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Christian music has changed a lot since it first entered the scene. When I was younger, there were only a few bands to pick from unless you were into old timey gospel music.
I remember my parents having only a few records of Christian Music, and if you didn’t like Amy Grant then your music choices were cut in half. In spite of this limited selection I was told that I should only listen to Christian Music. That was a problem for me because I didn’t really like anything I heard.
It wasn’t that I didn’t love Jesus; I just didn’t like the songs or the style of music that was available. As I grew older, Christian music went through an incredible transformation and began to explode on the radio and in the stores.
Suddenly you didn’t just have a few popular bands; now you could find Christian music in almost any style. Christian pop has become increasingly popular and influential with their songs, even being adapted into Sunday Morning services
When I was a teenager, some older Christians suggested that I get rid of all my secular music. They convinced me that any song that didn’t sing about Jesus must be of the devil. There was no scriptural argument for that position, but they pushed the issue so much that I finally gave in and threw it all away. That lasted about a month, and then I went back out and bought all my old tapes again.
Silly as it might seem, this became a place where I struggled for sometime. I felt like less of a Christian because I wasn’t up-to-date on the latest musical trends. All I wanted to do was listen to Bob Dylan whose music moved me in a way most Christian music had not. I felt like I had to keep my musical preferences hidden in fear that people might think I am immature in my faith.
It wasn’t until later that I realized why I always had conflict in this area. The truth is, I don’t believe there is such a thing as Christian Music.
That may sound strange so allow me to clarify. I’m in a church while writing this, but the chair I’m sitting on is not a “Christian” chair. The word Christian is a noun not an adjective. Jesus didn’t die on the cross to save pop music; He died to save people who sometimes make pop music. There can be a danger when we make the word Christian an adjective.
There are many books that are labeled Christian that teach things that are contrary to the truth of Scripture. There can be music labeled Christian that teaches false truths as well.
We often slap that word onto things to let people know that whatever is inside is safe and palatable. We’ve turned it into a label that gets applied to things so you don’t have to question it. But Christianity was never meant to be a simple label; it is a role that all of us are called to live out by our words and actions.
Sometimes I listen to Christians who make music. It took a long time, but there are now bands that fit my musical tastes.
I like French Canadian folk music, so I have never had a wide range of options when it comes to finding music. The singers are Christian and sometimes their songs are about Christ.
But I want to be careful how I label things, so that I don’t allow junk food into my heart and mind simply because someone else has slapped the label Christian onto it.
By now, the raucous back-and-forth bickering on social media about Gillette’s “Toxic Masculinity” commercial has subsided. Yet the raucous back-and-forth online bickering continues apace.
There is something in Twitter and other forms of social media that has given added opportunities to a toxic side of humanity. A toxic side that not only believes the worst about other people, but one that brings out the worst in people. And I think I know, as least partly, why that is.
The Book of Proverbs, which is a study in wisdom and human nature, says “A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards” (Prov. 29:11). Another translation says, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.”
Very few on social media are holding anything back these days. With smartphone technology and nearly universal Internet connectivity at our constant disposal, self-control is really the only thing standing in the way between people uttering their mind.
Many people—myself included—utter our minds with words, reactions, tweets, shares, likes, photos and videos. The instantaneous nature of it all leads toward making problems worse. Christians, in particular, need to do better in this area.
To that end, here are a few ideas are:
Repeal and replace: When tempted to post, turn that impulse into your cue to pray instead of post.
Wait. When tempted to immediately chime in, wait at least an hour. See if mere delay will give you more perspective.
Focus elsewhere. The social media world draws us in and draws us away from the things going on immediately around us. To avoid becoming toxic, focus on the here and now and the people around you.
In the end, the methods for bettering our technologically-driven toxic side of humanity will not be easy. But it will be worth it.
I don’t remember whose name was spoken, only that mine wasn’t and I thought it should have been.
I was angry.
After all, if it hadn’t been for me, we wouldn’t have shut our opponents out. If it hadn’t been for me, Coach wouldn’t have had the option of moving the rest of the defensive line to the front to help score. If it hadn’t been for me, our goalie wouldn’t have had her easiest game of the season.
I had been MVP for four weeks straight, though. I guess Coach thought it best to spread the award around, and she was probably right. I’d gotten cocky and was starting to feel a little better than my teammates.
I’d forgotten how they encouraged me when it took a while to learn a sport that came easily to the rest of them, how they ran extra laps to keep me company because I was slower than everyone else, and how they wiped my tears when Coach’s words felt too personal. I’d failed to appreciate how they cheered me on, gave me room to shine, and stood up for me to bullies on the other teams.
Without them, I wouldn’t have lasted the first practice, but I’d grown prideful and forgotten because someone told me I was the MVP.
It was only sixth grade soccer, for crying out loud, but a pattern had begun to develop, a dangerous one.
Monikers are powerful. Awards. Titles. Position. They go to our heads, even in the Church, and if we’re not careful, we could start thinking we’re better than our brothers and sisters just because the task God has allowed us to carry out by His grace garners more attention than the equally important tasks others have been assigned.
We’ll forget that we are sinners saved by grace just like everyone else, that we, too, struggle to maintain forward motion in our own spiritual growth, and that without the help and prayer support of our brothers and sisters, we’d probably fail more than we do. We’ll fail to appreciate the wisdom in God’s forming the Church using diverse, but ordinary members empowered by the same Holy Spirit, the mercy and grace we were shown when chosen to cooperate with them, and the much greater sacrifices so many seldom-mentioned brothers and sisters are required to make for the sake of our common mission to advance the Gospel and grow God’s Kingdom.
We’ll forget we are dust and get too puffed up to be of any use, a sickening thought.
Listen, the most recognition any of us deserve for what God accomplishes through us is a participation ribbon for our obedience. There’s only one MVP in all this, and that’s God. When people hand you His glory by mistake, give it back!
Have you ever taken the time to listen to one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches?
I don’t mean just the quotable parts, I mean a full speech. This is the second year in a row I’ve chosen to listen to a full speech from Dr. King, and while I originally planned to write about the speech, I think it’s important that you, dear reader, hear the words of the last speech that Martin Luther King Jr. made on this side of eternity.
His words are important. He speaks the Gospel and truth of Jesus Christ. Please read this excerpt from his “I’ve been to the mountain top” speech.
…..
“One day a man came to Jesus, and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters of life.
“At points he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a little more than Jesus knew and throw him off base. Now, that question could have easily ended up in a philosophical and theological debate.
“But Jesus immediately pulled that question from midair and placed it on a dangerous curve between Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain man who fell among thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side; they didn’t stop to help him. Finally, a man of another race came by. He got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy.
“But he got down with him, administered first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying this was the good man, this was the great man because he had the capacity to project the “I” into the “thou,” and to be concerned about his brother.
“Now, you know, we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn’t stop.
“At times we say they were busy going to a church meeting, an ecclesiastical gathering, and they had to get on down to Jerusalem so they wouldn’t be late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious law that one who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human body 24 hours before the ceremony.
“And every now and then, we begin to wonder whether maybe they were not going down to Jerusalem, or down to Jericho, rather, to organize a Jericho Road Improvement Association. That’s a possibility. Maybe they felt it was better to deal with the problem from the causal root, rather than to get bogged down with an individual effect.
“But I’m going to tell you what my imagination tells me.
“It’s possible that those men were afraid. You see, the Jericho Road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road I said to my wife, ‘I can see why Jesus used this as the setting for His parable.’
“It’s a winding, meandering road. It’s really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1,200 miles, or rather, 1,200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho 15 or 20 minutes later, you’re about 22 feet below sea level. That’s a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus, it came to be known as the ‘Bloody Pass.’ And you know, it’s possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it’s possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking, and he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure.
“And so the first question that the priest asked, the first question that the Levite asked was, ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’
“But then the Good Samaritan came by, and he reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’
“That’s the question before you tonight. Not, “If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to my job?’ Not, “If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?’
“The question is not, ‘If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?’ The question is, ‘If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?’ That’s the question.
“Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge, to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.
…..(speech shortened; for full transcript of the speech, visit here.)
“Well, I don’t know what will happen now; we’ve got some difficult days ahead.
“But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop.
“And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life—longevity has its place.
“But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. and I’ve seen the Promised Land.
“I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.
“And so I’m happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything; I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
…..
Now friends, go and live the unashamed life the Lord has called us to live. It’s risky, but as Dr. King said, “I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
A lot of talk is going around about the Gillette commercial “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be.” I’ve watched it a couple of time. If you haven’t watched it yet, here you go:
I think there are a lot of good messages in the commercial. What I get from it is boys and men should treat people with respect. That means don’t mistreat other boys physically or verbally. Don’t ogle over women, harass them or especially abuse them. Encourage other men and boys to follow same respectful guidelines instead of condoning wrong behavior, especially when it’s displayed in the entertainment world in a comical fashion.
So what’s wrong with the commercial? Al Mohler offers his thoughts in his Friday, Jan. 18 edition of The Briefing:
“The ad is a symptom of the larger cultural problem, condemning toxic masculinity while appearing to have no idea of what healthy masculinity might be. That’s going to be a problem for Gillette. Some of the responses on the internet to Gillette, some of the milder ones quotable on the briefing included men asking, ‘Does this mean we are now to start shaving our legs?’ There’s a huge confusion in the entire culture right now over what it means to be a man.”
Confusion over what is healthy masculinity—that could be a problem. From a Christian worldview, instructions of how to be a man of good character can be found in The Bible, and accountability to maintain good character can be found in spending time with other Christian men.
My friend Bubba Burcham offered his thoughts about the Gillette commercial on Facebook and how to handle the troubling issues featured in the ad:
“The solution is found in what I call intentional fatherhood. Dennis Rainey said ‘if a father doesn’t give his son a clear vision of manhood the world will.’ I have 4 sons, and it’s my responsibility to give them a vision for what manhood can be for them. Every young male needs a map, a guide to manhood. I refuse to stand by and let my sons stumble their way through life. I know it is my responsibility to guide them and inspire others to do likewise.”
Bubba is the new coordinator for the annual men’s retreat at Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center called Men’s Rewired, April 26-27. Men’s Rewired has been a difference maker for a lot of men over the years, and I am certain it will provide a lot of solutions for the issues presented in the Gillette ad.
Visit www.menrewired.com to find out more about this powerful conference.
Pensive about Karen Pence
Before this week, would you have readily named Vice President Mike Pence’s wife’s name? I’m sure I heard it in the last three years, and I’m glad to know it’s the same name as my wife.
Karen Pence is now a part-time art teacher at a Christian school in Springfield, Va., which is outside Washington, D.C. That’s it. That’s the big news. This is what got the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN all in a ruckus.
Just as I was looking to link David Prince’s article in the previous topic, I came upon a follow-up article Prince wrote as he received backlash from the first piece, saying he condones bigotry. Again, this is about Mrs. Pence being a part-time art teacher at a Christian school.
I think it’s obvious there are two worldviews – the secular worldview and the Christian worldview. It is unfortunate so many people with a secular worldview come to the wrong conclusion about Christianity or willingly refuse to understand the Christian faith.
In his article “Love is Not Hate,” which he posted less than an hour before I’m writing this, Prince gives another excellent explanation.
“Just because you disagree with Christians doesn’t mean they harbor animus against you.”
Pro-life Part 1
Today is the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. There’s lot of content on the internet this week sharing thoughts about the Sanctity of Life. To honor this annual stroll through our nation’s capital, I will share three great pieces reflecting the importance of Sanctity of Life.
The first one is from Southern Baptist President J.D. Greear, who gives fantastic responses to those who challenge Pro-life advocates. Check out “Sanctity of Life: Beware the distractions.” I love how Greear points out the majority of the arguments that pro-abortion people make are “red herrings.”
And it’s true. Abortion supporters constantly distract from the main argument that the unborn baby is a human life.
Pro-life Part 2
Would you like to read a great synopsis on the March for Life? The one written by Alexandra DeSanctis is fantastic. Check out “Whom Are We Marching For?”
The whole piece is great, but here’s her final paragraph:
“These thousands of marchers believe what they say: that every fetus is a unique human being with the fundamental right to life, a right on which all of our other rights are predicated. What sustains the pro-life movement is that it has truth on its side.”
The part I bolded is exactly why I believe the right to life is the most important issue in our country. It is the issue I use to evaluate every politician and whether or not I would consider them worthy of my vote. I hope you consider the Sanctity of Life as strongly as I do.
Pro-life Part 3
I share for my final pro-life piece a video of Oklahoma U.S. Senator James Lankford who gives a powerful address from the Senate floor on the Value of Life.
Here’s one of my favorite excerpts from his speech:
“I have folks that have recently said to me, ‘I understand this is a legislative issue, but it is really a faith issue. This is really about your faith, and your faith shouldn’t legislate who I am.’ Well, I would only tell you that cultures all make decisions, including our culture, not just about their faith but their values as a culture. Stealing is also a religious issue. It’s in the 10 Commandments, so maybe as a culture we shouldn’t ban stealing because the 10 Commandments says you shouldn’t steal. But no one would really say that because as a culture we all look at it and say, ‘Theft is a problem. You shouldn’t be able to do that.’ Cultures makes decisions based on their own personal values. So it is not just a religious issue, but our faith does impact our personal lives and decisions. And it does affect who we are.”
The film ‘Glass’ (PG-13) opens this weekend, completing the trilogy by writer/director M. Night Shyamalan that began with sci-fi/drama film ‘Unbreakable’ (2000) and continued with the thriller ‘Split’ (2016). It gives us a muddled message about talents and everyday superheroes—even though those are supposedly the film’s major themes.
David Dunn is an unassuming middle-aged man who runs a home security system during the day and dons a cape-like poncho to fight crime at night.
That’s when he becomes the “Overseer,” a shadowy figure with super strength who makes headlines for his good deeds but is viewed with suspicion by the Philadelphia police, who consider him a vigilante. They want him in jail.
That threat of arrest, though, doesn’t prevent Dunn from trying to solve the city’s latest crime: the kidnapping of four cheerleaders by a crazed man known as the “Beast,” who has multiple personalities and has killed several people.
Dunn and his son, Joseph, believe they can pinpoint the Beast’s location by using police records, a computer program and a ton of detective work.
Their hard work pays off one day when Dunn finds the Beast’s abandoned warehouse, sets the cheerleaders free, and goes “mano a mano” against this evil villain.
But then the plan goes awry. The police show up and surround Dunn and the Beast. Both are arrested and committed to the psychiatric ward, where they will be studied by a doctor—Ellie Staple—who believes they have severe mental problems. She also thinks the two men are wrong in their conviction that they have super strength.
Superheroes, she insists, don’t exist.
The film Glass (PG-13) opens this weekend, completing the trilogy by writer/director M. Night Shyamalan that began with sci-fi/drama film Unbreakable (2000) and continued with the thriller Split (2016). It stars Bruce Willis (Die Hard) as Dunn, James McAvoy (Split) as Kevin Wendell Crumb/the Beast, Sarah Paulson (Ocean’s Eight) as Staple, and Samuel L. Jackson (Avengers series) as Elijah Price.
The film is part-superhero film and part-thriller, but it’s mostly just weird and dull.
Dunn, the Beast and Price all have extraordinary talents (or is it powers?) and believe they are superheroes, yet Staple refuses to acknowledge their abilities. Everything, she says, has a natural explanation.
Glass has the surprising/shocking ending that Shyamalan’s films are known for, but it also has a muddled message about talents and everyday superheroes—even though those are supposedly the film’s major themes.
There’s also this: Much of the action in the film’s final scenes takes place outside, in the daytime, which lessens the hair-raising potential. There’s a reason thrillers and horror films often take place at night. They’re just scarier that way. At times, the outdoor scenes in Glass border on goofy.
Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!
(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)
Violence/Disturbing
Moderate/extreme. The opening scene shows Kevin holding the four cheerleaders hostage in a warehouse; their hands are chained. We hear Dunn, off screen, beat up two young men. Kevin turns into the Beast and fights the Overseer; the battle is tame but still violent. We see a flashback scene of Kevin being threatened by his mother; she approaches him with a hot iron but the scene quickly cuts way. The Beast squeezes a man and breaks his back; we hear the sound of it. Price slits a man’s throat with glass (We see it from behind and later see the body). Someone is shot in the stomach. Several people die. The film’s most troubling aspect involves Kevin’s split personalities—he has around 20 in this movie—and his transformation into the Beast, which looks nothing short of a muscular man who is possessed. He growls like a dog. He walks on ceilings and walls. It’s eerie.
Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity
None. Although one of Kevin’s personalities is a gay man who flirts with a male worker.
David and his son are close and care for one another. We also see people reach out to Price and Kevin, despite their violent past.
Other Stuff You Might Want To Know
David is a widower whose wife died of cancer.
Life Lessons
Among the film’s major messages is the importance of a child’s upbringing and/or the negative impact that trauma can have on one’s life. Kevin/the Beast was abused as a child and, supposedly, developed his multiple personalities as a way to repress his memories. Dunn was bullied as a child and nearly drowned, and then later in life survived a train wreck that killed every other passenger. Price was born with a debilitating bone condition and was involved in a fair ride accident at a young age. Shyamalan wants us to feel compassion for the men, but with the exception of Dunn, it doesn’t happen. That’s because the violence and flesh-eating stuff overshadows the brief flashback-to-childhood scenes we watch. Speaking of that …
Worldview/Application
Shyamalan also wants Glass to help people consider the “extraordinary things” all of us can do. In other words, we have superhero-like skills, yet “we can be talked out of” believing it is so (as happens in Glass) he told USA Today.
Glass, though, is an odd way to convey that message. Outside of David Dunn—who is a good guy and who does act like an average-man superhero—none of the other so-called superheroes are inspiring. In fact, they’re appalling. Price slits a man’s throat with a large shard of glass. The Beast breaks a man’s back, kills another man, and then begins eating human flesh. (In Split, he’s even more animal-like.) Once again: Why am I supposed to be inspired by these out-of-control murderers?
Scripture (Matt. 25:14-30) teaches that we all have talents and—in a sense—we all can do extraordinary things through God’s power. That’s definitely true.
Glass ends with a dialogue about talents and superheroes that would make sense at the end of, say, Spider-Man. But not at the end of Glass.
I enjoy movies that leave me with a reason to be hopeful about the world. Glass doesn’t do that.
What Works
David Dunn as a superhero. McAvoy is impressive.
What Doesn’t
The movie’s promotion of Kevin and Price as superheroes.
Discussion Questions
Did you consider Glass a superhero film?
Did you feel sympathy for Kevin and Elijah Price? Why or why not?
How can a child’s upbringing impact (both negatively positively) their adult life? Can it turn them into a so-called monster?
Did you like the movie’s ending? Why or why not?
Entertainment rating: 2 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Rated PG-13 for violence including some bloody images, thematic elements, and language.
