The Good and the Bad of Christianity Becoming Cool Again
What to watch for
All of a sudden, as the U.S. was in the middle of its slide into “the negative world” in which Christianity was viewed with skepticism at best and hostility at worst, the tide has turned.
Now, wokeness and the LGBT agenda seem to be on the retreat, or at least not steamrolling forward like they once were. Big name skeptics like Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, and even Richard Dawkins are speaking positively about Christianity.
Celebrity converts (in the broadest sense) like Russell Brand and Shia LaBeouf draw attention to their new-found faith. Athletes seem to be more outspoken about their religion than ever.
What do we make of all of this?
The Good
Humans are heavily influenced by the culture in which they live (as I wrote on here). A cultural softening toward Christianity can lead some people to pick up a Bible or walk into a church when they otherwise wouldn’t have.
Sure, we can agree that a lot of times these folks may prove to be rocky soil where the seed grows quickly and fades just as fast (Matthew 13:5), but not all of them. In some cases, that first step can lead to their conversion and eventually generations of faithfulness in their family. Any time that happens, it’s a tremendous good.
And, before we get to the potential negatives, we can take a step back for a second. There’s always a pull to go into a purity spiral and essentially reach the point that we would rather people not mention Jesus at all than mention Him without our approval.
So, let’s say that yes, it is a positive when Jesus is publicly praised as Lord, even if in imperfect ways by those we might not hand-pick to be His ambassadors. “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice” (Philippians 1:18).
The (Potentially) Bad
We’re going to have to get far better at gatekeeping than we’ve been to this point.
By gatekeeping I don’t mean a Pharisaical, holier-than-thou approach that looks down on the past sins of anybody who comes to Christ. The prodigal should always be welcomed home.
Rather, I mean elders and preachers must maintain healthy fences, as they were put in place to do.
Thus far, there is a general shallowness to this trendy Christianity. Athletes can thank Jesus in a post-championship press conference and go home to their live-in girlfriends. Celebs can go from unbelief or degeneracy to self-appointed spokesmen for Christ overnight. People can slap a Bible verse in their Instagram bio and go on living however they please. Church attendance is often optional. In other words, there may be no “firm root” (Matthew 13:21).
The church’s job is to take their enthusiasm and point it in the right direction. Zeal without knowledge doesn’t profit (Proverbs 19:2). And while Christianity does offer innumerable blessings, they are only accessible to those who will deny self, take up a cross, and follow (Luke 9:23). But telling them these things will be difficult.
We may be going from a time in which our most courageous act was standing up to the world to a time in which our most courageous act will be standing up to those in our own family.
But, again, the common lack of church discipline with regard to things like attendance or casual sin tells me we’re going to have to find a great deal of courage to deal with the people who may be headed our way.
The appeal of numbers and big names will always be there, but if we want this to last we have to do what Jesus did and prepare to turn away those who claim to seek Him but won’t commit (Luke 9:57-62).
The best way to prepare ourselves is to tend to our own houses now.
Notes
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