Mike Cosper, Director of Podcast at Christianity Today and host of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, discusses the complexities of critiquing a community you're part of. He delves into celebrity culture and toxic masculinity within American Christianity, questioning not just if faith is true, but if it is good. The conversation also navigates the challenges of maintaining authenticity in faith, the significance of genuine storytelling, and the need for meaningful community in today's chaotic society.
Mike Cosper reflects on the personal challenges and disillusionment experienced as a Christian leader, advocating for a reevaluation of faith expectations.
He emphasizes the transformative power of storytelling and significant moments in shaping one’s faith journey and community connections.
Cosper critiques the church growth movement for prioritizing marketing over authentic discipleship, warning against the dangers of celebrity culture in Christianity.
Deep dives
Navigating Disillusionment
Mike Cosper discusses his journey through disillusionment as a Christian pastor and author, emphasizing the personal challenges he faced within church leadership. He reflects on how moments of hurt and confusion impacted his faith and professional identity, particularly during his tenure at Sojourn Church. Cosper connects his experiences to a broader narrative in Christianity, where feelings of burnout and disappointment are often deemed abnormal, yet he posits that they are common among many in faith communities. This perspective encourages a reevaluation of expectations surrounding church life and personal faith journeys.
The Power of Personal Experience
In recounting a pivotal encounter with the gospel at a concert, Cosper highlights how transformative moments can shape one's life trajectory. He describes an emotional experience during a band's testimony that led to profound spiritual awakening and connection with God. This moment not only clarified his faith but also established a sense of community with others who shared similar experiences. Cosper emphasizes the importance of storytelling in understanding and processing these significant moments, suggesting that the narratives we construct about our experiences can profoundly affect our life directions.
The Dangers of Church Growth Culture
Cosper critiques the church growth movement, particularly its emphasis on numerical success and marketing techniques that can compromise authentic Christian discipleship. He reflects on how churches, like Mars Hill, often confuse expansion for genuine growth, leading to situations where the focus shifts from community and faith to marketing and personality cults. This shift can create environments that neglect spiritual health and accountability, resulting in damaging leadership practices. By examining these patterns, he encourages a return to core principles of faith, rooted in service and humility rather than ambition.
Lessons from Mars Hill
The narrative surrounding Mars Hill serves as a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of centering church communities around charismatic leaders rather than communal values or the gospel itself. Cosper notes that when such leaders fall, entire communities can collapse, leaving individuals disillusioned and searching for meaning. The downfall of Mars Hill illuminated how the church's mission should not hinge on one person's charisma but rather on collective faith and resilience. This realization points to the necessity of developing church cultures that focus on community and shared purpose over individual celebrity.
Reexamining Masculinity
Cosper delves into the complexities of modern masculinity, particularly within the context of Christian communities, highlighting a crisis of identity among men today. He contrasts the former allure of self-sacrificial masculinity, as embodied by figures like Mark Driscoll, with contemporary messages that often promote self-serving ideals instead. By addressing the disconnect between these cultural narratives and authentic male identities, Cosper advocates for a returning focus on virtue and community engagement. He underscores the importance of fostering relationships that encourage service and accountability, steering men away from harmful stereotypes.
This is our unabridged interview with Mike Cosper.
How do you raise criticisms about a group of which you consider yourself to be a member?
Mike Cosper hosted The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, a podcast critiquing a lot of the tendencies of American Christianity. “ People are looking at Christianity and saying, is it true?” he says. “I think where I landed after my own negative experiences was asking, is it good?”
In this episode, we cover some of the key issues such a question has raised for Mike - like celebrity culture and toxic masculinity - as well as what it’s like to do the work of insider critique in such a public role.
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