Andrew Sullivan’s blog, which is one of the best–most diverse, most challenging, wrestling with the important questions–recently asked “Can Church be hip?” Here’s the wrap on the lengthy conversation, which could have mirrored the worship wars, but instead raised interesting questions and had some hilarious moments. The underlying question of “authentic” v. “wannabe” raised by author Brett McCracken has presented itself in slightly different terms throughout the History of Christianity (one example the suspicion that faith healings are faked). Some of the responses in the thread are rather suspicious.

One suspects this video is tongue-in-cheek:

But then, this is pretty priceless, too:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/09/can.html

Grace Church won’t be hip anytime soon; all we can hope for is being authentic and reaching people with our authenticity.

By the way, if you don’t know Sullivan’s blog, you should check it out. He’s provocative politically, religiously, and culturally. A gay Catholic in a lengthy relationship (now marriage), libertarian, former editor of the New Republic, supporter of Obama; he would identify himself as a Thatcherite conservative (he’s English). How’s that for some contradictions?