'Cause if you knew who I am, would you really want to die for me?
They say you are the cursed man, the one who hangs from this tree
I know this is the one and only son of God but tell me, who the fuck is he?
So tell me!"
These lyrics had you. You were invested. You knew the singer was talking to someone about Christ hanging on the cross. But then you read that one word. That single word will forever trip you up. And any band using that kind of word certainly isn't a band you need to listen to. Any, "good christian," won't listen to music with that word in it.
"I throw caution to the wind and suck your sweet poison,
Your body's everything, your body's everything.
As I trip on my desire I dive into your fire,
Your body's everything, your body's everything."
Then there's this song. It seems like a pretty suggestive song. I mean, what kind of band would sing such a sexually charged song? No way any, "good christian," should listen to this song! Obviously this singer is having an affair.
"What have I become, now that I've betrayed
Everyone I've ever loved, I pushed them all away
And I have been a slave to the Judas in my mind
Is there something left for me to save
In the wreckage of my life, my life..."
There it is!!! A biblical reference without cursing or suggestive lyrics. This band has it down, biblical reference, clean lyrics and admitting they have failed, questioning if they can be saved. Finally, I gave you lyrics that any, "good christian," band should have.
So tell me, which of those three bands would you listen to? You and your desire for perfection in lyrics and messages in the lyrics, what band of the three above would you support and listen to? Choose wisely, you never know what you are claiming to support if you don't consider everything. Also, no cheating by typing in lyrics for Google to help you.
Decide yet? Here, let me give you a couple clues. Two of the songs were on albums banned by christian bookstores because of the perceived offenses of the songs. One of the songs never made it to a christian bookstore because the band isn't a christian band. Two of the bands have toured the world and played some of the largest venues and arenas in Russia, Germany, Mexico and the US. The other band plays bars, houses, churches or anywhere they can get work. Now, which of these songs is the best song to determine which band is the, "good christian band?"
Exactly!!! You can't tell just off the lyrics. The first song is from P.O.D. and is called, "I Am." Yes, the very P.O.D. whose lead singer helped found the Whosoever movement. The very band that isn't afraid to share their faith with people. The second song is "Everything" from The Classic Crime. They are a band with a collection of believers and non believers. They just play music. But, their lead singer writes from his christian world view. The song was written as a love song to his wife. Two great songs, both songs that christian retailers were afraid to put on shelves because they felt the songs would offend people.
That last song is from Fozzy and is appropriately named "Judas." Never heard of Fozzy? Yeah, not a christian band. Their lead singer is the popular wrestler, Chris Jericho.
What's my point here? I don't know. Actually, I'm not certain I can fully explain my point. At least not without offending the masses. Sure, I know the bible talks about the tongue and how it can spark a flame, cause a wild fire or is a restless evil filled with poison (James 3:1-12). Also, I know that Psalm has many verses about the tongue and the mouth uttering wisdom (Psalm 37:29-31) or David's plea to keep his tongue from sin (Psalm 39:1-3). BUT!!! I just can't find where the Bible says, "Don't swear." I'm also a firm believer that ones language is up to the person. If you don't have a problem with language, speak as you desire. It's between you and God. And, I'm also a believer that if my language causes someone to struggle, then I probably shouldn't talk a certain way around them when it is offending them. Finally, if you get offended at someone who speaks a way you don't condone, then maybe you should avoid the things they do, lessons they provide, etc. Just remember, you can't hold everyone up (or anyone up) to your standards when they may not believe like you do.
Basically, what I'm saying is, if you demand your, "christian music," to be clean, free of foul language, not sexually suggestive or other, and only provides uplifting lyrics, then you might be sorely disappointed to learn that Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a full album of love songs to his wife; you might be disappointed when you realize Skillet talks about suicide frequently; your perception that TFK keeps things simple is wrong considering they wrote a song about divorce. See, when parts of the Bible are graphic enough to receive "R" or "NC-17" ratings in a movie theater, then you should expect bands and christians to get the same ratings when they sing or talk.
If you want to reach the lost, you gotta go to where the lost is you need to go where the lost is. You need to talk their language and sometimes, that means getting dirty. And when christians struggle and are willing to admit it, then let's get dirty with them; let's struggle with them. Condemning only hurts. Let's heal. Let's restore. Let's love.
"What have I become, now that I've betrayed
Everyone I've ever loved, I pushed them all away
And I have been a slave to the Judas in my mind
Is there something left for me to save
In the wreckage of my life, my life..."
There it is!!! A biblical reference without cursing or suggestive lyrics. This band has it down, biblical reference, clean lyrics and admitting they have failed, questioning if they can be saved. Finally, I gave you lyrics that any, "good christian," band should have.
So tell me, which of those three bands would you listen to? You and your desire for perfection in lyrics and messages in the lyrics, what band of the three above would you support and listen to? Choose wisely, you never know what you are claiming to support if you don't consider everything. Also, no cheating by typing in lyrics for Google to help you.
Decide yet? Here, let me give you a couple clues. Two of the songs were on albums banned by christian bookstores because of the perceived offenses of the songs. One of the songs never made it to a christian bookstore because the band isn't a christian band. Two of the bands have toured the world and played some of the largest venues and arenas in Russia, Germany, Mexico and the US. The other band plays bars, houses, churches or anywhere they can get work. Now, which of these songs is the best song to determine which band is the, "good christian band?"
Exactly!!! You can't tell just off the lyrics. The first song is from P.O.D. and is called, "I Am." Yes, the very P.O.D. whose lead singer helped found the Whosoever movement. The very band that isn't afraid to share their faith with people. The second song is "Everything" from The Classic Crime. They are a band with a collection of believers and non believers. They just play music. But, their lead singer writes from his christian world view. The song was written as a love song to his wife. Two great songs, both songs that christian retailers were afraid to put on shelves because they felt the songs would offend people.
That last song is from Fozzy and is appropriately named "Judas." Never heard of Fozzy? Yeah, not a christian band. Their lead singer is the popular wrestler, Chris Jericho.
What's my point here? I don't know. Actually, I'm not certain I can fully explain my point. At least not without offending the masses. Sure, I know the bible talks about the tongue and how it can spark a flame, cause a wild fire or is a restless evil filled with poison (James 3:1-12). Also, I know that Psalm has many verses about the tongue and the mouth uttering wisdom (Psalm 37:29-31) or David's plea to keep his tongue from sin (Psalm 39:1-3). BUT!!! I just can't find where the Bible says, "Don't swear." I'm also a firm believer that ones language is up to the person. If you don't have a problem with language, speak as you desire. It's between you and God. And, I'm also a believer that if my language causes someone to struggle, then I probably shouldn't talk a certain way around them when it is offending them. Finally, if you get offended at someone who speaks a way you don't condone, then maybe you should avoid the things they do, lessons they provide, etc. Just remember, you can't hold everyone up (or anyone up) to your standards when they may not believe like you do.
Basically, what I'm saying is, if you demand your, "christian music," to be clean, free of foul language, not sexually suggestive or other, and only provides uplifting lyrics, then you might be sorely disappointed to learn that Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a full album of love songs to his wife; you might be disappointed when you realize Skillet talks about suicide frequently; your perception that TFK keeps things simple is wrong considering they wrote a song about divorce. See, when parts of the Bible are graphic enough to receive "R" or "NC-17" ratings in a movie theater, then you should expect bands and christians to get the same ratings when they sing or talk.
If you want to reach the lost, you gotta go to where the lost is you need to go where the lost is. You need to talk their language and sometimes, that means getting dirty. And when christians struggle and are willing to admit it, then let's get dirty with them; let's struggle with them. Condemning only hurts. Let's heal. Let's restore. Let's love.
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