Brett McCracken is a graduate of Wheaton College and UCLA. His day job is managing editor for Biola University's Biola magazine. He regularly writes movie reviews and features for Christianity Today, Relevant magazine, and ConversantLife.com.

In Hipster Christianity (Baker Books), Brett examines an emerging category he calls "Christian hipsters"--an unlikely fusion of American obsession with being "cool" and the realities of a faith that is often seen as anything but. Brett was kind enough to answer 5 Questions about his book and what it's all about.

What does “Hipster Christianity” mean?

Hipster Christianity is, in short, the fusion of hipster culture—independent, alternative, anti-mainstream, fashionable—with Christianity. It’s a world of mostly twentysomething Christian evangelicals who grew up on CCM and hysteria about being in the “end times,” but now care more about things like social justice, creation care, and whiskey tasting. It’s a world where things like Left Behind, Jesus fish bumper stickers, and door-to-door evangelism are relevant only as a source of irony or nostalgia. It’s a world where Braveheart youth pastor analogies and Thomas Kinkade and anathema. Hipster Christianity is about rebelling against the legalistic, overly political, apathetic-about culture evangelicalism of the latter half of the 20th century. It’s a new iteration of youth-oriented, alternative, countercultural Christianity—the offspring of the Jesus movement of the 60s-70s but less Pentecostal and more liturgical (in a “postmodern pastiche” sort of way).

Joan Ball spent more than fifteen years in the public relations business before making the transition from the boardroom to the classroom in 2007. She currently teaches marketing at St. John's University in New York City.

In Flirting With Faith: My Spiritual Journey from Atheism to a Faith-Filled Life (Simon & Schuster), Joan shares with bold candor how she allowed her career and the money, prestige, and possessions that came with it to overshadow the things that were most important in life. As her friend Makoto Fujimura says, "She dances with both faith and doubt, while being unflinchingly honest each step of the way.  Her authentic wrestling will confound skeptics, challenge believers and comfort those who mourn." Anne Jackson adds, "With each word, Joan Ball invites us to take a step into her heart where we see the beauty of transformation and the freedom of grace."

Patrick is a father first, then teacher/writer/cook/photographer and sometimes prophet. He lives and works with Heather in New Zealand and has four beautiful game designing (Josiah), film directing (Jordan), artistic (Jasmine), and acting (Levi) children. You can check them out at www.patrickdodson.net .

Eugene Cho, a second-generation Korean-American, is the founder and lead pastor of Quest Church in Seattle and the executive director of Q Cafe, an innovative non-profit neighborhood café and music venue. He and his wife are also the visioneers of a new organization to fight global poverty called, One Day's Wages.

in our human finitude, we cannot fully grasp the infinite of god...

We can try but we cannot fully understand the fullness, majesty, and glory of God.

John Saddington is a social computing strategist, a technologist, a web junkie and the Creative Web Director @ Northpoint Ministries.  He thinks, "To reach people that no one is reaching we have to do things that no one is doing."

Follow John's Blog.  Follow John on Twitter.

Something I've been recently chewing on is how leadership plays out in the online space. For a few, it's already been "earned" or developed as they've had exciting careers and have a proven track record of leadership.

Jason is a social innovator, writer, speaker, and activist for cultural change in Los Angeles.  He serves with Mosaic, a global NGO passionate about bringing dignity to humanity's spiritual journey and creating communities that unleash human creativity and potential.

Find out more about Mosaic HERE.

Clean Platers

When I was a kid my grandma used to make me eat.  A lot.  I think it was because she was a product of the Great Depression and because she had enough canned goods in her basement to stockpile Poland.  But she would always say the same thing when she gave me food:  “I want you to be a clean plater.”

Paul Copan is Professor and Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University.  He has a Ph. D. in philosophy from Marquette University and is author of  several books including “When God Goes to Starbucks: A Guide to Everyday Apologetics” (Baker).  Paul is the current president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society.  Find out more about Paul and his books HERE.

  “That’s Just Your Opinion”—Or Is It?

Ben is the founder of The Whiteboard Sessions and now STORY Conference.

Read more blogs from Ben at benarment.com and follow on twitter. 

A TRIBE OF STORYTELLERS

Pastors are facing a crisis of identity in the pulpit today. They don't know whether to be scholars, motivational speakers or talk show hosts. They feel pulled between using catchy sermon titles like "Desperate Households" and preaching verse-by-verse through Leviticus - all because their heroes are doing it.

Somehow the message has gotten lost in the method.

Mike Foster is the co-author of “Deadly Viper Character Assassins” and blogs at www.DeadlyViper.org  You can follow his thoughts on life and leadership at Twitter.com/mikefoster 

Eugene Cho, a second-generation Korean-American, is the founder and lead pastor of Quest Church in Seattle and the executive director of Q Cafe, an innovative non-profit neighborhood café and music venue. He and his wife are also the visioneers of a new organization to fight global poverty called, One Day's Wages.

You can stalk him at his blog or you can follow him on Twitter.

If I Were Jon and Kate's Pastor