One evening, with notepad and pen in hand, I visited a community that wouldn’t be mistaken for a PCA church. What struck me from the website first and then embodied at the gathering was their intention to be a church for dropouts and misfits. Whatever sins and idolatries encumber this particular ekklesia, phoniness is not among them.

I estimate that over two hundred twenty-somethings filled the cafeteria in the basement of large church building from whom this community received space. The young adults seemed to love the singing, which included both hymns with homegrown musical arrangements and other ‘organic music’ created by the worship leaders. We recited the Apostles Creed.

The minister preached for approximately 40 minutes on the subject of “Jesus Is My Hemi.”  He referred to Scripture early on, but mostly this was a topical theological message not dependent upon a close reading of Scripture. He surprised me by his use of terms like “ahistorical” “non-foundationalist” and “hermeneutic,” which left me wondering if the 22 year-old skater types that comprised a good chunk of the congregation knew those terms. (Perhaps they did.) They took up an offering, we sang some more before they prayed for the new leadership team, and then came the Lord’s Supper.
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Later, while reading sociology of religion at Austin Java, a local flavor coffeehouse, I noticed a group consisting of one guy and four women who had attended the worship service. I joined them and asked, “What attracts you to that church? Are you members? How many times have you been? Will you go back? Why? What did you hear tonight? Did that sermon make sense to you? And do you know what ‘ahistorical,’ ‘non-foundationalist’ and ‘hermeneutic’ mean?”

 They didn’t have a clue about the technical terms, but as we went around the table I was surprised to hear that three of the four women and also the guy came from conservative religious backgrounds. Two had attended the church for the first time that evening, one had been once before, and two had been going for about six weeks. They impressed me with their wisdom in critiquing the church, both in what they affirmed and in what made them wary. The conservative pastors from their youth would be pleased—the guy and these women were sifting the various elements wisely, checking them against what Scripture teaches.

 But then there was the fourth woman whom I’ll call Veda. Veda explicitly, almost emphatically, said she was not a Christian. She was the one who had come once before—the previous week—and was intrigued.

 Do you have a religious background?
Yes, Unitarian.

 What enticed a Unitarian to check out a Christian church?
I heard about it and wanted to see. Also, I’ve been feeling like Unitarianism is kind of empty. Everyone makes up their own spirituality but I don’t feel really connected. I want something more.

 And you don’t believe in Jesus?
No.

Do you want to? Are you thinking maybe that Jesus is what this (her visiting) is about?
No, definitely not. I don’t like Christians and I’m really against Christianity. (with a laugh) I know I’m discriminating but I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with Christians. And I don’t want any core doctrine. But I’m unhappy with the lack of substance in what I came from.

 Are you looking for particularity?
No, definitely not. I do not believe in particularity.

 Are you looking for a tradition?
No, not really that either. I just want to get something substantive and then maybe go back to Unitarianism and be able to develop my own spirituality with what I’ve learned.

 (Baffled) So what is it? Why do you come?
I really like Don and Seth. They seem real. (pause……….) I really like the vibe they give off. I’m interested. I want to keep coming back.

Veda then explained how she thought all religions were “the same.” I asked some questions to illumine holes in such thinking-- it's fairly offensive to adherents of a particular religion to be told by an outsider, over one's repeated objections, that one's  faith is the same as radically different faiths. It's an empirically false statement, but I wasn't trying to have that argument, simply weaken Veda's confidence in her belief.

 Eventually I had to go—I needed to return to my own table and spend time with Stephanie, and I needed to get some academic work done. But numerous questions came to mind.

Would the Theology Police so effortlessly within earshot throughout Reformed circles approve of the beliefs of this community?  The Theology Police, as I occasionally read their watchblogs, sometimes conflate theology and their understanding of what culture is supposed to look like.

Would Veda attend a church that filled with scrubbed, short-haired, middle class managers and their families?

What will it look like for the Lord to work through this community to change Veda’s heart and mind about Jesus? Could He work similarly through a traditionalist-culture church to minister to Veda? Of course, but she likely wouldn’t be around them in the first place.

This church had created a come as you are culture, and sinners were coming as they were, and hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ.