\nFor instance, there\u2019s this. Ignoring the fact that,
\nStarbucks being an institution inspired by Satan,
\nthis amounts to blasphemy, there is also an
\nunconscious message being sent. It says, my
\nfaith must conform to the world. My Christ is made
\ncool by capitalist\u00a0commercialism. This ain\u2019t
\ninvading the culture, it\u2019s imitating the culture, and
\ngenerally lame. I can see how this is fun, I can
\nsee how this might even be meaningful, but
\nas far as making disciples of all nations go, it lacks.
\nHard.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nAnd even as I write this, I grimace at using the phrase \u2018Catholicism\u00a0is cool\u2019. In fact, I only use it because a lot of \u201cwe\u2019re reaching teenagers\u201d web-sites and ministries use it far too often. The truth is that smartphones are pretty cool. Call of Duty 4 is cool. Religion is beyond that. We do young people a great injustice when we make the assumption that what they want out of an all-encompassing world view is that it be cool, akin to a new pair of shoes. Instead, let us realize that youth, like the rest of humanity, want to be fulfilled, but with an energy and a passion far more apparent than in older folk. And youth, like the rest of humanity, are not fulfilled by coolness. So instead of \u201cCatholicism is cool\u201d, how about, \u201cCatholicism is the radical and exciting path to fulfillment, peace, and eternal salvation, that will provide solace when you suffer, aid when you are in need, excitement when you are bored, and has remained centered for 2000 years around the daring notion that human beings are meant to be joyful beyond all measure, living with God not only after death, but here and now, in the most awesome Holy Eucharist.\u201d Again, if you are trying to make the faith relevant to young people, slow down, and make young people relevant to the faith.<\/p>\n How? By adopting that characteristic appreciated by everyone, especially young people \u2013 authenticity. We live in a world that subsists on selling itself, on making everything The Next Big Thing, and quite frankly, we\u2019re sick of it, and those who aren\u2019t soon will be. The beautiful thing about the Catholic Church is that it really is The Big Thing, and the next one as well. Thus, authenticity simply reveals it for what it is: awesome. Authenticity in speech, in writing, in sharing the precepts of the faith, in prayer, in song, media, dress, \u00a0evangelization and in the plain, daily communication with others, all this reveals Catholicism\u2019s innate greatness,\u00a0achieving\u00a0every single one of the effects any \u201cmake-Catholic-cool\u201d program will try so\u00a0desperately\u00a0for; attracting youth, catching them off guard, having them willing to listen, opening their minds, and planting the seeds of the Gospel within them. Trying to make Catholicism cool just puts it on the level of the Blacked Eyed Peas performance at the Super Bowl; a\u00a0desperate\u00a0attempt to convince the world that \u201cyou really like us\u201d ending in everyone disliking us.<\/p>\n |