Image link and story
inspired by Happy Lee
....I'm not asking for much.
One person says: “The guitars sounded great and not too harsh.”
Another says: “The overall sound had a little too much ‘edge’ on it…a little harsh.”
That’s when I have to ask myself where each of these people are coming from and then take both comments as compliments.
quest for honest "Christian" lyrics...
Just for a few words like:
divorce, cancer, exhibitonist, rape, drunk, masturbation, Prozac, adultery
to be namechecked in "Christian" songs occassionally.
Am I after windmills...or the Wind?
Can we once in awhile be honest? There are folk in every congregation dealing with the reality of those words who need to sing them out in cathartic incarnated rugged glorious prayer-praise.
I don't want to send them home with a stone, when there's bread in the house.
I might even have to midwife the saints into the required "lacerating self-examination"
that can heal. (Note: This fantastic phrase "lacerating self-examination" comes from Beth Maynard, in the context of U2 music).
I guess I could push Peter Leithart's wonderful challenge to theologians, and ask to incoporate some even more "real" words:
Theology is a "Victorian" enterprise, neoclassically bright and neat and clean, nothing out of place.
Whereas the Bible talks about hair, blood, sweat, entrails, menstruation and genital emissions.
Here's an experiment you can do at any theological library. You even have my permission to try this at home..
Step 1: Check the indexes of any theologian you choose for any of the words mentioned above. (Augustine does not count. Augustines' theology is as big as reality. Or bigger.)
Step 2: Check the Bible concordance for the same words.
Step 3: Ponder these questions: Do theologians talk about the world the same way the Bible does? Do theologians talk about the same world the Bible does?:
Theology is a "Victorian" enterprise, neoclassically bright and neat and clean, nothing out of place.
Whereas the Bible talks about hair, blood, sweat, entrails, menstruation and genital emissions.
Here's an experiment you can do at any theological library. You even have my permission to try this at home..
Step 1: Check the indexes of any theologian you choose for any of the words mentioned above. (Augustine does not count. Augustines' theology is as big as reality. Or bigger.)
Step 2: Check the Bible concordance for the same words.
Step 3: Ponder these questions: Do theologians talk about the world the same way the Bible does? Do theologians talk about the same world the Bible does?:
But I won't push that far...except for maybe the late, late service.
I don't want to have to rhyme "genital emission." (:
Though it does rhyme well with "great commission"...oh my..
So...heck, I'll settle for any honest lyrics.
I'll settle for "bad hair day."
At least it can't be force-rhymed with "praise."
Sigh, maybe Bono was right...again.
He has dropped Xanax and pornography into what to me is a sort of worship song.
Artists are in the business of telling truth. God is the great Creator. This may help explain when I often feel God's presence listening to someone sing about life, and feel nothing (sometimes) when they sing about God. Just a thought.
-Mike Todd, link
I realized today that sometimes when two people say two different things, they might actually be saying the same thing.
One person says: “The guitars sounded great and not too harsh.”
Another says: “The overall sound had a little too much ‘edge’ on it…a little harsh.”
That’s when I have to ask myself where each of these people are coming from and then take both comments as compliments.
-Mark Thomas, link
It's funny that you linked to Apprising Ministries because I work at Marilyn Hickey's church in Denver.
ReplyDeleteI always get personally offended when I hear someone bashing women pastors.
me, too, Mark
ReplyDeleteHope Rev Beth handles ti better than i do,
Funny when people say to me "you have taken some hits for supporting women in ministry." Is that something i wold have to pray about embracing...gee, i even support men in ministry(:
It's weird because I never thought twice about women being in the ministry and I grew up in some pretty "straight-laced" AG churches.
ReplyDeleteI just figure that there were lots of anointed women in the Bible, why would I have a problem with them being pastors and ministers in other capacities? I mean, God trusted a woman to carry His son for 9 months in her womb right?
amen, Mark.
ReplyDeleteThank God Beth gave me a different link to the quote, so i could delete that unlovely link that slandered her.