Hippie Christianity

I don't really have a problem with hippies. I don't really know them well enough to have a problem with them. They seem to have a really laid back approach to life and I appreciate that. A high amount of stress is bad for just about everybody.

What I do have a problem with is a hippie approach to a Christian lifestyle - an "it's cool man" approach to every revelation of the sinful nature in our brothers and sisters, and especially ourselves.

Don't get me wrong here - I wholeheartedly believe that the detrimental effects of legalism are well documented and a huge reason why the anti-church movement has been in full effect for a very long time. Mandating behaviors and manufacturing guilt drive people away and destroy their spirits in the process. The gospel of Christ is filled with His grace and the legalism of religion undermines that message.

However, in our current culture, the pendulum has swung in the complete opposite direction. Grace is key to discipling young people and young christians, yet it has become the crutch we give each other to hobble around with. "It's cool man - you are human, you sinned. Don't worry." A message with a significant truth, but very empty of growth opportunities. We let each other off the hook too easily when it comes to missing the mark set by the God of the Universe.

What is wrong with looking across the table at our brother and saying,  "God's grace is sufficient AND you need to get your stuff together," with a humble and helpful heart? The truth is, we all need to get our stuff together. While we are wasting our time sitting around saying, "it'll be ok," and flashing the peace sign in our christian tye-dye shirts, we are missing out on the blessing of being in a right relationship with Christ.