Hillbilly Religion: Youth Perspectives on Church

Our British friend, Church Campanologist (CC), has posted an insightful view on “Youth Perspectives” and the Church.   CC has posted at:  http://churchmousec.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/youthful-perspectives-on-the-church/   Can anyone say “Mark Driscoll” as a “youthful perspective" on the Church?  Can anyone say "Rick Warren," "Joel Osteen," and many others? Or, from a historic perspective, the “youth perspectives” from Hillbilly religionists arriving in the 20^th century?   Alot of this new stuff is a variation on a theme:  Hillbilly Religion. RA is ruthless here with regularity and justification. Anyways, here’s CC.

Youthful perspectives on the Church

May 15, 2012

Earlier this year, a Mars Hill Church (Seattle) member, Jeff Bethke, made a popular YouTube video about the problem with today’s Christianity and its adherents:

Bethke is half-right and half-misguided. As Brian — a reader of the White Horse Inn blog — noted:

The insidious nature of self-justification is brought out well here. Although the “rapper” thinks he’s denouncing works righteousness, he’s actually practicing it – and the worst possible way because he thinks he understands grace.

‘J Fisk’, a young Lutheran (LCMS) pastor (it seems), posted a response in a similar style, noting Bethke’s correct observations about Christianity and correcting his errors:

Back to the post at the White Horse Inn blog and the commentary there:

One of the really encouraging things today is seeing people raised in “moralistic-therapeutic-deism” coming to understand and embrace the gospel. At the same time, the antithesis between “religion” and “grace” (or being “spiritual but not religious”) is still trapped in its own kind of moralism. It fails to recognize that Christ came to fulfill rather than abolish the Law and religion. If religion is a community with certain doctrines and practices, then certainly Christianity is a religion. It’s bad religion that Jesus abolishes, because he gives himself as the Life of the world in the gospel through preaching and sacrament. Take away this religion and you are just left once again with a religion of your own making.

For more, see:  http://churchmousec.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/youthful-perspectives-on-the-church/