Whatever the church in the picture is, it isn’t ‘English’. British might be best – or even Irish!

“At the core of the hipster aesthetic is a simultaneous championing of slowed-down, artisan craftsmanship along with a preference to reside in densely-populated urban cores.”

Man, I wish I could say this was true of most “hipsters” that I know. But from my observation, they’re more aligned with a nostalgic pining for connection in a world that is full of the appearance of connection but with no substance. That may manifest in things like locally-based, artisan craftsmanship but only as a symptom of a deeper issue.

As to appreciating prevailing culture of mass-produced goods and over-processed foods, why? Can’t we love our neighbor without affirming lifestyle? We ask this much with “sin” issues, don’t we?

The truth is that many of us, hipsters or not, have shied away from places like Walmart, which are a poison to small businesses that are traditionally the life-blood of a local community and whose overly aggressive market strategies squeeze producers to the point of bankruptcy, whose business policies don’t allow their employees to unionize, and whose goal is to reap huge profits by these practices, because we believe there is something better and perhaps even more morally acceptable to participate in.

In terms of food, it’s no secret that fast-food and overly processed options available at supermarkets are in some measure poisoning our bodies and are in part responsible for the obesity epidemic in the US, and all the corresponding diseases that occur as a result, taxing the healthcare system and creating very real unfunded liability issues for the US in terms of future Medicare and Medicaid funding. Also, arguably, a moral issue.

I’d love to spend less at Walmart. And I think McDonald’s tastes pretty damn good. But I don’t frequent those places for other reasons, reasons that have less to do with being a “hipster,” and more to do with at least semi-informed convictions, and my rejection of them certainly doesn’t equal condemnation of those who do embrace them. That said, I don’t think it’s the best way to spend your resources no matter who you are. And honestly, it feels like a bit of straw man to broad stroke like this post does.

Perhaps a more reasonable approach would be to lovingly explain the rationale behind our lifestyle decisions and to love our neighbor while not affirming their lifestyle choices. If some feel called to do this in a rural context, more power to them.

I’m rambling now, but hopefully my point isn’t too lost in the ramblings.

As a Christian pursuing a graduate degree in nutrition, I think I have to echo the thoughts of others who are gently objecting to the assumption you’ve made that Christians objecting to McDonalds or Walmart is about cultural snobbery, and not real love and compassion, particularly for the poor. I don’t condemn people who eat there – I feel compassion for the many who perhaps can’t afford to eat better, or don’t know how to. I genuinely believe places like McDonalds actively exploit the poor, by telling them that a a Happy Meal is a way to love your child affordably. Why is it romantic and and noble to teach someone in a third world country to fish, but the reverse to teach someone here how to eat well? As for the rural ministry issue, I think we’ll see that we’re on the cusp of that happening precisely because of the vision Keller et al had for cities. To Keller’s point, cities are where ideas are birthed and disseminated. As more people become more connected to where their food comes from and who makes it, there will be more concern for the souls of those people, and you’ll see more rural community churches begin, perhaps, as someone suggest elsewhere, partially funded by city communities.