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Newsweek covered a story on-line this week titled, 'Get Your Praise On', referring to a new Christian venue called Club 3 Degrees. This "Christian Club" (immediately eliminate all worldly and hyper-religious perceptions of what you think a club entails), is a ministry of Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis. The article goes on to mention a number of other similar endeavors going on across the United States. These "clubs" give Christians bands, hip-hop groups, dancers and DJ's an opportunity to showcase their talents. The dancing is kept holy and the bar is stocked with smoothies and italian sodas. If you haven't yet been enlightened, venues like this have been up and running for years but are now becoming more popular. When I was in college in Connecticut, there was this place called Club Swords where the local Christian Bands would perform. Club 3 Degrees however, is actually the largest venue I've heard yet boasting 18,000 square feet of a recreational and life-changing atmosphere.

Fundamentalists living under a rock cry bloody murder over the word "Christian" being anywhere near the word "club". I recognize their concern. I agree that it is important that lightness have no fellowship with darkness. I do think however, that we need to take a closer look at this issue. I was once against these establishments. In fact, at age 17, I was probably one of the biggest legalistic and fundamentalist freaks you'd ever meet. I thought everything was wicked. Part of that was my own personal conviction and attempts to overcompensate for the life of sin I'd lead prior to finding God. I thought a "Christian Club" was a bad concept. I actually still do if we're talking about the relative definition. Today, the average club (I've heard) is a meat market. Girls come dressed like skank-ho's seeking fulfillment and approval in meaningless relationships. Guys come looking for the next girl they can "hit it" with and toss to the side. Then there are the people that say they just come "for the music" or "for the dancing". A likely story. Whatever the case may be, there is nothing about the worldly version of a club that can be called Godly, even if you change the music.

It's important to understand that what the folks at Club 3 Degrees and others spots are trying to do is offer an alternative. They want to offer a place where the atmosphere is righteous; there's an adult authoritative presence; a place where God can be lifted up and worshipped; where young men and women can learn to relate to each other properly, and where young people can find the type of fellowship and relationship that spurs them on to good works and directs them back to a local body of believers. This is an awesome concept, but not all of these endeavors are good. We had a "Christian Club" here in a Seattle suburb that was very questionable. In fact, it needed to be shut down because the motives were wrong. There will always be an "Ishmael" or an illegitamate child born out of humanity's desire to make things happen their own way. But this concept is drawing a lot of young people to a greater hunger for God. Take it from one who has never once darkened the doors of a club in my entire life. (Okay, I tried once when I was 14 with a group of friends, we tried to get into this local club called DV8 by presenting our school ID's and trying to pass them off as college ID's. To our credit, we did go to a private college prep school many people hadn't heard of so there was perhaps a chance. Well, they didn't let us in and let me tell you I was completely and utterly relieved to not have to go in there and make a fool out of myself. It wasn't my idea in the first place. I was just being a follower of man and not of Jesus.) In any case, I find that venues like Club 3 Degrees are definitely outreaches for the un-churched, not ready for church, not wanting to even be near a church, but they're also an in-reach to the kid who's seeking desparately to live for God and just wants a venue to express himself. There is no good reason why teenagers who are sold out for God should be relegated to their homes on Friday nights. We need to shake off our religious mindset and allow this generation to be this generation.

I have long had a bone to pick with many of those who call themselves "progressive Christians" yet they sit back and critique anything and everything innovative or "different" in the body of Christ. Even Newsweek can capture a positive perspective on the winds of change in the body of Christ. Times they are a changin'.