Geek Culture Wars….. how do Christians love on Geek culture?

The Eagle and Child (Russell Smith): Geek Culture Wars….. how do Christians love on Geek culture?

…The incredible irony is that "neo-pagan spirituality" is so firmly entrenched now that addressing it is like having a conversation about the Soviet Union. Seriously…. Buffy the Vampire Slayer signalled the ascendency of neo-paganism a long time ago. Christian thinkers need to be aware of neo-paganism, but not as the most "cutting edge" challenge.

I'd say that honor goes to Geek culture.

Geek culture is the subculture of high tech high flying programmers, developers, systems designers, and general tech-heads who basically rule the internet. These aren't the people who put up groups on Facebook….they're the people who build Facebook. They're a global community, connected more by shared values than by racial-ethnic ties. And they are flexing their muscle.

Geek culture is ruthlessly libertarian. "No whining" is a mantra in many circles. Geek culture thrives on a Do it Yourself approach to life: you're smart and savvy and nothing is stopping you from building the life you want, so get busy. Quit whining and get busy. However concomitant with that "get busy" attitude is a generosity with knowledge and willingness to help. For those who are looking to improve themselves, Geek culture offers abundant advice and assistance. …

…The key thing I want to convey however is that treating these folks like they're "the enemy" is nuts. There's a lot of good stuff in the ethos. We need to get to know these people. We don't need to show them how cool Christians are (as though we high schoolers trying to ascend the ladder of hipness). Somehow, we need to embrace how unhip Christianity can be, and yet still find a way to get to know these folks and show them the love of Christ.

If you're interested in trying to figure this out, why not:

1) join the Geek Culture Mission Project group that I've started on Facebook. Post a few thoughts or helpful links.
2) Digg this article for others to see.
3) Blog about this yourself
4) Forward this article to your online friends (as a fun game, lets see how long it takes for Al Mohler to address this issue….if you think it's timely enough, lets see how many people will forward it to him).
5) Quit whining ourselves….and start figuring out what kinds of positive projects we want to work on that might be a blessing to these folks and other mission fields.