The Last Counter Culture

Living in Boulder County is a blessing and a privilege. Every time I drive west on Highway 36 (the Boulder Turnpike to us old-timers) into the valley, I'm amazed at the vista: the meadows, hills and Contintnetal Divide peaks that come into view.

I've seen that panorama a thousand times, yet no two are alike. Each one is a unique blend of light, shadow, cloud cover and seasonal foliage. Whether it's the warm reds and orange hues of the sunrise, or the 3-D effect on the foothills caused by the winter sun setting in the south, Boulder's best art gallery is never closed between dawn and dusk.

The Boulder community extols this natural beauty and supplements it with great minds gathered at the university, government labs, and creative entrepreneurship thriving in hundreds of offices and coffee shops. Not to mention the thousands of impressively healthy human beings running the local trails and biking the open roads.

What is unfortunate is that so little recognition goes to the Creator who sustains all that natural beauty, brilliance, creativity, and all those healthy bodies. I'm reminded of Saint Paul's words in his letter to the church in the city of Rome, written c. 57 AD:

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made. (Romans 1:20)

Creation implies a creator. Where there is design there is a designer. This much Christians and non-Christians should be able to agree upon. Where it gets harder, of course, is when Christians have the temerity to say they actually know something about that Designer/Creator.

In progressive communities like Boulder, the search for truth is OK, even laudable. But finding truth is politically incorrect. Assertion of anything in absolute terms is suspect, socially forbidden. Sure, there are some agreed-upon norms in Boulder that can be affirmed with evangelistic fervor: the need to recycle, prevent global warming and extend unlimited freedom of expression.

What's frustrating for many Christians is that Chrstianity doesn't get that privilege. In fact, it gets the double whammy: it is the minority view but it is treated with the the contempt normally directed at an established majority. Every variant of philosphical, political and social thought is welcome here, save one: Christianity.

Put another way, Christianity is the only true counter-culture left in Boulder--a community that prides itself on being counter-cultural (you've seen the Keep Boulder Weird bumper sticker, right?). I guess that makes it that much more interesting to be a Christian in this town. But it does make it a bit more difficult.