids. You know—take them out for coffee, go to their baseball game, get ice cream with them after school. Spending time with them and letting Christ’s love embrace them through you.

Much of the youth ministry world have not been making “connecting” a priority. Youth ministries are getting good at programming, giving talks, big events and even Bible studies. But not much effort was given to connecting with kids one-on-one.

There is “relational ministry” void every time someone would ask me questions about “problems” in their youth ministry. They would ask me about a kid that wasn’t responding, or a student leader who had fallen into sin, or a certain type of kid that they just weren’t attracting to their ministry. In all these situations I asked one question in return, “Have you tried connecting with them one-on-one?”

Starting a mentoring program, get your leaders to connect with the youth and be a positive role model in their lives. It makes such a huge difference!

Connecting with your community and other ministries has been neglected too! It is time to realize that we are not the only ministry in town and that we cannot do this all on our own.

Start a ministry alliance, get together with other youth Pastors in your area to strategically reach your local schools and city.

Are you connecting… or are you just “running program?

#1 hit on the music charts today, Break Your Heart

“The song is trying to justify this kind of playa lifestyle,”It’s the kind of lie that today’s young girls are buying.”

This candid new song, Break Your Heart, is by Taio Cruz. He’d probably just argue that he’s “keeping it real.” Because he and rapper Ludacris make their intentions clear throughout the song. “I’m going to hurt you.” “I’ve got a problem with misbehavin.”

Oh… well then I guess it’s okay then. As long as he admits it up front, right?

David R. Smith does an incredible job at unpacking this song in this week’s Youth Culture Windowarticle, Low Expectations for Love. In the article, he not only provides us with information about the song and the artist, he also shares some concern about the impact on our girls’ self esteem. He wraps up the article by providing some questions that we can ask our teeenagers about this song, or more importantly, this mindset. I encourage you to read that article.

Teens are always talking with me about girls at school. He and a few friends were sharing how quick and easy girls are to provide sexual favors to guys today. Girls are growing up in a world that not only convinces them that they need to dress like a hootchie, but that they need to be sexual objects. Now songs like Break Your Heart seem to be conveying, “Some guys are like this… and that’s okay.”

With today’s “hookup” mentality, this probably isn’t a big deal. Hooking upbasically means “being sexually active for fun, with no strings attached.” Perhaps Cruz and Ludacris think that today’s “Hookup” generation won’t feel any guilt or regret when they’re treated like an object.

If they only knew how many tears were shed the day after.

What messages are your kids hearing from songs like this?

Posted: 06 Jan 2010 10:43 AM PST