Well, hey.

I haven’t posted in a long time, I know. Part of that has to do with the fact that I kind of dropped off the face of the earth after the accident and never really got back into the swing of things. But alas, here we are. Back in the swing of things. Feels good.

So, YRRs. What are they and why should we care? YRR is a name given to a particular ‘classification’ (if you will) in the modern  evangelical scene. These would be the Young, Restless, and Reformed. These are the guys that nitpick bad theology, dig being indie, often bash religion, enjoy being edgy, but are for the most part more doctrinally sound than many. I’ll avoid naming names here, but you can probably pick one out of a pack at your church (assuming you live in the bible belt). But enough of the biting jokes. This group is a curious breed. The original YRRs aren’t as bash-y, but the newer ones are. These new ones are curious. They’re like reformed, more intense Emergents. An evangelical wild card.

So what’s the big tada? Why don’t I want to be YRR? Well, part of me being YRR is being young (obviously), restless (naturally) and reformed (ecclesiastically). So why would I not want to be what I already am by being young, restless, and theologically reformed? Typically (and I say typically as a generalization), YRRs are often characterized by self-righteousness, pride, for-reals-debunkingness (with little to no jest), and the like. These characteristics are all things that I struggle with. Thinking I know everything, thinking I know the right way how to do something, thinking I’m above those much more mature than I am. These are all mistakes often evident in the YRR scene. One could even argue that this post about YRRs is in the spirit of YRRs.

Where did they come from? Most usually they came from the System. I use that word to describe American religion at its finest. I know that comes with a negative connotation, but I hope it is not taken that way. I’m not a System-lover, don’t get me wrong, but generally the YRR scene can trace their roots to disillusionment in a faith built on religion (rather than religion built on faith). What irks me sometimes thinking about this is the seemingly not full picture these guys take when they look at religion. They saw the gospel inoculation in their churches. They saw the need for evangelism in other areas. They saw people worshiping morality and praising empty rituals. Then they abandoned it with disgust. I struggle to not be a hypocrite here by judging without knowing, but I can’t help but make observations. A lot of these guys were fed up with the System, whether it be denominations, affiliations, conventions, etc. that they kicked it to the curb not only as undesirable for them but also undesirable for others. They saw corruption and sin and empty religion and (I can’t help but wonder) blamed the religion instead of the religious. They blamed the denomination instead of the depravity. They blamed the System instead of sin. They abandoned traditional congregations in search of the truth, simultaneously abandoning the people. “Surely,” says the spirit of the young, restless, disenchanted man, “I’ve discovered the truth! These people follow this empty religion and worship it instead of Christ!” They leave this real observation of sin then go to flirt dangerously with the danger of another: worshiping the absence of religion. Glorying in being independent is just as dangerous to the fallen human as glorying in empty religion. And yes, while empty religion and rituals can confuse people to believe that they are close to God, restless independence can convince people that they don’t need to be. The danger is two-fold.

I am YRR. While I have some respect for the System, I struggle with speaking my young, immature, prideful mind that so often gives evidence to itself on this blog and with others. The danger of the YRR that entraps me most — rather, and more correctly, the danger of sin that entraps me most (because blaming the sin of self-righteousness on the YRR would be like the YRR blaming the sin of morality-worship on the religious) — is thinking I know the right way to do things. I desperately need the Spirit to continue to work in me to develop a sense of immaturity that I would seek and hunger for spiritual growth instead of relishing in my so-called discoveries and waving them as prideful banners over my brothers and sisters.

What am I doing about it? Well, I’ve been really digging John Piper. I know his name gets thrown around a lot around here, but I have tremendous respect for the guy. He’s a guy who knows religion and morality, even sees its merits, but glories solely in the Gospel of Christ. This may be through tradition at times, but the God-glorifying, Christ-exalting goals of his ministry (in writing and speech, actually) are almost always made evident. He’s definitely not young, he’s definitely not restless, but he is reformed. And he’s wise. I would recommend any of his stuff to you. And, lest we forget and become obsessed with the works of uninspired man, the Word is the one-stop-shop for Truth, avenues for the Spirit to work in mending a prideful heart, and Christlike methods for learning humility. I need more of it every day.

So, that’s about it. I’m a prideful, self-righteous young person who can often find pleasure in glorying in others’ issues, therefore creating my own. Welcome to being a stereotypical YRR. It’s okay though. They know me here.

-Riley