A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®

Just when evangelicalism is reeling with main stream media’s concern that the church is fostering a generation of “fake Christian” teens, now we have another term -Hipster Christianity. According to Christianity Today:

The latest incarnation of a decades-long collision of “cool” and “Christianity,” hipster Christianity is in large part a rebellion against the very subculture that birthed it. It’s a rebellion against old-school evangelicalism and its fuddy-duddy legalism, apathy about the arts, and pitiful lack of concern for social justice. It’s also a rebellion against George W. Bush—style Christianity: American flags in churches, the Ten Commandments in courtrooms, and evangelical leaders who get too involved in conservative politics, such as James Dobson and Jerry Falwell.

Further descriptions of this group:

They prefer to call themselves “Christ-followers” rather than “Christians.” They cringe at the thought of an altar call, and the prospect of passing out tracts gives them nightmares.

Christian hipsters alarm some church leaders and mystify others. But for many observers, hipster Christianity is an exciting development. It reassures them that not all young people are abandoning the church. They are just rehabilitating its image, making it their own.

Apparently their mission is to rebrand Christianity to be, if not completely void of its own brand altogether, at least cobranded and allied with the things that it had previously set itself in opposition to: art, academics, liberal politics, fashion, and so on. A mega church pastor from one of Americas’ largest congregations once said:

“The last thing many believers need is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice. What they need are serving experiences in which they can exercise their spiritual muscles.”

But with the kind of Christians that the contemporary church is producing its not a surprise that after neglecting the basic principles of Christianity and theology we are producing “fake Christians”. If I were a pastor I wouldn’t even let these converts near a pair of scissors.

It pains to see an ignorant and extrovert generation of so called Christians who attend church en masse but hardly know what being a Christian really means or how any body becomes one. It’s high time we went back to the 5 Solas. No that is not the name of a 50’s  Rock band. No it’s not a Hip Hop artiste’s alter ego. These are 5 helpful Latin guide slogans or doctrinal phrases that may be found individually expressed in the various writings of the 16th century Reformers, either explicitly or implicitly:

* Sola Fide, Justification by faith alone.

* Sola Scriptura, Scripture alone is God’s inspired and authoritative Word.

* Solus Christus, Salvation through Christ alone.

* Sola Gratia, Salvation by grace alone.

* Soli Deo Gloria, Salvation for the glory to God alone.