jendaas

HEART * MINISTRY * MISCELLANIES *

Monday, November 06, 2006

Culturally Relevant VS. Culturally Relative

Wellp....I'm a pot stirrer by nature, though lately I'm quite a bit more gentle about it, and selective about which pots are worth stirring.

Music seems be to one of the most influential forms of media in our culture. And unfortunately, my critique of Christian music is a bit more severe than the music of those who make no profession to faith in Christ and remain in an unconverted state -
Seriously - what DO we expect Total Depravity to produce??? Nothing but love for sin.

Christians are getting weak in their testimony by writing emotion-provoking songs about who we think God is......rather than being connected directly to truth.
Don't get me wrong, I go to Bethlehem, and we believe that emotions are commanded in the bible. (umm, because it's true)
But we also believe that it is folly to let anything BUT truth drive your emotions. ie....to get razzed up for the sake of getting razzed up - that can lead you away from the living God.

Lyrics matter so very much....because by the means of hearing the word of Christ, Christians are able to be kept by God, and unbelievers are converted to faith in the Savior.
I would say it matters MUCH MORE than the beautiful and soft melodies of songs with poor and/or vague doctrines in the lyrics.
If someone listens to a song like......ummm......."Above All"
A 'worship of self' song if ever there was one.
"You took the fall, and thought of ME above all" ??????????
And all this time, I thought that God was vindicating His just wrath toward sinners......and magnifying the attribute of His mercy toward the sinner, NOT the sinner. Hmmm.......???

Perhaps I've been listening to too many of my pastors sermons on Doing Missions when Dying is GAIN.....in that I cannot settle for the 'comfy cozy false feeling based faith' that has little or no root to sustain it through trials (that I've been going through lately)
It's just not reality....we're romanticising the Christian life -just like Hollywood (movies) makes relationships look so easy and perfect and always exciting and smooth and romantic.

Well, perhaps to end on a high note, a bit more from the brothers in Christ of Cross Movement:

"Man is used to seeing Jesus in His Lambness,
But they don't understand this Lamb is running every single planet,
More than just a man,
This is more than just a Lamb that's dying, from ZION,
BEHOLD, the resurrected King the LION!"

No one gets to 'vote' for Jesus to take His place as King.
We can be brought by God sweetly to yield now,
or we can be subdued and forced to the ground later.

Every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In Him,
Jen2

3 Comments:

At 11/07/2006 10:50 AM, Blogger Jennifer said...

Wo0t. Whoa, can I say anything else than that?! I mean, we already talked about this...Sunday night.

Ahhhh, another Cross Movement snippet ~ gotta love it. (Heard that one in my mind, too, as I read it.)

 
At 11/09/2006 11:37 PM, Blogger Aspiring Girl said...

this is a good, thought provoking post jen! THank you! However, I wanted to note that you said, "what DO we expect Total Depravity to produce??? Nothing but love for sin." As sinful and depraved unregenerate sinners are, we also need to keep in mind that all human beings are created in God's image and therefore reflect His creativity- I think alot (even secular) music is beautiful (classical, opera, jazz) even when it is written by the unregenerate. God is still God and the giver of all ceativity, even if some don't acknowledge Him as such.
just a thought...love ya!

 
At 11/10/2006 1:51 AM, Blogger The Armchair Theologian said...

HEY! I found Jen2's blog! BWAHAAA! Is it just me or do all the Bethlehem ladies just rock the Cross Movement? Them's the SHIBBIE! Good thoughts. I also love music with content, but what I love best is CONTENT driven music! That's the BEST, when the lyrics are also "musically" supported.

What I'm talking about is I cannot, for the life of me, imagine Jesus coming back to a Polka. Songs about sin should be in a minor key, and songs about the second coming should be like power metal, or symphonic metal.

I kid you not, few moments in my life were as cool as hearing some of the good Cam Floria orchestral arangements that the Continental Singers delivered back in the day. The song "Now I am Free", with complete orchestra, made me shake. I wish there were some Christian bands with good theology and actually musical talent. MAN!

 

Post a Comment

<< Home