A passage from Graham Greene’s novel The End of the Affair.
I went back home and again I tried to settle to my book. Always I find when I begin to write there is one character who obstinately will not come alive. There is nothing psychologically false about him, but he sticks, he has to be pushed around, words have to be found for him, all the technical skill I have acquired through the laborious years have to be employed in making him appear alive to my readers. Sometimes I get a sour satisfaction when a reviewer praises him as the best-drawn character in the story: if he has not been drawn he has certainly been dragged. He lies heavily on my mind whenever I start to work like an ill-digested meal on the stomach, robbing me of the pleasure of creation in any scene where he is present. He never does the unexpected thing, he never surprises me, he never takes charge. Every other character helps, he only hinders.
And yet one cannot do without him. I can imagine a God feeling in just that way about some of us. The saints, one would suppose, in a sense create themselves. They come alive. They are capable of the surprising act or word. They stand outside the plot, unconditioned by it. But we have to be pushed around. We have the obstinacy of nonexistence. We are inextricably bound to the plot, and wearily God forces us, here and there, according to his intention, characters without poetry, without free will, whose only importance is that somewhere, at some time, we help to furnish the scene in which a living character moves and speaks, providing perhaps the saints with the opportunities for their free will.
Currently:
… reading The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
… reflecting on the past five years
Friends,
What did you think about today?
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Phil 4:8)
What did you say today?
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)
What did you do today?
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:21-25)
The end of the matter.
Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus (Acts 3:18-20)
Currently:
… reading The Republic by Plato
… reading The Symposium by Plato
… reading The Enchiridion of Faith, Hope, and Love by Augustine
The release of David Crowder* Band’s newest album Church Music decisively marks the end of the cycle begun by A Collision. That album, birthed from a series of tragedies that struck the band in 2005-2006 chronicled in Crowder’s book Everybody Wants to go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die, was one of the most thematically and lyrically complex albums the band (and arguably Christian music in general) has ever produced. In many ways the next album Remedy was a follow up to that album, a simple and hopeful response to that journey.
Church Music effectively closes the book on that era and forcefully hurdles the band into a new one. For fans of A Collision, this is bittersweet. Gone are the striking moments of vulnerability and deep statements about the nature of art and worship, death and resurrection. What we have instead, is Church Music.
Church Music is nothing if not ambitious. In the words of Crowder, “I hope this album serves as a reminder of music within the Church, of its richness and its broadness, and the tension that exists in using elements of cultural language to express our collective experience and also still remain a transformative presence that is set apart”. And tension there is. Lyrically this is Crowder’s most church-friendly album since Can You Hear Us? To be sure, the church needs needs thoughtful, personal and probing albums like A Collision, as well as social critics like Derek Webb and Switchfoot. But Crowder’s aim is pastoral at heart– he simply wants to make people sing. His lyrics are straightforward and unambiguous and eminently singable, yet always sensitive to the struggles and pain inherent in the Christian life.
Stylistically though, this album is jarringly different from typical worship music fare. While the church has typically been wary of popular music, the Crowder* Band has thrown its arms wide around it, enthusiastically enveloping their message in that musical palate. This is the band’s most confident and assured album to date. At the start of recording David Crowder made the cliché claim that he had never been so excited at the front end of an album, but this time I believe it. Church Music is easily the band’s most fun album yet. There is club disco. There are “guitarmanies”. There is face-melting. And, if rumors are to be believed, a drum-playing robot may be joining the modified Guitar Hero controller and keytar in the band’s live performances. This isn’t to say there aren’t moments of profundity and solemnity; Crowder’s powerful and reflective covers of John Mark McMillan’s “How He Loves” and Flyleaf’s “All Around Me” form the emotional heart of the album. But it would be a cold-hearted person who could listen to this album without cracking a smile.
Crowder has stated that his intention was to construct a cathedral with music, “a thing full of meticulous detail, a thing that speaks of the magnificence of God, and also aids in articulating a response.” One way he does this is by making the album continuous, leaving no break in the worship experience. Also, this album is long, filling almost every available second on the CD. Finally, he does this through crisp lyrics framed in a diverse and distinctive musical landscape. In many ways A Collision will remain the Crowder* Band’s masterwork, but I have no doubt that Church Music will earn its place as one of the richest and most satisfying worship albums of the year.
For more…
David Crowder’s Introduction to Church Music
David Crowder* Band Website
David Crowder* Band Twitter
Church Music on iTunes
Currently…
… installing Snow Leopard
… learning outrigger canoeing. Taking a class out on the beach after an entire summer in a cubicle is great
I performed this at Armington’s Open Mic.
Currently:
… reading The Sickness Unto Death by Kierkegaard
… reading In The Name of Jesus by Henry Nouwen
… watching The Man who Knew too Much
… reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan
… listening to Rebel by Lecrae
… reading Getting Things Done by David Allen
… watching Gandhi
… watching Man on Wire
I certainly hope that if you are a Christian, there are other Christians in your life who passionately hold viewpoints that differ from yours. If you are not so fortunate to know these people in person, you may still be influenced by such Christians in the public sphere– musicians, pastors, activists. Exposure to such people allows us to clarify our own views, learn to find common ground, and can be an encouragement as we see the scope of God’s kingdom. However, oftentimes (and this has certainly been the case for me) exposure to many Christian voices can lead to a sense of weariness. The Christian world can seem loud and noisy and most of all, messy. Here are a couple things to keep in perspective when encountering passionate Christians.
A Different Gospel?
The first step to being able to discern among the wide variety of Christian voices is to first have a firm understanding of the gospel. There are many people who will proclaim messages that sound like Christianity, but are actually far from it. In Paul’s address to the Galatians, he said, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” The best way to avoid being taken in by flashy, convincing but ultimately false preachers is to be a diligent student of the Word yourself and to expose yourself to good, able teachers.
When encountering a vocal, zealous Christian, ask a couple questions. First, how does this person deal with scripture? Does she merely prooftext, or pick and choose short verses in the Bible out of context, to make it to say what he wants it to say? Does she ignore or gloss over important relevant (but perhaps inconvenient) passages of the Bible? Does she reference the Bible at all? Or does she rigorously and systematic back up her viewpoints from solid and thorough Biblical analysis? Avoid the former three, she has no claim to speak for God if she isn’t communicating the message of the Bible.
Second, what kind of gospel does this person preach? Is this a gospel that centers on the environment? On social justice and equality? On poverty? These are all important topics, but they aren’t the center of the gospel. The center of gospel is Jesus Christ, the relationship between him and his church, and in the task of enlarging his kingdom through the saving of people’s souls. If a zealous Christian’s gospel centers around anything else, then it is misguided. All other pursuits, whether it be the fight against poverty or greenhouse gasses or gender inequality, must be designed specifically to make Christ known and loved throughout the world in a specific, soul-saving way.
The Battlefield of the Mind
We are all called to be passionate. There is nothing in our planet more worthy than our passion than God. To focus our passion anything else in this world would be similar to falling head over heels in love for a bouquet of flowers instead of the lover who gave them to you. When we talk about God and his sovereignty, we are talking of things of eternal significance, we are talking of nothing less than the purpose of the universe. You cannot grasp the significance of our faith and not be impressed with an exhilarating sense of excitement and urgency. However, it is easy for our passion to be misguided. When encountering zealous Christians, it is easy to fall hastily into two traps. The first is quick acceptance. We can get so caught up in the emotion and be so set ablaze by the passionate Christian that we follow before critically examining where we are being led. Though God can use misguided, passionate spiritual leaders, more often than not we find ourselves lost and confused and in crisis when they turn out not to be who we thought they were. Always seek wisdom before passion. Passion grounded on truth and prudence can sustain, but passion built upon flimsy foundations will quickly burn out.
The other trap is to be too cautious, to develop an attitude of cynicism that guards you from catching the fire of a passionate Christian. Sometimes this is out of fear of being let down, but more often than not it is a result of pride. Perhaps you feel threatened by a Christian’s message. To accept it to its fullest extent might entail a major lifestyle change or a change in a viewpoint held for many years. It may be easier to just ignore the other person, write them off as “radical”, and move on. Beware of this. If the Pharisees had any fault, it was the deliberate decision to ignore truth even when it stared them in the face.
Our only hope to avoid either of these errors is the grace of God. Intellectual ability is no guarantee of success in seeking truth. Even the most vigorous and honest intellectual can come to absolutely wrong conclusions. Our only hope is the work of the Holy Spirit. Dwell on Scripture, pray for wisdom, and invite the Spirit to fill your heart and mind. Surround yourself with faithful Christians, and learn from them and grow with them. Expose yourself to the writings and influence of great Christians from the past. If God is leading and informing the cultivation of your mind you are very likely to arrive at truth.
Finally, as you develop a worldview shaped by the influence of the Bible, the art you expose yourself to, and the people in your life, remember to hold these views with humility. You don’t need to buy into the pluralism in our society that says all viewpoints are equally valid, they’re not. Truth is out there, and it is discoverable. However, just because you believe you have the truth doesn’t entitle you to ignore those who disagree with you. God has placed everybody on the earth for a purpose, and there are lessons to be learned from every person (though many of the lessons people teach are unintentional ones). Be sympathetic to other points of view, engage them respectfully and on their own terms. Communicate your own viewpoints with confidence and authority, but also with tact and good nature. Remember, how we disagree is almost as important as what we disagree on. The way we conduct discussions within the church can be a strong positive or negative testimony to the world. One day all these questions will be made clear, and you can be sure that you will discover you were wrong on some things. Maybe a lot of things. Let that be a cause for humility. Ultimately, life is not about having the best doctrine, it’s about bringing glory to God. When you’re standing before the throne of God, it won’t be what you knew that matters but what you did with that knowledge. In the end, you can have a weak theology and still live in a way that communicates that God is a great, awesome, and mighty God worthy of our love and our worship. Conversely, you can have flawless theology and make God look like someone not worthy of your time or energy, placed into a small box in the periphery of your life. Theology is important to be sure, but first seek the kingdom of God faithfully and prayerfully alongside others doing the same, and the rest will come.
Currently:
… watching Up. It has incredible beauty, hilarious characters, and poignancy that we’ve come to expect from Pixar movies and is also commendable for taking on one of possibly the most tragic and mature premise Pixar has yet attempted. However, the storytelling felt rushed, unfortunately making this one of Pixar’s weaker films in my opinion
… NOT watching Transformers 2. I’d rather take Roger Ebert’s advice and ”…go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination.”
… watching Platoon.
… listening to Derek Webb’s Stockholm Syndrome. Perfect example of a challenging, passionate Christian. Need to listen to the album a bit more before I can really develop a fair opinion.
… reading Models of Contextual Theology by Stephen B. Bevens. Trying to finish up some of the books from last semester.
… playing Bloons Tower Defense 3. I blame Mike Schwartz. He’s too skinny to know anything.
… eating lots of Fab Dogs. Best hot dog place in LA.
