The Church Of The Cool And Groovy (A Worldy Christian View)<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
 
Hey, our church is cool -- you'll love the Starbucks!  
Come visit our youth group; it's cool!  
Hey, you'll like our church - the music is so cool! 
Our pastor is cool, you ought to see his Elvis impersonation
Our youth pastor is cool! He's awesome on Guitar Hero and listens to Led Zeppelin!
 
Webster's Dictionary defines "cool" as slang for fashionable & hip.
 
Fashionable
1: conforming to the custom, fashion, or established mode
 
Hip
1: a: having or showing awareness of or involvement in the newest developments or styles
 
So why has the church at large thrown out Romans 12:1-02?
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that the testing you may discern what is good an acceptable and perfect.
 
I spent the first 27 years of my life trying to be cool.  That was before I was a Christian. I played in rock bands, touring for almost 10 years, and was living for one purpose, my worldy pleasure. I know cool; I was professional cool, I worked hard at it, studied it and mastered it.   Turning my life over to Christ meant giving up the former things that don't bring glory to God.  The coolness in the church today including haircuts, clothes and attitude is more about self promoting rather than promoting the Lord's itinerary.
 
It's no secret that churches are using gimmicks to attract the masses. Much like all of the rock bands I worked with, the cooler and hipper you are, the more you can attract a crowd. This is prevalent in so many churches, and it usually starts in the youth groups.  They're raised to be cool, listen to cool music and dress cool.  I actually had a youth pastor say to me, "We want to show the unsaved that we can be as cool and have as much fun as the world, " to which I replied, "I spent most of my youth and life learning how to be cool, but when I came to Jesus I realized that when he said crucify the flesh and don't be like the world he meant it".  Of course, the first scripture that is usually brought up in the defense of this foolishness is to "be all things to all men".  Well, if you want to follow that to its logical progression, then I can suggest a church program and some entertainment to attract sex addicts.  Get the point?  Mature Christians shouldn't be interested in proving anything to the world except Christ crucified. I don't recall Paul dressing like a gladiator and putting on sport shows to attract the crowds, and then sneaking the gospel in on them once he had their attention.  I'm sure if it was such a great idea, the Lord would have given it to Paul. God has done perfectly well calling those who have ears to hear into the flock.
 
What do these church leaders, and especially youth leaders, not understand about that command to not be like the world?  Tattoos, earrings in noses and lips and other parts, it's all cool and it's all the world, but it's all in the church, too, now.  Just this week I heard about a Jr. High pastor in a well known church in our area who showed "for fun" a video of one of their own staff girls getting a nose piercing, complete with pictures of the crew at the Pierce and Tattoo parlor.  Does anyone even need to explain why there is nothing right about that?  Incidentally, this is the same church that had Guitar Hero in their youth center (see Guitar Hero article or visit www.craiggleason.com). I recently received an email with a link to another church in the U.S offering "Game Night with Guitar Hero, Halo and other junk games out there.  Violence, gore and rock n' roll, just what the Holy Scripture tells us to identify with and offer along side the Gospel of Jesus.  No, my friends, we should be transformed by the renewal of our minds and test to discern what is good and acceptable and perfect.
 
If Jesus were here in  his physical body I imagine he would turn these places inside out, fire the guys who are so cool and knock over the tables full of cool CD's and T-shirts with all of the autographs on them. Come to think of it, I don't recall Paul or Jesus selling their product and offering autographs so the crowds could identify with and relate to their "coolness".
 
As a church body it's past time to clean house. There's way too much cool and groovy and not enough cross and repentance.  Now for those of you reading this who agree with its content, don't just amen the article.  Start speaking up in your churches and pray for change and holiness and for God to bring us to our knees for His sake.  Be bold, Church, and remember to love God with all of your being and your neighbor as yourselves.