Carl Lentz Superstar

You know what I would like to give thanks for in the holiday pre-season? Carl Lentz. And to the Daily Mail for this glorious writeup on him, which gives a good summary of Lentz-descriptions in every single article ever written about him.

Meet Carl Lentz, the tattooed, Mohawked pastor flanked by an 11-piece rock band, who sermonizes to U2, raps the gospel, and dresses almost exclusively in denim and leather.

Denim and leather?

Pastor Lentz also has a lil’ buddy named Justin Bieber, a diminutive Canadian pop singer. Some might say that Justin Bieber is the opposite of “cool.” An informal survey of hip 8-12 year-olds conducted by me revealed answers such as “Ewwww!” “He sucks!” “No one likes him!” and “Who is Justin Bieber?”

Pastor Lentz is said to be attracting a new generation with his use of colored lights and popular music. I hate to burst your bubble, all news organizations that breathlessly report on the “hipster” preacher with his “rock concert-like” services, but…Catholics and Protestants alike began rocking out in the late 60s with slide shows, guitars and occasional dry ice. Also, did you know there was an evangelical Jesus Movement in the early 70s comprised of longhairs who spread the groovy word of a bearded carpenter? And that they had a gathering ? It was called Explo ’72. 80,000 came.

Wait, who’s that guy in this cavalcade of highlights? Johnny Cash. Yeah, I thought so.

The next year, the Jesus Movement produced Jesus ’73, or “Woodstock at Morgantown,” wherein thousands of Jesus freaks descended on a farm in Morgantown, PA for a gigantic “Do Your Own Thing” themed revival.

But tattoos and the Biebs are pretty far out too.