Christian Living
I witnessed something the other day in church that I really don't know if I like. Well, let's say I may not be ready for it. It was a worship service that was aimed at my son's generation. They had lava lamps and candles all over the stage. The music was loud, yet I found myself tapping my toes to the beat and even shedding some tears. It definately was not my parent's type of worship service. It wasn't even the type of service my wife and I had come to call our own, it was really diffferent.
Changing of the guard, I guess. Letting some influence of the outside world into the church that was once thought to be pagan, but is now dedicated to the Lord. For example, the Emperor Constantine took all of the pagan holidays and turned them into Christian holidays. Martin Luther took some of the popular beer drinking songs of Germany and rewrote the lyrics and now they are great old hymns of the church.
In the 1970's, with the Jesus movement came some new songs that began coming into the church through the youth groups. "Put Your Hand In The Hand" and "Spirit In The Sky" to name a couple. Musicals like "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Godspel" were very popular during this time. Some songs from Godspel made their way into some church youth groups and summer camps. I know, I taught "Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord/Long Live God" and "Day By Day" at some summer camps I worked at.
In the eighties came the explosion known as Christian rock and what a bruhaha that created for the ultra conservative churches. A well known Pentecostal Preacher once said (about christian rock), "With all the dancing and jiving it's just an attempt by satan to lure away our youth." Translation: More kids are buying their records than mine. But for what it's worth, an artist is influenced by what he or she sees and hears, whether it be secular or Godly.
I remember being at a Margret Becker concert and the middle of a song, she broke into a chorus from the sixties' tune "Shout": "You know, you make me want to SHOUT, throw my hands up, and SHOUT, kick my heels up and SHOUT..." Yesterday, during one of the songs, the following words came up: "Take my hand, take my whole life too, cause I can't help, falling in love with you." It seems that no matter how hard we try to keep certain elements out of the church, they always find their way in. For example: The last verse is talking about a man and woman in a romantic relationship, but change the context and it becomes a lost soul searching for the love of his or her life; Jesus Christ.
The same thing can be said about other secular rock-n-roll songs. For example: Foreignors' "I Want To Know What Love Is". In the song is a verse that says - "I want to know what love is and I want you to show me". With this in mind, picture someone standing in front of the cross saying this to our Lord. Or the Eagles' "Desperado
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Good thoughts Jim (and it doesn't hurt for us to be shaken out of our comfort zone now and then). It all comes down to balance. Not everything is acceptable, and wisdom and discernment helps us to get it right. Just as a bit of side thing with that song, "Spirit in the Sky", there's one line in it that actually makes me cringe every time I hear it. I wonder if you know which line it is? ;-) Just visiting today and also thought your latest article was incredibly honest an vulnerable. God bless you and Judy always. Love, Deb
One of the best messages on this subject I have ever read!
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