Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise. Ephesians 5:15
It seems that many within the Christian community today have thrown away any pretense of caution, opting to rush headlong into cultural engagement through “coolness.” Those that have taken this approach are known as “hipster” Christians, as well as by a few other names. Regardless of what name they go by, these believers have jettisoned the old forms of Christian engagement and Gospel proclamation for a completely different, sometimes hard to identify cultural engagement.
By it’s very nature hipster Christianity is more about the individual than the body of Christ corporately; more about paying close attention to social trends and fashion than it is about emerging debates about morality and challenges to orthodoxy; more about pushing whatever envelope is perceived as a restraint to personal expression, instead of understanding why the forms Christianity takes today are there. In short, hipster Christianity is about creating an individual faith free from the constraints of corporate identity.
On the surface it seems that the old Christian adage “in the world but not of the world” has been permanently shelved in favor of a “in the world and enjoying everything it has to offer” mentality. Hipsters have decided that being immersed in the culture is the only way to be relevant. I don’t think this is a wise approach and it cannot be argued as a valid approach biblically in my opinion.
Christians who are tattooed, sport Duck Dynasty beards, wear earrings, have their bodies pierced or sculpted, and sport the latest clothing fashions and electronic technology might appear relevant to their peers but what follows from that? How does that provide an inroad to sharing the Gospel?
The bottom line friends, is that the culture needs redeemed not emulated. Dipping your toe into the cesspool of culture attempting to smell like them in order to fit in is a misguided strategy. The Apostle Paul was invited to speak to the Athenians and heard on subsequent occasions not because he tried to be relevant to them but because he rocked their world with talk of a dead man being resurrected.
One thing is sure, hanging out at the local pub and knocking down a few beers with unbelievers may give you a sense of belonging but don’t kid yourself. You are not called to be cool or relevant to the lost. You are called to live Christ in front of them and to tell them of the only way to salvation – faith in the One who died to forgive their sins. So be careful to walk in a manner worthy of your high calling in Christ.
Grasping that is a transforming truth.