All posts tagged Church

Dangerous Songs (Part 1)

 

The dividing line between that which is “of God” and that which is “not” cannot and should not be trusted to the Marketplace.  But quite often it is.


The Dividing Line
The pastor of a church I recently played in was a self-professed Nine Inch Nails fan.  Aimee Mann as well.  So, as we talked through the tension between wise shepherding and over-protectiveness, we found a great deal we agreed upon.  Still,  he had reservations about my playing cover songs for his congregation.  He was concerned that I was giving his people license to buy and listen to music that at least has the potential to be socially and philosophically dangerous.

We agreed that no one needed permission to seek out damaging media. Perhaps the goal, then isn’t so much to prevent people from engaging with certain forms of media but teaching ourselves and our communities how to be discerning consumers, listeners, readers etc… Part of that comes in approaching media with a different set of questions.  Particularly the question “what can I  see of God in this?”

You see, somewhere before this conversation took place, a decision had already been made about what art is beneficial for christian (mostly Protestant) churches.  We were only dealing with material on “the other side” of the sacred/profane line. But what criteria was used to determine the sacred or beneficial nature of the music played in his church or mine? It seems to me that line is drawn with the same pen that draws the line between what is sell-able and not.  In other words: We sing this song here because it is sung elsewhere or because the artist who wrote it has other successful songs.  That’s not a pastoral criteria.  It’s a market criteria. In more cases than not, monetary success draws the line.

The Danger of Falling Asleep
That pastor and I were having a conversation about Aimee Mann. That’s to be expected. But does a similar conversation happen regarding songs by Chris Tomlin, Brenton Brown or anyone on the CCLI top 100?*  Are these songwriters above such a conversation?  Is there need for similar discernment when it comes to church music?  After all, these songs are sung repeatedly and memorized by church congregations. The language and imagery in these songs helps shape the way thousands understand the mystery of God.  So, what if it’s off? How would we know? Perhaps we’d recognize it in the fruit such art bears.

It’s no secret that the blogosphere (as well as more than a few coffee bars across the US) is choc-full of church leaders lamenting the immobilization or selfish tendencies of far too many congregates.  These same church leaders often acknowledge that the machinery  of church can not only contribute to but encourage such immobilization and selfishness.  If we’re willing to point out the potential dangers of exposure to media, it is vital that we take a more discerning look at art that has likely played a part in lulling many “to sleep in their faith” with repeated blessed assurances that it is well, not only our souls but well with the world, so long as we recognize and acknowledge how He loves us.

When the next hot, church sing-a-long hits the circuit, will it be evaluated? Will it even be thought about? Or will its status as “beneficial” be established the way Truth is established in Stephen Colbert’s world, where once the Market has spoken, it must be true.

 

I’m finishing Part 2 of this post and will have it up soon.

(The CCLI Top 100 is a list of the 100 most popular songs sung in churches)

468 days ago /  Tagged: , , 7
Jesus-Christ

My Blog Exploded Anne There Is Rice Everywhere: a follow-up to my letter to Anne Rice

There were many responses at this blog to my “Open Letter to Anne Rice.”  A good bit over 100. I read all of them, though not every one of them was posted.**  I responded to most of those I read, particularly because I kept seeing the same set of basic assumptions popping up. I promise not to squeeze any more life out of this moment than there is, but below is a short(ish) response to two of the more prevalent assumptions underlying many reader comments. (PLEASE NOTE: this is not a further commentary on Anne Rice’s announcement; it is a response to common assumptions found in the reader comments on my initial letter)

The first prevalent assumption among those who commented on my previous post was that I am “an idiot.” Pffssst… chyeah, right.  Am not.

The second is that I am “a jackass.”  Now, that I can buy.

Actual Assumption #1:
The “Human Element” of Religion

There was, present in many of the comments posted, the assumption that one can remove the “human element” from religion.  It’s an immensely problematic idea and here is why I think so:  Many, if not most, would agree that religion is a human construct; that we made it up. Religion is either the way we go about seeking some Divine Source we can only hope and believe is really there underneath it all or it is our poetic and philosophical effort to make lemonade from the lemons of life.  Therefore, if one ascribes to this idea of religion, then all there is to it is the human element.  We are either reaching out for “God” who couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with this circus of dogmas and funny robes or we’re deluding ourselves in order to cope with the absurdity of life.

In that light, let’s suppose that one’s entire religious practice was made up of silent meditation alone in a room in an empty building in an abandoned city whose residents had been eaten by zombies who then, themselves died from side effects of the 5-Hour Energy Drink stored in the blood streams of the very alert people they had eaten (I’m just trying to paint a picture of isolation here… stick with me). Even in that very isolated scenario, the practice of meditation would have had to be learned from someone else.  Be it face to face or in written form or by instructional video, the transference of religious knowledge or spiritual practice is always a human process; People teaching people to be (ostensibly) better people. Religion is people.

So, if religion is a human construct and you remove the “human element” from it you are left with nothing.. which would make many among us just as happy… until the zombies show up.

But what if you are just crazy enough to believe that The Divine communicates directly to people?  Luckily, I am just such a nut. So is Anne Rice. We’re nuts, Anne and I!  You see, I believe, along with Anne Rice, that God has revealed Himself to His Creation over many, many years.  We believe that the pinnacle in this long history of revelation is the Incarnation of Jesus Christ; God becoming man.  This tradition makes the elimination of the “human element” problematic in that God, with every phase of revelation over the course of history, has intentionally and consistently chosen the human element; even to the extreme of becoming human. Prophets, Priests, Teachers, Guides, Rulers, etc.. all human, as was Jesus of Nazareth.  So while we might be a ripe mess, it seems that in some strange way we are the mess God wants.

Furthermore, this same tradition shuns the individualistic practice of faith in which religion is “just between God and me.”  The instructions or teachings that have accompanied each phase of revelation are communal instructions and teachings.   The teachings of Christ in particular are teachings spoken to crowds of people rather than to individuals.  They were/are designed to create a culture of forgiveness, generosity and hope rather than just individuals marked by those traits. Christ’s methods were and are communal: He called a group of twelve people to himself and taught them as a collective. He taught the masses who followed him.  Meanwhile, despite his deep criticism of Judaism, Jesus nonetheless continued to teach within that system; in its synagogues and to the communities gathered there around Torah.  I think it’s safe to say that, even if one is unsure as to His “agenda,” Jesus sought (and seeks) to accomplish his goal by reshaping the way people live, not as individuals, but together… until the  zombies show up.

Actual Assumption #2:
The “End” of Religious Practice

Lastly (I promise) throughout the comments, there seemed to be a further assumption that the practice of religion is intended for the improvement of ones self.  Agreed… but.  That is not it’s end.  A better self is particularly better insofar as that better self can then help other selves become better selves.  There is a responsibility that comes with health, blessing and wisdom; the responsibility to pass it on. The healing of our own lives becomes a gift we have the privilege and responsibility to offer others.  But even that is not the end.

The better self helps others be better selves and they, together, become better communities which, in turn, create better neighborhoods, better cities and better cultures which eventually, hopefully and prayerfully transform the face of nations and the globe into the shape and pattern of what Jesus called “the Kingdom.” Christ’s “end” from the very beginning was to redeem all things and all people, reconciling them to the Father and instating His Kingdom on earth as a dwelling place for all of God’s creation. A dwelling place with the foundations of Justice, Mercy and Love.  Any religious (or irreligious) idea which excludes an entire people group from this vision is out of line with that vision and its Architect.  In this light, if someone really “gets it,” the last thing one ought to do is disconnect themselves from those who don’t get it. George Bernard Shaw said it thusly: ”I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die.”


DISCLAIMER: All this is only my opinion, which I will continue to force down peoples’ throats by posting it here on my own blog where you are all morally and legally obliged to click and scroll until I am through controlling you; after which point you are free to move on and linger at the far more entertaining and informative Daily Show page.. That is, of course.. until the zombies show up.

**(comments I did not post were generally those that were only insulting without offering content… also ignored were any comments submitted by Yankee fans.)

654 days ago /  Tagged: , , 15
ten-pence-picture

Letter To My Church Community After 10 Years

This year (2009, in case you missed the turnover) will be choc full of landmarks for me.  My 10th wedding anniversary, my 10th year of full time music and tonight, the church I helped plant in 1999 (still my home church) celebrated it’s 10th anniversary.  My being at Malone University tonight meant that I unfortunately missed the celebration-gathering.  I’ve been receiving tweets and texts off and on through the evening that make me feel missed.  Knowing that I’d miss the actual event, I asked my wife to read a letter of mine to the people who have been a part of this 10-year journey.  Below is that letter:

—–

In a way it is fitting that I cannot be with you this evening.  Much of my relationship with this community has been marked by my absence over the last few years.  I am currently in Canton, Ohio where it is twenty degrees below zero.  I’m here for the same purpose I go anywhere; to announce that the Kingdom of God is at hand and that it would be best if we quit playing at life and, instead, lived it fully.  That is a quality I have valued deeply in our community of people; that we have chosen to embrace “life to the full.”

While there is far more to the celebration of this community than what I can collect in words, I wanted to share a few snapshots of what 10 years of being together has meant, at least as I see it…

-It has meant having had long memories and short accounts.
-It has meant knowing more about one another than we’re comfortable knowing at times, but still choosing to care.
-It has meant being known by another to a depth that we are uncomfortable with, but still choosing to trust.

-It has meant carrying the weight of another person’s life for a while when they could not walk in their own strength.
-It has meant sharing our strength when we weren’t sure we had enough for ourselves.

-It has meant joyfully forgetting who paid last for coffee or dinner.
-It has meant paying someone else’s rent.

-it has meant learning that we are blessed to become a blessing.
-It has meant buying a truck for our friends in Liberia, Africa.
-It has meant raising money on Facebook to provide a motorcycle for another Liberian brother to start his own taxi service
-It has meant helping our African brethren build a medical clinic, an orphanage and start their own businesses.
-It has meant telling children in the poorest parts of the world “I’m here for you.”
-It has meant telling High School and JR High kids in our own valley the very same thing.

-It means that many, if not most of the people on our speed dial or favorites lists are in this room.
-It has meant some late night phone calls bearing the worst news.
-It has meant some late night phone calls bearing the best.

-It has meant seeing the best in each other when we were blind to it.
-it has meant praying for healing especially when the sick and broken person no longer believed it for themselves.

-It has meant believing in the resurrection of friendships, of marriages and of whole lives.
-It has also meant celebrating those resurrections as resurrections and as miraculous.

-It has meant that “family” is a much bigger, much deeper word than we expected.

-It means we have seen something in ourselves and in each other that is more beautiful than we knew was there.  It is a beauty that makes each of our lives more colorful and more complete.  It is a beauty that provides hope for a humanity that has to learn live together in a smaller and smaller world. It is the beauty of a people who have chosen to to live faithfully instead of in doubt, to hope against despair, and ultimately to love “though the mountains fall, though the earth should shake, though the seas should roar with all the heartache, though our hearts should pound and our throats run dry.”  This is the beauty of the people of God, living in the way of Jesus and His Kingdom.  It is worth celebrating.

1216 days ago /  Tagged: , , , , 0
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