If I hear one more twenty-something complaining about how the church needs to be more “authentic” I’m going to throw up. We’ve become obsessed with this word – “authenticity” – lately, and it’s becoming a problem.
Step into any hipster church of suburbia, and you’ll likely find some young, V-neck-wearing Christ-follower who laments, “I just want something real.” Right. (Rolling eyes.) Read another Francis Schaeffer book and drink a cappuccino, buddy. I’m sure that “something real” will just come to you.
I don’t want to sound like a curmudgeon. But this has to stop.
Do you really need to order a beer in front of your Baptist friends just because you’re not afraid to exercise your freedoms? Do you really need to smoke a clove outside of church minutes before service starts, while casually dropping a few “innocent” cuss words just to prove that you, too, can be edgy?
I’m not a legalist or a Puritan. I don’t have a problem with the above behavior in and of itself. I do have a problem with the motivations behind them.
More and more, I see millennials yearning for an “authentic experience” and placing labels and limits on what that needs to look like. They are, in effect, creating something that is sadly just another pre-packaged formula. The formula just happens to include American apparel and an ambiguous vocabulary, but it is still what it is – a formula, a new law.
Confessing all your “struggles” on your blog instead of talking to someone from your church is not authenticity, friends. It’s staged Christianity.
For many of us, this happens every day in our lives, although in more subtle forms:
It may be a polemical tweet thrown out there more for recognition or a few double-takes than for the sake of saying something substantial.
It may be a skeptical statement about church made at an inappropriate time (and knowingly said, anyway).
It may be having the same conversation more than once with different people, just because you think you deserve to be heard.
Again, I say: this is not authentic. This is narcissistic. And it’s the opposite of what the church needs.
Consider your own prejudices: Does authenticity have to look or sound a certain way in order for it to be perceived as such? Does the dude with the polo and purple sword on his oversized Bible stand a chance of being perceived as “real” by you?
If the church is going to be truly authentic, it doesn’t need indie worship music or Starbucks coffee in the lobbies. And it certainly doesn’t need immature young adults who think they know everything monopolizing potentially fruitful conversations with their rehashed struggles and doubts. It needs courage. It needs commitment.
We, the younger generation, need to acknowledge how full of crap we are. We need to acknowledge how little we know. We need to be humble. We need to be learners.
We need to stop trying to be Che Guevara and realize that there is a place and time for our questions. This is not a “sit down and shut up” thesis, but it’s a strong case for submission – not just to church, but to God.
Take a break from all this authenticity stuff, close whatever magazine you’re reading and do something completely “old school” – open up your Bible, read, meditate, and pray. Quit kicking against the goads, and have a real experience. All this “searching for authenticity” junk can be exhausting (not to mention distracting). Real authenticity doesn’t happen in abstraction. It happens in world that is messy – full of blood and guts, feelings and relationships. It doesn’t happen with a book or a system. It happens with a person.
So, before you do anything – get real with God.
Then, you can start trying to be authentic. Maybe this time, you actually will be.
Jeff is a writer, missions mobilizer, and former Pez dispenser collector. He edits the online magazine Wrecked for the Ordinary (
Jeff,
I find your blog as narcissistic as the perfunctory statements you make about a group of individuals gathered at the feet of your personal preferences. Statements made to rally your opinion come across as bitter and inauthentic. Your post does the very thing you bash in it. Authentic experience is something we all crave, our innate desire for God, present in all humans, believer or not, is a personal matter, not to mention, a private matter, and your bashing the process simply lumps you into the same group as the ones you ridiculed.
I hear you complain about "authenticity", yet, you desire for them to be real. What is the difference between authentic and real? Take for example, two apples, both are red, smell like apples, feel like apples, but when you cut them open, one does not have fruit inside. Both are real apples, they can be seen, touched, smelled, and even tasted, but only one is an authentic apple. The apple that comes from the source of apples is the authentic one. The other one is just a real fake apple. I did not see your definition of authenticity as that, in fact, I only read your disdain for people different from you with no real explanation of the difference.
I appreciate the authenticity with which your convictions and conjecture are presented. I believe your passion for Christ and your relationship is authentic, however, your methods are the no different than your musings.
Andrew Murray encourages us to live humbly, humility being nothing more than aligning ourselves in the proper placement with God, He being above us, and all other things below us, admittedly, a poor paraphrase, but accurate nonetheless. Maybe a little less hostility and far more grace towards those you perceive as inauthentic.
I agree with your assessment of the pittance offered on blogs and tweets of our spiritual issues. Although, a catharsis occurs when we bare our souls, authentically, regardless the methodology, the catharsis is present, and quite frankly, isn’t that the point? Sure, it may be inappropriate for YOU, but to them it may be part of a larger process. Let them be…don't judge them, befriend them, and let them experience their relationship as they do.
I don't think he's against "authenticity", he is against ways this word been used, and theories about "authenticity" without experiencing God. We need to be less "talkers about authenticity", and more followers of Christ. We all see problems in the church, but only a few step out of complainer's zone, and make an effort to change something.
Good feedback, Tony. You're probably right — I'm not claiming that I'm immune to this narcissism. Maybe that's why I see it so plainly. I see this as being a problem, not because it's not cathartic to the individual, but because it's harmful to others.
Do you see how a reckless pursuit of "authenticity" (which, I would argue isn't actually authentic, but rather just another hipster term to hide behind) could be potentially dangerous to the church as a whole? Sorry for coming off as harsh; I was just trying to make a point. I'm open to discussion.
Hey Jeff,
I thinks its closer to somewhere in the middle. I agree with you that it is immature faith to have a beer in front of your baptist friends, as you put it. Its not authenticity, it's spite. I would say that the baptists inability to have the beer makes them the "weaker brother" as Paul put it on the issue. But the hipster throwing it in their faces is guilty of the same weakness when it comes to pride.
At the same time however, Millennials do have a point about wanting authentic character. As a pastor, I want people to know that who I am in the pulpit is the same person I am in my office, the same person getting Starbucks, the same person going to the movies, and the same person going to a ballgame. Real authenticity is vital to churches in order for us to grow together in discipleship, bearing one another's burdens, and allowing iron to sharpen iron. It opens doors and takes down walls.
I will admit to that I am 29 and haven't the foggiest clue what "authentic expression" or "authentic worship" is. I think its an opportunity for Christian musicians with an extremely shallow spiritual life to try to convince everyone else they are not as shallow… (sarcasm)
Good blog dude.
Thanks, dude. Well said. You should've written the article instead of me. You're right in identifying that millenials have tapped into something powerful here – now if they (read: "we") could use some maturity and wisdom to demonstrate it, that'd be really great.
Haven't had time to read all the comments so far, but here is mine: Nothing against Jeff, but I don't like this article. He reacts against "the reaction" and offers no solution to being authentic – which I think is good and a value that Christians need to embrace all the more. Authenticity is being authentic open, real. Authenticity for authenticities sake is in and of itself not authentic. No one really thinks that drinking Starbucks or smoking makes you authentic- relevant maybe, but not authentic. Authenticity is purposefully not just going with the flow (like using Christianese). Authenticity is exposing your sins for what they are and combating them within your community. Authenticity is being who God has created you to be, not trying to be like someone else who is claiming to be authentic……
Good distinction, Anthony. While we probably used different terms, I think that we'd actually end up agreeing. Sorry I didn't communicate my point more clearly. You're right – authenticity is a good thing, while disingenuous attempts to appear "relevant" are not.
Having just finished reading "Imaginary Jesus" I am totally on board with this one. In our search for the real Jesus, we've created a lot of "authentic Jesuses" along the way based on our preferences and what makes us happy. If Jeff's perspective has you confused or riled up, I would suggest reading the book I just did – might flesh out the concept more.
I've heard a few people mention that book, Imaginary Jesus. I think I'll have to check it out now. Thanks for the recommendation and the comment.
You use that word a lot. I dunna think it means what you think it does.
Actually, I don't think *I* know what you mean. Can you give a definition of "authentic" or "authenticity" in the context you are using it?
Thanks, Michael. You're probably right – I could've used a better word. That's just the buzzword I hear a lot.
Here's what I mean by "authenticity: – inappropriately and insensitively baring one's soul and expressing one's liberty.
Yeah, Jeff, I wrote a post on roughly the same topic. It's a tricky issue.
Like you, I see a big problem in "just keeping it real." We're not called to be who we are. We're called to be who God wants us to be, which usually isn't anywhere near who we are naturally or authentically.
Authenticity is good for describing but not for prescribing. When we stop at authenticity instead of moving on to pursue what we should become, we defeat its purpose. Authenticity by itself is fatal.
As a result, I've tried to use the word "sincerity" in contrast to "authenticity."
-Authenticity: an accurate description (or picture) of what you are.
-Sincerity: a genuine pursuit of (or path toward) what you are not.
It's an uphill battle to make that distinction right now, though, because people are so attached to the word "authenticity."
Anyway, thanks for sharing. I liked the "in your face" tone… but perhaps that's because I already agree with you. I hope it'll break through or at least get some conversation going on the topic.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
I've been skeptical of this buzz word lately too. But I think the real problem is that the word "Authentic" is being hijacked. When people aren't afraid to talk openly about the things that are important to them – that's Authentic. Our guarded polarized society is NOT authentic.
Thanks for the encouragement, guys. Marshall, I think you nailed it on the head: "We're not called to be who we are. We're called to be who God wants us to be." I LOVE that.
Thanks, Jeff. I'm just rephrasing old info: "Deny yourself, take up your cross…"
-Marshall Jones Jr.
Jeff,
I am new to Rethink and just read your article on Authenticity. Here is my perplexity. (is that a word?)
I have been a Christian for most of my adult life and am sick to death of preachers, and christians alike who try to act like they have it all together. When in all actuality NONE of us have it all together NOR will we on this side of eternity.
The only reason we have what we have as far as our christian walk is because of His unending grace and mercy.
My old pastor used to say that we need to "fake it till you make it". I don't agree totally.
I do believe in the power of the tongue, scripture points out that it hold the power of life or death, and yes…it is our choice of how and what we speak….but I am aware that without Christ's grace and mercy…I am nothing.
I am a flawed man.
I fail at times.
I will let you down eventually. I try not too…but I do.
BUT….I am covered by His grace….I am loved just as I am.
I am a follower of Christ seeking His face only and not the approval of others.
Just my thoughts.
Good call, Jimmy. I agree – this kind of authenticity is definitely needed more in the church. Appreciate your comment.
Well done, sir. Well said and well played. The true authenticity…the really real…is messy. And below the surface. The motive… great piece. Thanks.
Yep, it's all about motive. As usual, the commenters said it better than I did. Great collaboration, all.