Geek For Christ

[kerravonsen]

Yesterday, I was reading Who Gets To Be a Geek? Anyone Who Wants to Be and the following passage struck me:

Many people believe geekdom is defined by a love of a thing, but I think — and my experience of geekdom bears on this thinking — that the true sign of a geek is a delight in sharing a thing. It’s the major difference between a geek and a hipster, you know: When a hipster sees someone else grooving on the thing they love, their reaction is to say “Oh, crap, now the wrong people like the thing I love.” When a geek sees someone else grooving on the thing they love, their reaction is to say “ZOMG YOU LOVE WHAT I LOVE COME WITH ME AND LET US LOVE IT TOGETHER.”

I thought, I am a geek for Christ.

There's one other Christian at my place of work. When I found out he was a Christian, I didn't ask him what denomination he was, I didn't interrogate him on his doctrine, I didn't try to figure out whether he was "sound". I was simply happy to find a fellow in Christ. (No, I didn't go ALLCAPS on him, but then we were at work and it wouldn't have been appropriate.)

If someone says they're a Christian, they're a Christian. There's only one person in the universe who can declare them not to be a Christian, and since my name isn't Jesus Christ, I'm not that person!

I've seen multiple definitions of what a hipster is, so I've just ended up being more confused. But one thing that seems clear to me: a hipster is all about being cool.
And, IMNSHO, wanting to be seen as cool is a sign of immaturity.

Hipster Christians (if I may coin a phrase) have a reaction "Oh crap, now the wrong people like the thing I love." They want to keep out the riff-raff, only they call it "unsound" or "heresy" or "not True Christians". There's only one proper way to love Christ, they say, and that's my way.

Nope. You're a Christian if you say you're a Christian.

That isn't to say that there aren't certain expectations when one has made such a declaration, just as there are certain expectations when someone declares themselves to be a fan of something.
You expect them to know at least the basics of what they've declared themselves a fan of. You expect them to have read/watched/listened-to/played at least some of the canon of the thing they've declared themselves a fan of. Because how could they be a fan of it if they'd never seen it? Or never wanted to see it?

So I kind of expect that someone who calls themselves a Christian would want to read the bible. At least some of it. Because that's the canon.

Mind you, just as fans can argue what is and isn't canon, so can Christians. And have done, and probably still will do until the Second Coming. 8-) Even so, as with fans also, there's a subset of possible-canon that most people agree is canon. A common basis of discussion.

But just as there are different ways of expressing being a geek of something, so there are for Christians. To read the canon. To write meta about it. To write fanfic (midrash) about it. To filk it (only they're called hymns). To make art about it. To perform plays about it. To get together and talk about it. To memorize the canon. To explore the extra-canonical sources.

And you don't get to say that any one of these is more or less "Christian" than the others.
Though "hipster" Christians do want to do that.

You know the final irony of all this? Geeks welcome hipsters, too.

Comments

[estirose]

You know, that makes perfect sense. I've been exploring faith and what it means myself as of late, and I never thought to look at it in a geek sense, despite decades in fandom.

[kerravonsen]

Parts of the above have been knocking around in my brain for a while; the stuff regarding "canon", especially. Because I've realized for years that my approach to exegesis is heavily informed by my approach to fannish meta discussion, and the analytical skills I've learned in the fannish arena can apply just as well to the Bible. That one examines the Text, the whole Text, and the Text in its own terms. That while I can appreciate a Doylist perspective, I prefer a Watsonian approach to both kinds of canon.

I've also been delighting, from the fannish perspective, in how diverse different people's expression of fannishness is. Not that I haven't noticed that before, but the past few months has highlighted it for me, as I've been involved in the SSHG Exchange and had new people on my flist who do things besides write fic; that there are brilliant fannish artists who don't write, that there are brilliant fannish costumers who spend so much time and effort in getting things just right... and they're all fans, and they're all sharing the squee in different ways.

But it wasn't until I read Scalzi's article yesterday that all of that came together.

[watervole]

One of the many reasons I love you is because you measure religion by who you include and not who you exclude.

I continually regret the time zones between us.

I was thinking only yesterday that I'd love to phone you and chat, but I looked at the clock and knew you'd be fast asleep (well, I hoped you were fast asleep...)

[kerravonsen]

{{hugs}}

Well, the weekend is coming up, though it's been an exhausting week this week, so I'll be trying to conquer some sleep-debt. But you might get a call from me, hmmm?

[watervole]

It would be lovely to hear from you - if you can't sleep, always know that you're welcome.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

Oh, Kat, oh! This is so perfect, and explains exactly why I rarely have any quarrels between denominations (although I will happily discuss things), and have been in four different ones myself... I am a geek for Christ, too :)

...can I link this on my LJ, for peeps who may not follow you?

[kerravonsen]

\o/

Okay, I've unlocked it (it was flocked before). Link away!

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

This is very interesting.

My main problem is when people expect all Christians to be the same and to follow their ideals. Then, I end up feeling ostracized because I'm Pro-Choice, in favor of women's rights, an environmentalist and support gay rights.

I had this feeling earlier when I was reading the ChikFila protesters responses like...I love being a Christian but then these people make it seem like I'm not one for not meeting all their expectations.

[kerravonsen]

*hugs*

You're a Christian if you say you are. What unites us is greater than what divides us. Yes, it is hurtful to be told that you don't belong, but it is hurtful because they are being rude, not because they are right. Since when did God appoint them to be the arbiters of who is and who isn't a Christian? Since NEVER, that's when!

That also means that you don't have to listen to them. One can engage them in cordial debate if they're willing to have a cordial debate, but if all they want to do is start a flamewar, then DON'T FEED THE TROLL.

And if you feel all alone, find some Christians who are more geeky than hipster. Because it doesn't matter if they believe all the same things that you do, so long as they are willing to share the Christ-squee with you. What unites us is greater than what divides us.

The Bible itself declares that not everyone has the same "faith", that not everyone has the same interpretation of Canon:

Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For though there are things that are called “gods,” whether in the heavens or on earth; as there are many “gods” and many “lords;” yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him. However, that knowledge isn't in all men. But some, with consciousness of the idol until now, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. But food will not commend us to God. For neither, if we don't eat, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better.
(1 Corinthians 8:4-8)

Does Saint Paul tell us to berate our "weaker" brother? No indeed! He tells us:

But be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak. For if a man sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idol's temple, won't his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols? And through your knowledge, he who is weak perishes, the brother for whose sake Christ died. Thus, sinning against the brothers, and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forevermore, that I don't cause my brother to stumble.
(1 Corinthians 8:9-13)

(excuse for the lonq quotes, but I thought it would be clearer to quote than to paraphrase)

The "weak" brother and the "strong" brother both interpreted Canon differently... and the important bit was not which one was "right" and which one was "wrong", but that (a) each one acted according to his conscience, and (b) that one not cause one's brother to stumble.

To bring this around to the point: you believe in Pro-Choice, in favor of women's rights, an environmentalist and support gay rights.
It is your interpretation of the Bible, your interpretation of Canon, that has led you to believe these things (and if it isn't, then maybe you should think a bit more about it, because it's always good to know why you believe what you believe).
These other people, they have interpreted Canon differently. You have more freedom than they do. Be glad of it.

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

What unites us is greater than what divides us.

Very, very true. :-)

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

Then, I end up feeling ostracized because I'm Pro-Choice, in favor of women's rights, an environmentalist and support gay rights.

I can never understand it when people expect Christians *not* to be all those things. I think negativity to environmentalism is mainly a thing amongst US "Religious Right" Christians - certainly over here in the UK, being a Christian and an environmentalist is, whilst probably not the most common thing ever, at least perfectly acceptable.

[nun-sense.livejournal.com]

If this were a petition; I would sign it! And....just a word for ericadawn16......."right on"!

[kerravonsen]

8-)

[jedibuttercup]

*memming* ITA.

[kerravonsen]

8-)

(What does ITA mean?)

[jedibuttercup]

Shorthand for "I totally agree". =)

[dreamflower]

Really, very well put and a great way to look at an old dilemma in a fresh way!

I myself am slightly to the left of most of my Christian neighbors, yet by their attitudes, I sometimes find myself feeling pushed further to the left than I truly want to be. I often resent being put into a box: "if you don't agree with our politics you can't be a true Christian" and tend to want to disagree with them even more than I actually do.

Thank you for reminding me once more that I do not need to let myself be defined by other people, no matter how well intentioned they are OR how annoying they are. It's a lesson I have to learn over and over again.

(And to remind me to love them in Christ especially when they are at their most annoying.)