WHEN THE WORDS "Christian subculture" are used together on the Internet, it's usually in a negative context. Like Christians retreating into their own lovey-dovey artificial world, while the real world around them is suffering and dying. This picture offends me, although I suppose there are such Christians around.

I think we would all reject the old "missionary compound" mentality concerning the Church. You know, put up big fences to keep the foreigners out, set up a comfortable little enclave, and then venture out from time to time to tell the people about the love of God. If that's what "Christian subculture" means, then it really is a cop-out. The "missionary compound" does not take evangelism seriously enough. It takes a lot of sacrifice to reach people for Jesus... in any culture.

To me, the term "Christian subculture" is much more challenging and engaging. It means living a Christian lifestyle in full view of a fallen world. It's not about the clothes we wear as Christians, or the food we eat (although even these things can be important) but it's about showing love and mercy, kindness and gentleness, faithfulness, hope, joy, peace. It's not about bumper stickers and Christianese slogans, but it's genuine righteousness, courage, inspiration and integrity.

Wouldn't it be a great testimony if all of us Christians were more closely conformed to the likeness of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ? If you were down and out, and needed someone just to care, to listen or to rescue you from some addiction, and you knew from experience that you could trust a certain person because... well, she's a Christian. She's part of the Christian subculture. So you know she won't lie to you. She'll keep her promises and your confidence. She'll tell you the truth and she'll find a way to help you.

Christian subculture is only a problem if it indicates trivial, irrelevant antics and paraphernalia. But superficial, hypocritical Christianity is not really Christianty at all. So how can that be "Christian" subculture?

Jesus Himself often withdrew from the multitudes to pray, and even to impart particular teaching to His disciples, but then it was back to work into the world, healing, preaching, casting out demons and convicting people of sin (eg, Zaccheus). The retreat was not for comfort and personal pleasure, but to re-equip for the task. The Christian subculture, as envisaged in these pages, works the same way. It's about being refreshed and strengthened in our community so that we can have a more consistent and challenging presence in the world. Like the title of Reuben Morgan's song "Touching Heaven, Changing Earth".

What does "Christian subculture" mean to you? A derogatory term for an isolationist tendency among Christians? But why should Christians be the only people to lampoon the word "subculture" when applied to themselves? Everyone else accepts it gladly enough. Why can't we look a little deeper for the marks of our commonality and culture? Why can't genuine Christlikeness be our culture?