Generation of Tinkerers
by Christine on May 27, 2009
I’m reading a terrific little book called Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung. In an early chapter, Kevin summarizes Robert Wuthnow‘s description of our generation from his book After the Baby Boomers as a generation of tinkerers.
Our grandparents built. Our parents boomed. And my generation? We tinker. …We are seeing a generation of young people grow up (sort of) who tinker with doctrines, tinker with churches, tinker with girlfriends and boyfriends, tinker with college majors, tinker living in and out of their parents’ basement, and tinker with spiritual practices no matter how irreconcilable or divergent.
I may be slightly older then the generation Wuthnow describes. But I too feel the pull of tinkering.
Wuthnow does point out that tinkering is not all bad.
Those who tinker know how to improvise, specialize, pull things apart, and pull people together from a thousand different places.
Some people are more tinkerers then others by nature. I’m a tinkerer. From cooking every ethnic food possible and then combining (Chinese quesadillas anyone?), to never sticking with a 6 week workout program (Kettleball/Pilates combo?), I mix-up, mash-up and tinker.
What about doctrines and spiritual practices. This is where it’s tough. Some will sing heartily, “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand“ and my voice joins with them. My HOPE is built on nothing less! But still I tinker. When I read and study the Westminster Confession, I read divergent strains of thought concurrently. Then comes the mash-up. I try to integrate 16th century Puritan thought with 21st century understanding. To some this spells trouble – a recipe for disaster far worse then Chinese quesadillas. As I read, study and admire reformed worship, I also read about indigenous worship in Africa and South America where the Holy Spirit is moving mightily. A mash-up of Puritan/Continental metric Psalmody and African rhythms intrigues me. But to some, that would be like tying KettleBalls to Pilates and ruin the grace and beauty of reformed worship. Not everybody is a tinkerer.
Are you a tinkerer?
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