Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Not sufficient
It is becoming quite clear that in our postmodern world, Scripture is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of our faith. I have known for quite awhile now about the Emergent Movement and its deemphasis on doctrinal importance and over emphasis on social awareness. While I don't deny their concern that the Church can be negligent in its awareness of and involvement in the world around them, their belief that Christianity is simply a salvation prayer followed by Christians uniting to solve the wrongs of the world is grossly erroneous. To them Scriptural doctrine is some unnecessary idea that just creates arguments between uppity intellectual Christians who care nothing for the world around them.
What they don't understand is that knowing Scripture and doctrine IS knowing Christ. Christianity and salvation is not just saying a prayer. In order to properly understand and live one's faith requires intense study of Scripture. Living one's faith will and should involve caring about and being involved in the world around us, but we can't do that until after we begin to understand the Scriptures God gave us.
If you want to be socially aware, that's all well and good, but if you're not actually going to understand what Christianity is all about, then you're no different than any non-Christian out there who volunteers their time to lend a hand in the community, so there's no reason to mask your environmental concerns as Christianity. The Emergents want to put the cart before the horse, and that breakdown in logic is bound for failure.
Another erroneous "form" of Christianity I have just recently become aware of is Christian Mysticism. This seems to be, for the most part, an off shoot of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. These movements have always been problematic because of their poor understanding of Acts Chapter 2. On top of this, Charismatics often times base the depth of their faith on how emotional they can get during a worship service and demand signs and wonders from God, or they won't believe his existence. The flaw in logic here should be very apparent.
However, Christian Mysticism adds a new wrinkle to this idea that is even worse. Christian Mysticism is an attempt to fuse Eastern Mysticism with Christianity. So, not only are the people practicing this adding to Scripture, which is already spoken against in the Bible, but they are also attempting to add a pagan flavor to Christianity. Paganism and Christianity will never work together because at their favor base they are in opposition to each other. This is a very dangerous place to play and Pastors who are leading their flocks in this direction should be ashamed of themselves.
What is wrong with Christians today? Why is Scripture no longer sufficient? In a recent chat room discussion about Christian Mysticism I was involved in, Christians were actually defending this. The conversation went something like this:
Person 1: "I can't believe this guy on this forum has a problem with Christian Mysticism. After all, it is Christian Mysticism."
Me: "I'm sorry, but I see no Scriptural support for Christian Mysticism."
Person 2: [link to wikipedia article on Christian Mysticism] "See, there's Scriptural support. It's very similar to what Charismatics practice."
Me: "That is a complete misinterpretation of Scripture and the Charismatics have no Scriptural support for their practices either, in my opinion."
Person 2: "Well, I think we need to look deeper and not just judge things on the surface. After all, if their focus is on Christ, we shouldn't judge what they do."
Me: "If their focus is on Christ, then they should want to follow what Scripture says about worshiping Christ, not say 'We're doing whatever the hell we want...but it's alright, because our main focus is Christ.'"
What they don't understand is that knowing Scripture and doctrine IS knowing Christ. Christianity and salvation is not just saying a prayer. In order to properly understand and live one's faith requires intense study of Scripture. Living one's faith will and should involve caring about and being involved in the world around us, but we can't do that until after we begin to understand the Scriptures God gave us.
If you want to be socially aware, that's all well and good, but if you're not actually going to understand what Christianity is all about, then you're no different than any non-Christian out there who volunteers their time to lend a hand in the community, so there's no reason to mask your environmental concerns as Christianity. The Emergents want to put the cart before the horse, and that breakdown in logic is bound for failure.
Another erroneous "form" of Christianity I have just recently become aware of is Christian Mysticism. This seems to be, for the most part, an off shoot of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. These movements have always been problematic because of their poor understanding of Acts Chapter 2. On top of this, Charismatics often times base the depth of their faith on how emotional they can get during a worship service and demand signs and wonders from God, or they won't believe his existence. The flaw in logic here should be very apparent.
However, Christian Mysticism adds a new wrinkle to this idea that is even worse. Christian Mysticism is an attempt to fuse Eastern Mysticism with Christianity. So, not only are the people practicing this adding to Scripture, which is already spoken against in the Bible, but they are also attempting to add a pagan flavor to Christianity. Paganism and Christianity will never work together because at their favor base they are in opposition to each other. This is a very dangerous place to play and Pastors who are leading their flocks in this direction should be ashamed of themselves.
What is wrong with Christians today? Why is Scripture no longer sufficient? In a recent chat room discussion about Christian Mysticism I was involved in, Christians were actually defending this. The conversation went something like this:
Person 1: "I can't believe this guy on this forum has a problem with Christian Mysticism. After all, it is Christian Mysticism."
Me: "I'm sorry, but I see no Scriptural support for Christian Mysticism."
Person 2: [link to wikipedia article on Christian Mysticism] "See, there's Scriptural support. It's very similar to what Charismatics practice."
Me: "That is a complete misinterpretation of Scripture and the Charismatics have no Scriptural support for their practices either, in my opinion."
Person 2: "Well, I think we need to look deeper and not just judge things on the surface. After all, if their focus is on Christ, we shouldn't judge what they do."
Me: "If their focus is on Christ, then they should want to follow what Scripture says about worshiping Christ, not say 'We're doing whatever the hell we want...but it's alright, because our main focus is Christ.'"
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Man-made Dogma
I've been sick for about a week now, so my sleep patterns have been really off the wall. Because of this, I was awake at 3 am this morning and decided to go grocery shopping at Walmart. I was in a Five Iron Frenzy mood, so I grabbed "The End Is Near" to listen to during the drive. I really wanted to hear "New Years Eve", since it's pretty much a tradition now for me to listen to that song during the New Year.
While jumping around different tracks on the album while in the car, I ended up listening to "Something Like Laughter". The song is basically about about a "girl who's lost her way". She's trying to find meaning in her life and struggling with her faith and the world around her. The chorus is basically a prayer for the girl to see the glory and wonder of God. I can relate to this (as I'm sure most true Christians can) because there was a time when I was also struggling with my faith and God stepped in and revealed Himself to me, which propelled me out of the rut I had fallen in.
I have heard this song many times before and I think it is one of the most moving, beautiful songs Five Iron Frenzy has ever written. While listening to it this time, however, one particular lyric really struck me: "searching for more than mere lies disguised as dogma". This got me thinking about the state of the church. What does the church claim as doctrinal dogma that is no such thing?
Sure some particular denominations are legalistic, and that would fit the profile. However, during this election season, it really got me thinking about politics. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the vast majority of Christians believe that voting Republican is Bibilically mandated. Now, I'm not a Democrat, but any person with half a brain can see the flaw in this line of thinking.
Understandably, certain moral issues are discussed rather specifically in the Bible and the Republicans stance on several of these issues is on the side of Christianity. However, it doesn't follow that being a Christian equals being a Republican. This will be the first election I am strongly considering voting for Independents in the election. In fact, there is only one Republican I would support: Ron Paul. While the Evangelicals are falling all over Mike Huckabee, he does not truly stand for The Constitution and has a questionable past as governor of Arkansas.
I do not mean for this to be all about voting for Ron Paul. This is a decision I have come to for various reasons. I just hope that during this year's election Christians at least consider their voting options before blindly vote for Republicans. Do a little research, and it is very clear that the Republican Party is not pro-Christian, it is pro-votes. In other words, they care little for your beliefs and care more that they appear to support your issues so you will vote for them.
While jumping around different tracks on the album while in the car, I ended up listening to "Something Like Laughter". The song is basically about about a "girl who's lost her way". She's trying to find meaning in her life and struggling with her faith and the world around her. The chorus is basically a prayer for the girl to see the glory and wonder of God. I can relate to this (as I'm sure most true Christians can) because there was a time when I was also struggling with my faith and God stepped in and revealed Himself to me, which propelled me out of the rut I had fallen in.
I have heard this song many times before and I think it is one of the most moving, beautiful songs Five Iron Frenzy has ever written. While listening to it this time, however, one particular lyric really struck me: "searching for more than mere lies disguised as dogma". This got me thinking about the state of the church. What does the church claim as doctrinal dogma that is no such thing?
Sure some particular denominations are legalistic, and that would fit the profile. However, during this election season, it really got me thinking about politics. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the vast majority of Christians believe that voting Republican is Bibilically mandated. Now, I'm not a Democrat, but any person with half a brain can see the flaw in this line of thinking.
Understandably, certain moral issues are discussed rather specifically in the Bible and the Republicans stance on several of these issues is on the side of Christianity. However, it doesn't follow that being a Christian equals being a Republican. This will be the first election I am strongly considering voting for Independents in the election. In fact, there is only one Republican I would support: Ron Paul. While the Evangelicals are falling all over Mike Huckabee, he does not truly stand for The Constitution and has a questionable past as governor of Arkansas.
I do not mean for this to be all about voting for Ron Paul. This is a decision I have come to for various reasons. I just hope that during this year's election Christians at least consider their voting options before blindly vote for Republicans. Do a little research, and it is very clear that the Republican Party is not pro-Christian, it is pro-votes. In other words, they care little for your beliefs and care more that they appear to support your issues so you will vote for them.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Amazing!
Because I'm such a huge football fan and this is one of the most ridiculous plays I have ever seen...
Saturday, October 27, 2007
My sister's music video
My sister Janna is very interested in photography and film. She tried her hand at making a music video, and I thought it turned out pretty well, so I'm posting it here.
The song is "Merry Go Round" by PFR.
The song is "Merry Go Round" by PFR.
Friday, October 12, 2007
The state of modern "Christian" music
Christian artists that have been heavily promoted by the Christian music industry since the early 90s have been, in my opinion, mediocre at best. Sure, most of the artists that came out of the 70s and 80s could be a little cheesy at times, but at least they had, in general, a strong Biblical foundation on which to base their lyrics.
Most of the musicians who have been promoted in the Christian market since the explosion of alternative bands in the early 90s were not only trying to emulate the musical trends of the times (although they always seemed to be a bit behind the curve), but the lyrics started to become watered down as well. The problem was two fold: many of the upcoming young artists did not have a strong Biblical foundation, and there was also a shift in focus to become pallatable enough to attempt to crack the mainstream market.
While there were probably good intentions involved, this has caused the Christian music industry to become shallow and weak. Many of the major Christian labels either folded, leaving the artists they had signed suddenly unemployed, or sold out to larger mainstream labels who realized that they could make a decent profit off of Christian music. However, the focus of the mainstream labels snuffed out the Christian artists who wrote with a strong, Biblical intent. It would take several years before these artists could carve out enough of a niche to have any kind of impact again.
The mainstream labels intended to turn the Christian market into a smaller version of what they already had in the mainstream market, except they would be able to package many of these artists in such a way that they would be able to make money off of Christians who opposed listening to mainstream music. Viola! These labels now had a very sizable consumer sector in their back pocket and could make even more money than before.
Thus we have come to the sad state of Christian music today. The majority of the promoted Christian artists now don't look any different or sound any different than mainstream artists, but they throw that vague spiritual reference in every now and then, which allows them to separate themselves just enough to make them seem different. Thus, we are left with a Christian market that promotes mini-mainstream artists with watered down lyrics.
One band that I have a love/hate relationship with is Skillet. I love the energy of this band; they are quite an enjoyable live band, and they really do mean well. However, they tend to take their enthusiasm a bit far at times to a point where it rubs me the wrong way. Three songs in particular, "Obsession," "Better Than Drugs" and "Comatose," really irritate me.
"Obsession" is a song about being obsessed with God, and although in a sense this is how we want to be, the choice of words really irks me. Here are some lyrics from the song:
"You're my only infatuation
Don't leave me stranded
In my obsession"
First of all, the word "obsess" has a bit of negative connotation, i.e. you are overly interested in something to the point of it being unhealthy. I'd never want to describe my relationship with God as being too interested in it. Secondly, the fact that the lyricist is actually asking God not to leave him stranded is Biblically flawed. God has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6), so pleading not to be left stranded in one's obsession with God is quite a bit of a theological faux pas.
"Better Than Drugs" and "Comatose" both compare a relationship with God to being addicted to drugs, but better. Here are lyrics from "Better Than Drugs":
"You're better than drugs
Your love is like wine
Feel you comin' on so fast
Feel you comin' to get me high"
And lyrics from "Comatose":
"Comatose
I will never wake up without
An overdose of you"
Putting aside the fact that comparing God to a drug addiction (which is another negative connotation) is bordering on sacrelige, do we really want to be promoting a relationship with God like this to Christian teens and young adults? Maybe it's even worse that non-Christians are hearing this and then looking for that "God high." A relationship with God should not be comparable to a drug high. It shouldn't be a high at all. Granted we have highs and lows in our faith, but pursuing a "high on God" to get us through a tough time should not be our intent.
While no one expects the Christian industry to break new ground musically, their blatant ripoffs of popular trends in the mainstream sector is appalling and well behind the curve of popularity. Christian music's first grunge band, Grammatrain, came on the scene in 1995, just in time to completely miss the grunge movement, as it began to fade in 1994 with the dowfall of Kurt Cobain. The mainstream market has teen pop idols Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore? The Christian market responds three years later with Rachel Lampa and Stacie Orrico. The Christian Music industry even tried to jump on the boy band train with Plus One, but was still even later to react to that musical trend.
A modern example of a blatant mainstream ripoff is Krystal Meyers. Take her song "Anticonformity": it has a great message for teens about not conforming to the ways of the world. While nothing new, this is one of those ideas that constantly needs to be reinforced. But then came the music video accompanying her single. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought it was Avril Lavigne's new video. It was shot very similar to an Avril video, and Miss Meyers was sporting the new faux punk look that is oh so popular these days, just like Avril does. Wait a minute, doesn't that contradict the message of her song? I thought we weren't conforming, but apparently pretending to be Avril Lavigne and sporting the most popular "look" of today's teen culture isn't conforming.
We need to stop letting the Christian music industry feed us this trash they call art, and demand they focus on providing us with artists that have substance, both musically and lyrically. Stop buying music from the Christian bookstores and start looking for the independent artists that are willing to sacrifice making money to provide those who will listen with quality music and a quality message.
Most of the musicians who have been promoted in the Christian market since the explosion of alternative bands in the early 90s were not only trying to emulate the musical trends of the times (although they always seemed to be a bit behind the curve), but the lyrics started to become watered down as well. The problem was two fold: many of the upcoming young artists did not have a strong Biblical foundation, and there was also a shift in focus to become pallatable enough to attempt to crack the mainstream market.
While there were probably good intentions involved, this has caused the Christian music industry to become shallow and weak. Many of the major Christian labels either folded, leaving the artists they had signed suddenly unemployed, or sold out to larger mainstream labels who realized that they could make a decent profit off of Christian music. However, the focus of the mainstream labels snuffed out the Christian artists who wrote with a strong, Biblical intent. It would take several years before these artists could carve out enough of a niche to have any kind of impact again.
The mainstream labels intended to turn the Christian market into a smaller version of what they already had in the mainstream market, except they would be able to package many of these artists in such a way that they would be able to make money off of Christians who opposed listening to mainstream music. Viola! These labels now had a very sizable consumer sector in their back pocket and could make even more money than before.
Thus we have come to the sad state of Christian music today. The majority of the promoted Christian artists now don't look any different or sound any different than mainstream artists, but they throw that vague spiritual reference in every now and then, which allows them to separate themselves just enough to make them seem different. Thus, we are left with a Christian market that promotes mini-mainstream artists with watered down lyrics.
One band that I have a love/hate relationship with is Skillet. I love the energy of this band; they are quite an enjoyable live band, and they really do mean well. However, they tend to take their enthusiasm a bit far at times to a point where it rubs me the wrong way. Three songs in particular, "Obsession," "Better Than Drugs" and "Comatose," really irritate me.
"Obsession" is a song about being obsessed with God, and although in a sense this is how we want to be, the choice of words really irks me. Here are some lyrics from the song:
"You're my only infatuation
Don't leave me stranded
In my obsession"
First of all, the word "obsess" has a bit of negative connotation, i.e. you are overly interested in something to the point of it being unhealthy. I'd never want to describe my relationship with God as being too interested in it. Secondly, the fact that the lyricist is actually asking God not to leave him stranded is Biblically flawed. God has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6), so pleading not to be left stranded in one's obsession with God is quite a bit of a theological faux pas.
"Better Than Drugs" and "Comatose" both compare a relationship with God to being addicted to drugs, but better. Here are lyrics from "Better Than Drugs":
"You're better than drugs
Your love is like wine
Feel you comin' on so fast
Feel you comin' to get me high"
And lyrics from "Comatose":
"Comatose
I will never wake up without
An overdose of you"
Putting aside the fact that comparing God to a drug addiction (which is another negative connotation) is bordering on sacrelige, do we really want to be promoting a relationship with God like this to Christian teens and young adults? Maybe it's even worse that non-Christians are hearing this and then looking for that "God high." A relationship with God should not be comparable to a drug high. It shouldn't be a high at all. Granted we have highs and lows in our faith, but pursuing a "high on God" to get us through a tough time should not be our intent.
While no one expects the Christian industry to break new ground musically, their blatant ripoffs of popular trends in the mainstream sector is appalling and well behind the curve of popularity. Christian music's first grunge band, Grammatrain, came on the scene in 1995, just in time to completely miss the grunge movement, as it began to fade in 1994 with the dowfall of Kurt Cobain. The mainstream market has teen pop idols Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore? The Christian market responds three years later with Rachel Lampa and Stacie Orrico. The Christian Music industry even tried to jump on the boy band train with Plus One, but was still even later to react to that musical trend.
A modern example of a blatant mainstream ripoff is Krystal Meyers. Take her song "Anticonformity": it has a great message for teens about not conforming to the ways of the world. While nothing new, this is one of those ideas that constantly needs to be reinforced. But then came the music video accompanying her single. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought it was Avril Lavigne's new video. It was shot very similar to an Avril video, and Miss Meyers was sporting the new faux punk look that is oh so popular these days, just like Avril does. Wait a minute, doesn't that contradict the message of her song? I thought we weren't conforming, but apparently pretending to be Avril Lavigne and sporting the most popular "look" of today's teen culture isn't conforming.
We need to stop letting the Christian music industry feed us this trash they call art, and demand they focus on providing us with artists that have substance, both musically and lyrically. Stop buying music from the Christian bookstores and start looking for the independent artists that are willing to sacrifice making money to provide those who will listen with quality music and a quality message.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
What's More Inhumane?
Ever since the Michael Vick scandal broke, I have been reading sports sites (mostly thesportingnews.com) to see what other people's thoughts were. For those of you who don't know, Michael Vick, the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL and one of the league's biggest icons, was indicted last month on a host of charges including dogfighting, gambling, and animal abuse. Some of these inhumane acts included eloctrocuting, drowning, hanging, and shooting dogs (mostly pitbulls) that lost fights or couldn't make the cut. Michael Vick has just pleaded guilty to these charges and is facing up to three years in prison as well as fines of up to $250,000.
Now, I have never been a fan of Michael Vick. I have always thought he was a bad role model for kids who went out and bought his jerseys and athletic wear. He wasn't a team player, he was a locker room cancer, and he got coaches firerd because of his attitude and unwillingness to do what he was asked. Yet, because of his phenomenal athletic ability and his status of "cash cow" for both his team and the NFL, everyone has bent over backwards to cater to his needs and wants. If you know me then you know that I have a problem with all of these things. However, that does not mean that I am willing to blast him the way I've seen about 97% of the comments and blogs I've read about him have done.
In all my life, I have never seen more vicious attacks on a person. Dog lovers and PETA members are coming out of the woodwork to protest Vick's actions, as well they should. However, calling for him to be treated the same way the dogs he tortured and killed is, in my opinion, uncalled for. What Vick did was inexcusable and he is being punished for his crimes. Even the NFL is taking a firm stance, as Vick will likely see a lifetime ban from the league. I think, though, that my biggest issue with these comments lies in the fact that people are more willing to viciously defend dogs than they are human being.
Where are the people clammering for abortionist doctors to be vacuumed through a hose using the same procedure they perform on a unborn babies? I am in no way condoning this, and I doubt even those who are calling for Vick to be drowned wouldn't be able to bring themselves to do it if they were put in a room with him and a tub filled with water. What I am saying is that I am saddened that we have come to a point in society where when a dog is treated poorly, it is considered more inhumane than when a baby is disturbingly murdered. It's times like these that make me so glad we are under the rule of a righteous God and not held accountable by an unruly mob of our peers who have no basis for deciding what is right and wrong.
Now, I have never been a fan of Michael Vick. I have always thought he was a bad role model for kids who went out and bought his jerseys and athletic wear. He wasn't a team player, he was a locker room cancer, and he got coaches firerd because of his attitude and unwillingness to do what he was asked. Yet, because of his phenomenal athletic ability and his status of "cash cow" for both his team and the NFL, everyone has bent over backwards to cater to his needs and wants. If you know me then you know that I have a problem with all of these things. However, that does not mean that I am willing to blast him the way I've seen about 97% of the comments and blogs I've read about him have done.
In all my life, I have never seen more vicious attacks on a person. Dog lovers and PETA members are coming out of the woodwork to protest Vick's actions, as well they should. However, calling for him to be treated the same way the dogs he tortured and killed is, in my opinion, uncalled for. What Vick did was inexcusable and he is being punished for his crimes. Even the NFL is taking a firm stance, as Vick will likely see a lifetime ban from the league. I think, though, that my biggest issue with these comments lies in the fact that people are more willing to viciously defend dogs than they are human being.
Where are the people clammering for abortionist doctors to be vacuumed through a hose using the same procedure they perform on a unborn babies? I am in no way condoning this, and I doubt even those who are calling for Vick to be drowned wouldn't be able to bring themselves to do it if they were put in a room with him and a tub filled with water. What I am saying is that I am saddened that we have come to a point in society where when a dog is treated poorly, it is considered more inhumane than when a baby is disturbingly murdered. It's times like these that make me so glad we are under the rule of a righteous God and not held accountable by an unruly mob of our peers who have no basis for deciding what is right and wrong.
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