Interpreting Hipster Christianity Using Moliere’s “Tartuffe”

Where lays the difference between enthusiasm and fanaticism, hypocrisy and insincerity? Moliere, addressing his 17^th century French audience, attempted to answer this question in creating his characters of Orgon and Tartuffe in his famed play “Tartuffe.” He satirized the religious fanatic and the insincere saint utilizing Orgon and Tartuffe, respectively. His was a response to the “atmosphere of ‘spiritual correctness’” (Cardullo 172) that stemmed from the religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in France. 350 years after “Tartuffe” was written, the religious climate has changed, though is no less polarizing. The recent growth of “hipster Christianity” has come from the response of many young Christians who desire to distance themselves from their conservative fundamentalist or evangelical roots. While the movement maintains several positive qualities, its focus upon rebellion, individuality, tolerance, and shock-value can lead to the very problems that Moliere addressed in 1669: religious fanaticism and insincerity.

Orgon, a rich bourgeois, has taken it upon himself to be the bastion of religious propriety and piety for his family. Orgon cautions Cleante: “Brother, your language savors of impiety. Too much free-thinking’s made your faith unsteady, and as I’ve warned you many times already, ‘twill get you into trouble before you’re through” (Moliere 26). Orgon has decided that Tartuffe is the embodiment of all that is pious and devout, and accepts this with the blind faith required of him. There is no room for independent thinking in being religiously correct, and in 17^th century France, the problem with zealotry revolved around religious correctness.

In the case of hipster Christianity, the issue is not religious correctness but religious incorrectness. Brett McCracken writes in Christianity Today that hipster Christianity “is a rebellion against old-school evangelicalism and its fuddy-duddy legalism, apathy about the arts, and pitiful lack of concern for social justice” (25). The whole idea of being a Christian “hipster” is about being progressive and breaking out of the confining Christian subculture that has defined American Christianity. While it is understandable, and even necessary, for young Christians to distance themselves from the characteristically legalistic, nationalistic, and judgmental fundamentalism that they grew up with, the problem arises when they try to make Christianity mesh with secular hipster-ism. They have departed one type of subculture and, rather than creating a new one, they have entered into a secular subculture and attempted to make it work with Jesus.

The secular hipster counterculture focuses on rebellion for its credibility. As McCracken observes, “if you aren’t will to engage in some of this ‘subversive hedonism,’ you will have a hard time maintaining any hipster credibility” (29). The acts of hedonism he refers to include alcohol and tobacco use, sexual experimentation, cursing, and other acts that are frequently termed “sinful” by the Christian masses. So where does this leave the Christian hipsters? A life rife with vices hardly embodies the concept of “being in the world, yet not of it.”

The character of Tartuffe is a perfect example of an individual who is controlled by his vices, yet has perfected the saintly façade. To his fervent followers, Orgon and Madame Pernelle, Tartuffe is as godly as a man can be. But to the others in the household, his insincerity shines like a beacon in the night. Dorine, the maidservant, tells Madame Pernelle “You see him as a saint. I’m far less awed; In fact, I see right through him. He’s a fraud!” (Moliere 11). Tartuffe reveals his true vice-ridden character to the audience when he attempts seducing Elmire: “No one shall snow of our joys, save us alone, and there’s not evil till the act is known; it’s scandal, Madam, which makes it an offense, and it’s no sin to sin in confidence” (127). Tartuffe is no mere hypocrite; he does not believe that which he has claimed, therefore he embodies fraud and insincerity.

This insincerity, while a danger to all Christian, especially is one to the Christian hipster subculture. In trying to make the church “cool,” the possibility arises that the focus becomes more on being subversive, rebellious, and different, rather than redeemed and transformed followers of Christ. For example, hipsterdom is rediscovering liturgy and corporate prayer. Is this sincerely seeking the face of Christ in worship, or another gimmick to separate from the mega-church evangelicism of their youth? These questions must be asked of their sincerity. Jesus was the most counter-cultural man who ever lived, but even he did not reject his religious roots. Jesus was a Jew. And even if you do not agree with the politics and fundamentalism of Jerry Falwell, you must admit that the man owned his faith: few would accuse him of being insincere in his convictions.

 Besides the quest to dissociate from the CCM/Mega-church/fundamentalist/evangelical Christian culture, hipster Christianity has a deeper objective. At the heart of this new Christian subculture is a genuine quest for authenticity in faith, practice, and life. This is a noble pursuit. But what becomes harmful is when an “authentic” end justifies the hypocritical or insincere means. Especially in matters of religion, the end should never justify the means.

Cleante, the wise voice of reason in Tartuffe, reinforces the validity of religious expression by the truly devout when he tells Orgon:

Learn to distinguish virtue from pretense,

Be cautious in bestowing admiration,

And cultivate a sober moderation.

Don’t humor fraud, but also don’t asperse

True piety; the latter fault is worse,

And it is best to err, if err one must,

As you have done, upon the side of trust (Moliere 139).

This is an appropriate sentiment for both the audience of 17^th century France and 21^st century American Christians. Sincerity and truth are paramount in religious expression. Tartuffe was insincere and Orgon followed with blind faith, but others could see past the lies and straight to the heart. So a caution to the Christian hipster subculture: it must be examined for sincerity and truth. Many who stand on the outside do not see sincerity. The Christian life was meant to be lived in such a way that is distinctive and continually being sanctified, not embracing hedonistic vices. In following Christ, Christians were told to expect persecution and ridicule, not to expect the status of “cool.” Christianity is designed to be community, to embrace each other in brotherly love, not to separate into different subcultures out of the name of progress or rebellion.

Works Cited

Cardullo, Robert. "Molière's Tartuffe." Explicator 67.3 (2009): 173-176. Academic Search            Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2011..

McCracken, Brett. "Hipster Faith. (Cover Story)." Christianity Today 54.9 (2010): 24-30. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.

Moliere. “Tartuffe.” Trans. Richard Wilbur. New York: Harvest Book, 1969. Print. 

A Particularly Inflammatory Response to a Particular Trend on the Internet Known as KONY 2012.

I am not going to lie: trends on Facebook, Twitter, and all sorts of social media really annoy me. Here's why:
They are trends. Which means they are cool one moment, and incredibly lame a few moments (or days) later.
Trends are constantly in flux. They change all the time. Remember the eighties? Okay, neither do I, because I was born in the nineties, but you get my point. There was a point in time when fluffy bangs and dressing like you were about to workout all the time was the biggest trend in fashion. If you dress like that now, I can promise you, we will make fun of you. And if you workout in stirrup leggings, legwarmers, and a sweatshirt that slips off one shoulder, then I just feel bad for you. I digress. Trends are not relegated merely to the fashion world. In the last decade, with the advent of social media, there are now topics that are "trending." On Facebook, it means massive amounts of likes, reposts, and shares. On Twitter, it means hashtagging and retweeting. YouTube trends equal millions of views, with an equal number of "like" or "dislikes." It all gets rather tiresome to be honest. Did I create a "What People Think I Do" photo for my Facebook? No. Do I hashtag my tweets? Rarely. Do I watch a YouTube video simply because it has for some reason gone viral? Maybe.
The current trend of all of social media is this "movement" called KONY2012. You know what I'm talking about. If you don't, then you have no friends on Facebook, or you probably aren't on Facebook, or you definitely aren't reading your newspaper.
I have not watched this thirty minute video. One, because I am fasting from YouTube for Lent. Two, I don't have that long an attention span. But I have read a few articles, and read the newspaper article in today's Metro. And I knew who Joseph Kony is,what the LRA is, and what Invisible Children is probably five years ago, which is more than I can say for the majority of people who are caught up in this veritable whirlwind of trending social justice.
For example, I happened to click on someone's Facebook and looked at their wall. Here is what I saw: ******* changed their profile picture (to a KONY2012 ad), 7 posts all saying "************ posted a link to *********'s wall" then "********* is attending Kony 2012 "Cover the Night", and best of all, "******** likes 'Invisible Children." I mean, I literally LOL'd.... Talk about making yourself look like the ultimate bandwagon-jumper.

And I know I sound totally judgmental, but I have to say this: a lot of people I see getting on this trend are people who have never before shown an interest in anything remotely related to social justice. Ever. These people could have cared less about child soldiers and a Ugandan guerrilla until Facebook made it cool. It looks like a pathetic attempt to validate themselves as human beings by clicking "like," "I'm Attending," and throwing some cash at an organization.

I do not want to negate those who are genuine. I believe Invisible Children, before all of this, had a great mission and was doing a lot for the former child soldiers, providing sponsorship, schooling, etc. But this campaign to make famous the "Worst Known War Criminal" and make "the world know who he is" (sounds contradictory...?) seems a departure from that. True, I haven't seen the video. Yet from what I have seen, it is sensationalized beyond all belief: Joseph Kony is in hiding; the LRA now numbers maybe 200, and the atrocities Kony committed began in the 1980s. I didn't see anyone "liking" Facebook groups and offering to plaster a town with anti-Kony posters, lobbying for the US to bring him down. 

I get it: I'm ranting. I get it: I look insensitive.

And not that it matters to anyone, but I am incredibly passionate about social justice. I am pro-all life, because all life is sacred; which means I am against war, the death penalty, abortion, poverty, etc. That will make conservatives say I'm an idiot liberal (which they have before, and one of them is heading up "Cover the Night" in my college's town. Oh, the irony). Liberals will say that I am too conservative for not being "pro-choice." Whatever. It is all semantics. Point is, I don't care about people and problems in the world because a Facebook post, YouTube video, or even my friend told me to. I care because I'm informed about what it is that I care about. I care because I love people.

I'm not trying to put myself on a pedestal. I'm just trying to say, check your motives. If your motives are pure, then great. If this video has opened up a whole new world of social justice to you, great. Just don't let it be a trend. Let it change your life. Don't let it stop here. Let it continue into the next week, month, year, and decade. Live a life of justice.

The Wrong Way to Fast

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." These words danced around in my head as I tried to work on homework yesterday afternoon. I could feel the skin of my tummy rolling together in uncomfortable creases. Why am I so damn FAT? "Nothing...tastes...as good...as...skinny....feels." I got up, and got some food.
That was the end of my fast for Monday. What had begun as a day to focus on growing spiritually in self-denial turned into a battle of the mind to fight thoughts of physical inadequacy and self-starvation. I never meant for it to turn into that, it just happened. I suppose that is what happens when you struggle not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of this present darkness.
Confession: I have a bad body image. I don't think my body is beautiful. In fact, I think it is quite unattractive. I fear becoming fat. I fear not being able to fit into my clothing.
This is what makes fasting so difficult for me.
There is a small sub-culture, propagated mainly over the Internet, called "Pro-Ana." 'Ana' is the personification of anorexia. I don't need to tell you what 'pro' means. One of these websites, usually blogs, is where I first read the phrase "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." It has stuck in my mind ever since, presenting itself when I am particularly struggling with my self-image.
This week has been difficult for that. I chose to fast yesterday, and *BAM* it turns into forcing myself to avoid food to avoid the calories. I chose, rightly, to end my fast pretty unceremoniously with some cheese, bell pepper, hummus, and a plum. I don't think God would have wanted me to continue my fast under such false pretenses as losing weight. I did, though, feel incredibly weak that I allowed my mind to be influenced by such a false statement.
But that is how it goes: best intentions so oft go awry.
So, how am I, a girl with eating disorder tendencies, supposed to follow the commandment of God to fast? The fasting isn't hard, it is keeping the right motive and mindset that presents such difficulty. It is always about the motives, the mind. I may never be able to fast on my own, I may have to have a friend fast with me to keep me accountable and intercede for me in prayer. Thank God for the fellowship of believers.
Let me say this: do not be deceived. The devil, Prince of this world, knows you. He knows your weaknesses. He plans around your strengths to prey upon you when you are weak. Whether you are strong in your faith or weak, young or old, a baby believer or not, he wants nothing more than to bring you down to ruins. He is quite good at it, too. But not as good as our God is at protecting us!
On that note, I am reminded of the story of Job. God allowed the satan to bring all the furies of hell upon Job, and did nothing to stop it, with this one exception: the satan could not take Job's life. I can't imagine how Job must have felt: alone, abandoned, definitely not protected. Yet never once did he deny the goodness of God. Incredible.
When the attacks of the devil come, will my God be allowing them, or protecting me from them? I can't say. But I do believe that, no matter my physical circumstances, the devil cannot control my mind. He may send demons and thoughts to attack it, but in the end it is I that can control my mind, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
So why did I go from fasting and anorexic thoughts to spiritual warfare? Because it is all interconnected. As I said earlier, our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). Spiritual warfare is a part of the daily life of a believer in Christ. We are a threat to the devil. How's that for a calling?
I have always struggled with my thoughts, controlling them, taking them captive to the obedience of Christ, etc. It is a daily battle for me.
That is just a little view into my world. Pray for me, pray for each other. And don't isolate yourselves.