Decompressing

So here we are, heading west on I-80, leaving behind many dear friends, yet looking forward (in faith) to those who are still too come. For some reason, I enjoy long road trips, probably because it provides a much needed chance to decompress after months of burning the candle at both ends. So here we are, decompressing. We just finished listening to a Third Day CD, and now Rich Mullins is hammering away on his dulcimer, even though he himself has long since moved on to bigger and better things.

And that brings me to the subject of this post. I've been thinking about Christian music for the past hour or so. The general consensus (in my circles anyway) is that most of it sucks - and I tend to agree. But the usual reason given for that suckiness is that we Christians are too, well, Christian, and not secular enough in our concern for musical quality. And that's the part I'm not so sure about.

What struck me this morning is just how "secular" most Christian music actually sounds. Take Third Day (or any other popular Christian band), ignore the banal lyrics, and what do you have? Something that sounds an awful lot like what you hear on any of the secular stations.

The fact of the matter is, the Contemporary Christian Music industry is just that - an industry - and a very lucrative one at that. There is far too much money to be extracted from trendy young evangelicals to let something like poor production values stand in the way. And so most Christian music today is very well performed and produced. Some of it is even catchy and well written.

So why does Christian music still suck? If anything, it's because it is too "secular."

The problem is an issue of content, not technique - it's not something that's going to be solved by better chord progressions, better melody lines, better musicians, or better producers. I would even go so far as to say that it's not a lack of originality (eg. that Christian artists are all copycats - if they were just more original, things would be different). No, even here CCM is not much different than its "secular" counterparts. Every artist is influenced by others, by trends. No one creates anything in a vacuum. Christian music is really not that different from "secular" music at all.

You see, if you stop and think about it, most secular music sucks too. The only difference is that of volume - for every one Christian album, there are a hundred secular albums (and most of them are just as lame), and some of them manage to create some decent music. But it's not like all of them are doing it - it's not like "secular" groups have a corner on musical quality or insight. There are only so many U2s out there. But because there are so many more "secular" groups, it sometimes seems like they have something the Christian groups don't.

Now you might notice I keep putting "secular" in quotes - what I really mean here is "commercial," and I suspect this recognition may shed some light on the real problem. For most music out there - Christian and secular alike - "it's all about the money boys!" I'm certainly not suggesting that every artist (secular or otherwise) has sold out in pursuit of coin - I think many really do desire to produce quality music, to do something artistic. That said, what defines "good" music these days is often considered "that which is commercially viable." And that's a really poor benchmark.

At the end of the day, I think the problem lies in the both artists and the audience. We simply do not know what it means to be authentic. We all desire better music, because we have been wired (by God, no less!) to desire something beautiful, authentic, transcendent. And (more surprisingly), we know it when we hear it. Yet very few people can actually describe it or produce it, let alone explain it. We desire something more, something deeper, something truly meaningful, yet even the best of us remain surprisingly shallow, self-centered, inward-focused.

So the basic premis of this post is that Christian music sucks, because secular music sucks, because we all suck - we are all hungry for something more, yet we cannot produce that something more on our own, and so we inevitably produce something less than stellar, and the only way to pedal that is to commercialize it.

See where I'm going with this? If we want better music, I think we need to learn what it means to be more human, more image-of-God, more fallen-yet-redeemed. We need to better understand the world around us, the God who created it, and ourselves as sojourners in need of salvation, pilgrims on a journey to something better. The really great artists (both Christian and secular alike) seem to grasp these things better than most of us (or maybe they just stumble into it a little more often than the rest of us).

Really great artists tend to see both the highs and lows - the hilights and shadows of life - much more clearly than the rest of us. And they find creative, beautiful ways of expressing it that capture our attention, our imagination, that let us feel as if they can identify with our plight, that give us hope for something better somewhere down the road.

Well, there you have it - my thoughts on Christian music, as I am decompressing. Now my laptop battery is dying and we're almost to Indiana. Derek Webb's Wedding Dress is playing and it's better than anything I can write, so I think I'll just shut up and listen for a while...

Missing Philly

Ok, I admit it. I really am going to miss Philly. Not just the friends we've made, but all of the quirky stuff that makes me laugh and cringe at the same time - like the way people drive around here, or stories like this. Wow. I still can't believe that I've actually lived in a place like this, let alone actually started to like it...

Da Vinci & Gnosticism

The Banty Rooster offers some of the more insightful comments I've seen on Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, particularly in regard to his understanding of Gnosticism.

...this is precisely what Brown argues in the Da Vinci Code: that the ancient Gnostics wrote gospels emphasizing the humanity of Christ, and the church, under the sway of Constantine, suppressed them because they believed in Christ's divinity.

There's one little problem with that thesis that not many people have picked up on: the Gnostics did not believe Jesus was human. At all. Period. Zip. Nada. Nicht. Niet. "Gnostic" orthodoxy, if you will, is that Jesus is a semi-divine intermediary between God and the world, and, since matter is "evil," in their view, then he could not have been human.
...
The best way to demolish the Da Vinci Code is to point out that it was the ancient Gnostics who emphasized Jesus as "divine" and the very point the orthodox Church drove home time and again in the early-century debates was the humanity of Christ. Read Irenaeus and Tertullian some time on the incarnation.

We need to tell people: you want a human Jesus? Gnosticism will not satsify; only orthodoxy will get you that! And a whole lot more.

Did you catch that second to last paragraph? If not, read it again. Slowly.

Brown's premise (in a highly simplified nutshell) is that Christians got it wrong in deifying Jesus; the real story lies with the Gnostics, who recognized he was just human (and married, and had kids, all so Dan Brown could make a mint on it down the road). In fact, however, it was the Christian's who were insisting on Christ's humanity. Kudos to Banty for stating the matter so clearly...

ADDENDUM: While we're talking about the Da Vinci Code, you simply must read Internet Monk's review of the movie (now THIS is how you write a goood review, imho). [HT: Foolishsage]

Rethinking Women's Issues

This past Sunday was Mother's Day (you did remember didn't you?), and our pastor tailored his message accordingly. But it was a Mother's Day message unlike any I have ever heard - Manny talked about how women worldwide suffer unjustly.

Consider this: one in three women (nearly one billion) are beaten, forced into sex, or abused in their lifetime. Rape is still one of the most unreported of all crimes. Annually, some 700,000 women and children are trafficked across international borders - mostly females for sexual exploitation. They are usually orphans, refugees, widows, minorities, the poor.

Manny also reminded us that the early church made a point of identifying with people just like this - they were known for rescuing infant girls who had been "set out with the trash" to die of exposure (the Romans had a preference for boys). One of the fundamental impulses of the gospel is the proclamation of justice for the poor and oppressed - wrongs made right, the strong standing up for the weak.

This is what Christ did for us. This is what the church is called to do for others. And frankly, most of us don't give a rat's ass for people like this. We care mostly about ourselves. We care about technical justice, token justice. We conveniently isolate ourselves from neighbors who live on the wrong side of the tracks.

So how does this connect with women's issues? The answer might surprise you. As I listened to Manny speak, it struck me that just about everyone today defines "justice" for women as equality - a woman should be able to do everything a man can do, in church, in society, even in golf. I'm not really against this - I'd actually like to see the church focusing more on what women CAN do, rather than just talking about what they CAN'T do. At the same time, the assumption implicit in all of this is that as long as we treat women as equals, then we are just and fair. We have fulfilled our obligation.

Yet the statistics demonstrate just the opposite. There is a reason why so many women are taken advantage of in our world - there is a fundamental inequality between male and female. On the one hand, women are physically weaker, they are more vulnerable, they are the ones who get pregnant. At the same time, the men who should be protecting them have failed to do so. We stand aside and allow these injustices to occur, either because we don't care, or because we foolishly allow our attention to be diverted to other things.

This is not just a "third world" problem. We in America - yes, even in the church - are addicted to pornography. How many women are being taken advantage of by the porn industry? How many women are being taken advantage of in legalized prostitution? How many women feel the pressure to have sex with their boyfriend in order to keep the relationship? What kind of lies do we sell when we tell women that it's no big deal, as long as its regulated, clean, consensual?

We have told so many lies that we begin to believe them ourselves. We tell women that the only way they measure up is if they look like the models in the magazines. We tell them that the best way to get into a relationship is to "try before you buy" (after all, I care about you - I just want to make sure we are truly compatible, for your sake as well as mine). What kind of pressure do we put on women by telling them that abortion is their right, that it's no big deal?

What do we communicate when we tell them that worth comes from access to a position (CEO, pastor, etc), and then we magnanimously grant them access and say, "See how fair we are?" all the while expecting them to carry a load that bends the back of men. I am not saying that women can't or shouldn't have access to positions. But we are taking advantage of them if we only value them when they can do the same things a man can do, as well as a man can.

What I'm getting at in all this is that we are kidding ourselves if we think that the real issue is simply a matter of "What can a woman do in the church?" Can she be ordained? Can she teach? I just have this nagging feeling that the real issue is far bigger, far more countercultural.

The real issue here is not where 21st century egalitarianism is better than 18th century subordinationism. Women were oppressed and taken advantage of in both those cultures. The real issue is what would it look like for the church to stand up for woman in a way that seeks real justice, that allows them to be women, without fear.

What would it look like for the church to reach out to prostitutes and say, "Any time you want out, we are here. Call us. We will find a way to help you make it work. Whether or not you become a Christian."? What would it look like for men in the church to start saying, "We value you so much that we refuse to use porn, to fantasize about you as a sexual object."? What would it look like for the church to say we will provide free rent and day care to help you with your unplanned pregnancy? What would it look like for a thirty dollar whore to walk into a church and be treated as if she was your little sister, beautiful and innocent?

Yet that's precisely how God deals with us (go read Ezekiel 16). Somehow, I think we all need to back away from our positions for a moment and pause to consider the bigger picture. What would it look like for the church to get serious about the real injustices women face in this world of ours? What would it look like to rethink the whole women's issues?

I'd be interested in feedback on this (particularly from you women who feel like the church has wronged you).

Woo Hoo!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Christian and Ryan for finishing strong (Ryan, I'm assuming that you're finished with finals since Christian is) -- you have been faithful for this season of your life and, now as it draws to a close, you are about to enter another exciting season.

Some words of exhortation from a "graduate" much wiser than I:

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and
the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and
encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come
when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own
desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what
their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth
and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure
hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your
ministry...The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. " 2 Timothy 4:1-5, 22

Sad Day

So today is a sad day. I arrived at school this morning to take a 9 AM exam only to discover that a fellow seminary student (who was in class with me for a 2 PM exam yesterday afternoon) died suddenly last night. How could this happen? He stepped in front of a train.

I don't know all of the details - I don't know what was going on in his mind, in his life. I didn't actually even know him, which seems kind of strange since we've both been in seminary for 4 years, in many of the same classes even. He would have graduated with me this May. He had only a few more finals remaining. My friend Denise knew him much better.

Nevertheless, I am extremely sad. Death is never to be taken lightly. How odd to sit down for an exam on the book of Ecclesiastes ("Vanity of vanities! All is vanity," says Qoheleth!) in light of an event like this. Why does it take something like this to remind us of just how permanent, broken, and wrong death really is. These are hard times. And this is a hard world. And even Christians can stumble and fall.

Of course his death isn't really permanent. That's the hope in it all. That's why that dry dusty doctrine called "Union with Christ" is actually so important. Because it means that once Christ has a hold of me, nothing can separate me from his grip. NOTHING! Not even death (Rom 8:31-39). This man lives again even as I write these words, because Christ our savior lives, and he simply refuses to let go any who are his.

That truth is deeply theological. At the same time, it is also deeply connected - it is absolutely applicable. Your life depends on it, and so does mine. What we need in times like this is not less theology, not more theology, but a theology that is intimately connected with the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing less will suffice.

This is why I find it so offensive to hear someone speak about the doctrines of grace in a disconnected, disinterested, academic sort of way. Don't you dare suggest that practical application is for somebody else to figure out - I want to know how it is real, how it is relevant, how it is indispensible for the life that needs to be lived right now. We live in Qoheleth's world, in the book of Ecclesiastes, where creation is fallen and this monster named Death still roams freely. We need a word that can save us in this kind of world. What we really need is the Word - a living Word from God who can hold on to us even when we can't hold on to ourselves.

I am convinced that this sad troubled young man is safe and secure today - our Black Friday is his Easter Sunday. Nevertheless, a hole still remains in the here and now. Even though I didn't know him at all, he was still part of this nerdy little community we call Westminster. And so his absence hurts. I find myself thinking that there are undoubtedly others just like him all around.

Welcome to the real world, folks. Welcome to the world of doubt and unbelief. Welcome to the world that Jesus loves and weeps over, that he gives his life for, and then calls us to do the same. Welcome to this very scary place - a place none of us chose to come to, but where all of us grow to love, to hurt, to live, to die, to sojourn. This is why we are here at seminary, to learn to minister in a world like this. Of course seminary can't really prepare us for that task. Only the gospel can. And we need to own it ourselves before we can ever give it to others.

It's still a sad day, but I am strangely full of hope.

The Right Word

Ever had one of those "stream of consciousness" moments where all of a sudden some thought or image pops into your mind and you think, "How on earth did I get there?" I'm not talking about bad things here - I'm talking about how your brain drifts off, and all of a sudden starts making connections, and then "poof" - you're a hundred miles away from where you started. Sometimes its fun to try and recall how you got there - at others its better just to smile and enjoy the destination. As for me, this morning, I started reading Psalm 81, which is a Psalm of Asaph, and "poof "- here's where I ended up:

The right word, at the right time, is worth more than a thousand words, a thousand books, a thousand years. Of course the wrong word, at the wrong time, can be just as potent.

I won't even bother trying to explain how I got there. And as for what it means, well you can figure that out. But there's something about that end result that I like. So I thought I'd post it. There. Now back to studying for my Ethics exam this afternoon...

Calling all Westminster Alumni

HEY! We interrupt this broadcast with a special message for any Westminster Theological Seminary Alumni who happen to read this blog (I know, WTSers are just SO interested in practical theology that thousands read this blog daily. Humor me).

At any rate, if you have graduated from Westminster (or hope to in a couple of weeks), you may be interested to know that we have set up an alumni mailing list, called WTSAlumni. Click the link, join the group, and then pass the word! Thanks!

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Church Planting Quotes

Some interesting quotes from church planters at the US National Church Planting Conference: [HT: Steve McCoy]

• "What you do with your first convert determines whether you will become a church planting movement." - Bob Logan
  
  

• "God blesses the mega church in Korea and the house church in China. Hold to your models loosely and to Jesus firmly." - Ed Stetzer
  
  

• "If you want to win the world to Christ you’re going to have to sit in the smoking section." - Neil Cole
  
  

• "You have a Church Planting Movement when it’s growing so fast you can’t count it. It’s growing so fast that your systems can’t cope.
  
  You would be wrong to think that church planting movements are a white man’s idea. They are not. We are trying to implement in the West what we are seeing God do all over the developing world. We have been the last to get it." - Bob Roberts

Worth pondering...

Sex & Women

I have no idea whether this will interest SLD readers (since it's somewhat academic), but I just finished writing the last two papers of my seminary (and it's not even midnight yet!). The first one is on Sex in the Song of Songs, the second is on Women in Ministry (1 Tim 2:8-15). If anyone cares to take a gander, I'd be interested in getting your feedback.

It's kind of weird to think that this whole academic experience is all winding to a close - tomorrow is the last day of classes, and then finals begin next Thursday. So the whirlwind is just about complete, and then it's back home to Billings where I'll be studying for ordination in June and July, and then on to Missoula in early August. I have a feeling its going to be a busy summer, but hopefully my blogging will pick up again soon...

Unanswered Prayers

Today at work, we had a special speaker on account of the National Day of Prayer. He read a brief article from Ravi Zacharias, in which Zacharias interacts with part of the story told by Jon Krakauer in Into the Wild.

It's a very brief article -- click here to read it. At the risk of "spoiling the ending" (or, you could pause now, read the article and come back!), I want to repeat the last two paragraphs because I think they are well-worth repeating:

Is prayer a mechanism to bring whatever we want within reach? Is that what it is
about? If that is what we think of prayer, then prayer is just a euphemism for
playing God.

Prayer is something far different because it begins with the grand
realization that God is sovereign and wise. And what is more, it shapes our
souls to bear what His will is for us, not to shape Him to bear our will. When a
man renounces God because of unanswered prayer he is doubly proving that he
wants to play God himself and will not yield until he can. That is not seeking
God. That is using God. Ron’s problem was not with prayer. His was a struggle
with God’s wisdom over his autonomy. Until that is understood, one’s prayer is
nothing more than a form of control, not surrender.