Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Boys Read Three Books For (and About) Hipsters

A recent piece in the Washington Post offers three tips for books about hipsters.

The first (and likely best) has already been spotlighted on this blog in recent weeks: What Was the Hipster? A Sociological Investigation by Mark Grief.

The second, which we're only just learning about, also looks intriguing: Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide by Brett McCracken. According to the Post's summary, McCracken "believes that Christian hipsters at "wannabe hip churches" led by pastors with spiky hair who talk about the latest episode of "Mad Men" in their sermons are increasingly getting their inspiration from pop culture rather than scripture, shifting the emphasis from God to consumption and image."

We wonder if McCracken is aware that Larryville's own Plymouth Congregational is currently selling T-shirts printed with the phrase "We put the hip in worship" (along with a guitar)?

Richard: "I keep waiting for a special 'PBR service' but no luck yet. At least there's Theology on Tap, though it would be hipper if held at the TapRoom instead of Henry's."

And finally there's Stuff Hipsters Hate: A Field Guide to the Passionate Opinions of the Indifferent, by Brenna Ehrlich and Andrea Bartz.

Do hipsters hate books about hipsters? We suspect they do.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

In reference to the religion of hip culture, God would undoubtedly be pissed if one took divine inspiration from anywhere other than church. After all, with what purpose did he create the Earth and the Heavens, man and beast, etc. other than pure and unadulterated human indifference to circumstance?

And if you have an answer to that question, you're going to hell.

Faux Christ said...

Lawrence KS has it's own faux hip church called VINTAGE CHURCH. I actually had some friends involved with it, years ago. I payed a visit and then they named it VINTAGE CHURCH! It was like light to a vampire, I could never attend again. I almost made it into heaven. Doesn't that reak of desperation?!