UPDATE: I thought of one more song as an example of what the “world” is thinking about life. I added the song “Where is the Love” by the Black Eyed Peas.
One of my emerging (not as in emergent, but becoming) new favorite theologians is Karl Barth. Among his many quotables, he said Christians need to live “with the Bible in one hand, and the newspaper in the other.”
So true! We Christians need to move through life with one ear and eye to the Scriptures and the others toward what is happening in the world. I would contemporize his wisdom, though, by saying we need to live as Christians with the Bible in one hand and an iPod in the other.
Have you listened to the prophets and poets of our world lately? Do you purposefully watch MTV or VH1 as a means to missionally understand the context in which Jesus has placed you? When was the last time you read Wired, SPIN, Rolling Stone Magazine and the like in an effort to take the pulse of our American postmodern culture so that you can more effectively, missionally engage our emerging postmodern culture?
If you answered a big fat “no” to these questions, shame on you (in a big brother sort of way!) 🙂
How do you expect to be Jesus to your world if you don’t even know what she cares about or the questions she is asking?
Technorati Tags: christianity, church, culture, emerging church, indigo girls, ipod, karl barth, missional, papa roach, black eyed peas, rent
Consider these words of hopelessness and nihlstic existentialism in the song “Last Resort” by on the Infest album by Papa Roach:
I never realized I was spread too thin
Till it was too late
And I was empty within
Hungry!
Feeding on chaos
And living in sin
Downward spiral where do I begin?
It all started when I lost my mother
No love for myself
And no love for another.
Searching to find a love up on a higher level
Finding nothing but questions and devils.
Or how about these lyrics in the song “Closer to Fine” by those “fine” postmodern, pluralistic prophetesses The Indigo Girls:
Im trying to tell you something about my life
Maybe give me insight between black and white
And the best thing youve ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously
Its only life after all
YeahWell darkness has a hunger thats insatiable
And lightness has a call thats hard to hear
I wrap my fear around me like a blanket
I sailed my ship of safety till I sank it
Im crawling on your shoresI went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
Theres more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fineAnd I went to see the doctor of philosophy
With a poster of rasputin and a beard down to his knee
He never did marry or see a b-grade movie
He graded my performance, he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind
Got my paper and I was freeI went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
Theres more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
The less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fineI stopped by the bar at 3 a.m.
To seek solace in a bottle or possibly a friend
And I woke up with a headache like my head against a board
Twice as cloudy as Id been the night before
And I went in seeking clarity.I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
Yeah we go to the doctor, we go to the mountains
We look to the children, we drink from the fountains
Yeah we go to the bible, we go through the workout
We read up on revival and we stand up for the lookout
Theres more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
The less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine
One final example, the lyrics from the Finale B song in the astounding rock opera Rent! musical:
MARK
There Is No Future – There Is No PastROGER
Thank God This Moments Not The LastMIMI & ROGER
There’s Only Us
There’s Only This
Forget Regret Or Life Is Yours To MissALL
No Other Road No Other Way
No Day But TodayWOMEN
I Can’t ControlMy Destiny
I Trust My Soul
My Only Goal
Is Just To BeWithout You
The Hand Gropes
The Ear Hears
The Pulse Beats
Life Goes On
But I’m Gone
Cause I Die
Without You
I Die Without You
I Die Without You
I Die Without You
I Die Without You
I Die Without YouALL
No Day But TodayMEN
Will I Lose My Dignity
Will Someone Care
Will I Wake Tomorrow
From This NightmareThere’s Only Now
There’s Only Here
Give In To Love
Or Live In Fear
No Other Path
No Other Way
No Day But TodayNo Day But Today
No Day But Today
No Day But Today
No Day But Today
No Day But TodayAll
No Day But Today
One more song. “Where is the Love” by the Black Eyed Peas:
What’s wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamas
I think the whole worlds addicted to the drama
Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma
Overseas yeah we tryin to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin
In the USA the big CIA the Bloodz and the Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And if you hatin you’re bound to get irate
Yeah madness is what you demonstrate
And that’s exactly how anger works and operates
You gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love y’allPeople killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the love2x)It just ain’t the same all ways have changed
New days are strange is the world the insane?
If love and peace so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don’t belong
Nations dropping bombs
Chemical gases filling lungs of little ones
With ongoing suffering
As the youth die young
So ask yourself is the loving really strong?
So I can ask myself really what is going wrong
With this world that we living in
People keep on giving in
Makin wrong decisions
Only visions of them livin and
Not respecting each other
Deny thy brother
The wars’ going on but the reasons’ undercover
The truth is kept secret
Swept under the rug
If you never know truth
Then you never know love
Where’s the love y’all?(I don’t know)
Where’s the truth y’all?(I don’t know)
Where’s the love y’all?People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father father father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the lovex2)I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I’m getting older y’all people get colder
Most of us only care about money makin
Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what the see in the cinema
Whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness and equality
Instead of spreading love, we’re spreading anomosity
Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity
That’s the reason why sometimes I’m feeling under
That’s the reason why sometimes I’m feeling down
It’s no wonder why sometimes I’m feeling under
I gotta keep my faith alive, until love is foundPeople killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(fade)
Can you see how these pieces reflect the broader currents of culture? What do these songs say about the state of mind of postmodern America? What are her values, fears, hopes, dreams and points of disgust? Have you ever thought of your iPod as a (in)valuable missional barometer?
Sure, it’s all well and good to do life with your Bible and Jesus. Obviously. But are you doing life with the world around you? Are you doing life with your iPod and the poets and prophets/prophetesses of our day?
Just a friendly reminder to stay in touch with Jesus AND Eminem 😉
-jeremy
I think it is amazing how you can take a barth quote and then jump to watching MTV and VH1 and listening to the Indigo Girls, which I greatly enjoyed before I was saved.
http://urbanreformer.com/archives/37
http://urbanreformer.com/archives/32
Read these let me know your thoughts?
In His Mercy,
Jason
Hey Jason!
Not sure if your “amazing” is in appreciation or derision of my use of Barth 🙂 It’s all good all the same!
Thanks for posting those links and I’ll check them out.
-jeremy
ps-glad you stuck around after your comment on my piper post 😉 welcome to the conversation brother!
dude, you don’t think ‘relevance’ is a buzz word?
YES…it is a buzz word. But the wrong one for this conversation! I wrote a post a few years ago that I’m going to resurrect which makes a stark distinction between relevant vs. missional. I agree that the church suffers from relevantitis (new word, btw!) and is bone dry on the missional vitamins…
-jeremy
Jeremy,
Excellent call to missional engagement with the world just as Jesus and the Apostle Paul modelled for us.
Implicit in the criticisms to this post ( I read the links from Jason above) is the reading of “unholiness” into intentional engagement with the culture. MacArthur’s talk was pathetic in this regard. Holiness in not primarily about actions or attitudes (“behavior”); holiness is about identity (“being”). Jesus–the Holy One of Israel–intentionally mixed it up with unholy types and Paul made the mixing up a favored trait of his ministry.
The second error is the belief that culture (aka “grunge” acc/ to MacArthur) is mightier than holiness. It’s the old fear that sin will conquer righteousness; that darkness will overcome the light. That holiness is a fierce and strong reality is lost on these culture-fearers and -avoiders. They live as theological and practical monastics as far as culture is concerned. Jason comment about his pre-conversion listening habits tips his hand to this error. Sad.
Thirdly, these criticizers of your post think that they are standing firm for the-kingdom-of-God-culture when in fact they are perpetuating good old middle class American values that they want to maintain. They are blind to their own captivity to Americanized modernistic evangelicalism.
Keep up the good work and writing.
J, GREAT challenge to all believers here. I’m glad you’re ‘out the box’ 🙂
Tim 4:7-12: “exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach.”
1 Tim 4:12: “….be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
1 Tim 4:16: “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
James 1: 21-22: “21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
James 1: 26-27: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
Rom ch 1-11- We’re all scum deserving nothingness than Hell, but Christ so loves you He died for you anyway because everything is for His glory 12v1 therefore…..
12 v1 “….present your bodies [all of you, your eyes, body and every thought] a living sacrifice, holy [set apart from the world and to God embracing and being obedient to His will], acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed [shaped and molded by] to this world [basically anything that goes against the will of God, the ideals, morals, etc of this age], but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Not because of a monastic legalism but because of the love of Christ it’s each brothers reasonable service to do this.
When you are born again you begin to hate sin, as you grow, your hate for sin grows with you. You if think you can still hold in one hand the sin and watch it and it not affect your spirit man then I believe you’re deceiving yourself. If we are not moving toward Christ in sanctification then we are being corrupted by this world, everything wants the place of God……
Hey Jason!
So you proved your ability to quote verses and prooftext, bravo 🙂
Seriously, though, I’m not exactly sure what any of these passages of Scripture have to do with my post on our need to missionally engage with the world by listening to, learning from, and linking to the community around us. I’m not at all suggesting we participate in the Way of this world.
At all.
What I am saying reflects the exact practice of Paul with the Athenians: let’s be aware of what the rest of the world is talking about, dreaming about, worrying about, hoping for and fearing, in an effort to be all things to all people. And whether you like it or not, the poets and prophets of our day are in pop-culture.
Also, one more thing: are you asserting that culture itself is sin? How can a piece of art be sin? How can a song be sin? Why do I have to hate art and culture if I am a follower of Jesus? Why can I not follow Jesus and enjoy/listen to culture?
This is what Jesus said was sin: not loving God or not loving others.
To say that listening to the Black Eyed Peas or reading SPIN is corrupting is a bit over the top, at best. To label anything outside of the Christian religious borders as sin is hyperbole. Sure they may not be followers of Jesus, but that doesn’t mean they are by default corrupting; simply because they haven’t signed up for Team Church doesn’t mean there isn’t truth in their words.
Thanks for commenting, Jason, but maybe you could explain your point a bit more, rather than just flinging verses out left and right which have a confusing purpose to the topic…
-jeremy
No I’m not saying culture is a sin, what I am say is the gospel alone stands by itself. In other words I don’t believe that there is a need to be so “in-tune” with culture when that is the easy part. You walk outside your home and you take a bath in culture, you turn the tv on for 5 minutes an you’ve had yourself a culture shower, it does not take long to know where your culture is at and how far away much of culture is from bringing Glory to God. All no but much yes, our culture is a product of our Faith either we believe in the system of this world and we are living by it or we believe in Christ. There are but two options really. So what I’m saying is that most people have a far greater need to understand doctrine and truth before they leap off the end of their newspapers into MTV or VH1 or the Indigo girls, there is a much greater need to study the Bible, what God says in His word than there is to pay such creedence to what’s on the latest pop magizine. Do we think more highly of what God says or do we somehow think that mixing our minds in the sinfulness of much of culture helps us bring it into anymore context? Do we believe that we have something to offer God? The answer is God is in charge and he will harden, and soften whom he will Romans 9. But we are to be the means of Gods grace sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. In the context of where you live. Most Christians aren’t doing even that but they are attempting to make the Gospel somehow look cool enough to the world to make it attractive. Much time is spent on removing the offense of the cross. Much time is spent identifying the coolest latest Emerging thought and little time is spent meditating on His word.
Proof texting? Legalism? Antinomianist always claim adhereance to God’s word is legalism. Obedience is legalism. Even if it’s not by works righteousness but by the Love of Christ. By the longing desire to know, to Love God, to be more near him than this world.
So Jeremy I heard you say something in one of your pod cast, to the affect of, and I’m paraphrasing….. “Is the gospel just that Jesus died on the cross for our sins…. or is it something more broad, something ….” As if the gospel as some how changed, and the understanding that God’s given men over time isn’t now good enough. Oh as you say not to change the gospel but to “understand” it differently? — to understand it differently is to change it Jeremy and the word ” Just ” in your statement helps bring to light that there is to a great degree in yourself a lack of seeing your own sinfulness,…. somehow you must believe that there need be more to the gospel than Jesus Died to pay your sin debt…….
Signing off my friend until next time….
In His Mercy,
Jason
Have a listen to this for Me Jeremy and comment? 🙂
http://www.sermonaudio.com/play.asp?ID=923071819562&sourceID=fcckc
Hey Brother Jason 🙂
Thanks for your involvement in my site and for clarifying…I especially applaud your heart for followers of Jesus to get a better grasp on His Way (doctrine as you eluded to…), the words of God, and church history. We as His followers must FIRST sit in His teachings, and them alone, before we venture out to missionally understanding our culture. If you’re confused by what I mean by missional (which I think is happening) I would encourage you to read through http://www.friendofmissional.org. I think that would be helpful…
Also, I think we are talking in large part past each other because we define the gospel differently. Jason, the gospel HAS NOT CHANGED. Agreed. But the Western American understanding of the Gospel (Jesus saves me from my sins so I can go to heaven to be with God forever) is NOT the FULL gospel. It is a tinnie-tinny drop of the larger Pacific-Ocean size glorious good news of Jesus and His way.
You think I’m wrong? Answer me this: what did Jesus say the gospel is.
Dont default to Paul or Piper or Romans Road or 4 Spiritual Laws. What did Jesus say?
I wont answer yet…but I and plenty of others would say HIS version is vastly different that the Western American version of it. Everything about Jesus dying for our sin and forgiving our sin and giving us salvation by grace through faith is all true. But it is an incomplete understanding of the gospel (and this is a larger conversation so if you are ever in Grand Rapids, MI we’ll have to get a beer and chat it up [or coffee if that’s your thing!]).
So anyway…I think if you read all of my stuff maybe you’ll get a fuller understanding of what I mean about this post and our interaction with culture and our need to bring a fuller, juicer gospel to it. Thanks for your perspective and BIG thanks for thinking my stuff is worthy enough of a respons 🙂
-jeremy
Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved …
Can Faith Without Works Save?
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
It is a change accomplished by God and altogether apart from human effort or deserving, for the very faith which is the instrument in uniting the sinner to Christ is itself a gift: ‘By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God’ (Eph. 2:8)
‘To be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth’, (1 Tim. 2:4).
2 Cor. 5:17, Old things have passed away; all things are new
To believe in the atonement of sin of man, as man removes self from the throne and, enthrones Jesus upon the throne of his/her life. This is Grace of God being sufficient, and there is no need to add to this felt need gospel. Christ died for God, to reconcile the world to Himself. We deserved death, while we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly. His death and resurrection are enough there is no need to seek after God to see what we can obtain from Him.
Jason
http://UrbanReformer.com
Excellent post!! I completely agree with you about using pop culture as a way of understanding who the church (we) is (are) reaching out to. Im getting my undegrad right now and one of the things we talk about in my intercultural studies and sociology classes is how important it is to let people, movements, and things of this nature SELF-identify. THEY must identify to us who they are until we see it clearly. Music, television, xbox games….they all are methods of speaking to us about who they-themselves are.
And I LOVED the comments by John Frye…great insights!
I know this is an older post, but I really enjoyed it!
I like your worldview- much closer to Christs’ than our current “christian” culture.
hey thanks for the affirmation Kevin! I love how the internet works: old posts can make new connections…how cool 🙂