What Matters More
Derek Webb.
You may have seen the band that he was in before he went solo. Caedmon's Call. They are a pretty big deal in the Christian World.
Derek Webb ended up going solo and making his own music. He has created songs that have rustled some feathers. He has opened up a can of worms that must be opened. He wrote a song titled "Wedding Dress" that described the Church as a whore.
It wasn't played on Christian Radio Stations, because the word Whore was too explicit, according to those who tend to use much lighter words than Whore to describe the Church.
In that song, he referred to a quote by St. Augustine, one of the greatest influencers in Christianity. He is quoted as saying this:
The Church is a whore - but she is my mother.
Now Derek Webb has just released his new CD online, and he wrote a song entitled "What Matters More." In it, he describes the state of, what I believe to be, many Christians in America. I've already written a post about Love, in response to his song "Love is not against the law," and now I'll give you the lyrics to what may be a very offensive song to many:
You say you always treat people like you like to be
I guess you love being hated for your sexuality
You love when people put words in your mouth
'Bout what you believe, make you sound like a freak'Cause if you really believe what you say you believe
You wouldn't be so damn reckless with the words you speak
Wouldn't silently conceal when the liars speak
Denyin' all the dyin' of the remedyTell me, brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?If I can tell what's in your heart by what comes out of your mouth
Then it sure looks to me like being straight is all it's about
It looks like being hated for all the wrong things
Like chasin' the wind while the pendulum swings'Cause we can talk and debate until we're blue in the face
About the language and tradition that he's comin' to save
Meanwhile we sit just like we don't give a shit
About 50,000 people who are dyin' today
Tell me, brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?"
Well, to put it plainly, he is calling it like he sees it in this song, and the song hits home for many of us, whether we realize it or not. I am guilty at putting more effort in debating about doctrine than caring for unbelievers. I sometimes sit not caring about anyone around me. I'll be the first to say that I sometimes don't care about people.
I, for one, appreciate his authenticity. I don't think he wrote this to see how much of a controversy he could stir up, but to get Christians to look in the mirror and see who they are.
Here is the Music Video for his song on YouTube.
I welcome his brutally honest lyrics, and maybe that's because honesty is a rare thing these days.
So, what matters more, the fact that he cursed in his song, or that he's right, and people are dying left and right without Jesus, and sometimes we really don't care? Will we just begin to argue about the word that he used to get across the point, and further confirm the fact that we'd rather argue and debate about useless things (like curse words) rather than telling people about Jesus?
Remember, Jesus offended religious people with his words. Oh, and he even called them "Brood of Vipers," a phrase that was as offensive as a curse word.
My Manic Monday
Make today count:
-I'm all moved in to my new house, and loving it.
-I wrote a few blog posts in the past few weeks, What I like about the SBC and What I Dislike About the SBC. Check it out and let me know what you think.
-I've been listening to Derek Webb's new CD, "Stockholm Syndrome." It's a really good album, full of heavy statements regarding the current state of Christianity and Culture. He's been known to stir controversy over the years, so as to address the problems that plague Christianity.
-I've never been good at keeping a journal, but I plan on keeping a journal so I can document all the cool stuff God does in my life. I think you should keep a journal, if you don't already.
-Last week, I had a meeting at Best Buy that went over the deals and information regarding Tax Free weekend. It's going to be crazy. I feel for everyone who works in retail. And I've only worked for a few weeks! I really enjoy selling computers, but it's going to be interesting to work over holiday's and other crazy busy days during the year.
-And lastly, here's an article that I read bout how Christians have become irrelevant in trying to become relevant. Really good read.
-Regarding that last statement and link, I think every and all Christian T-shirts that try to be "relevant" or "cute" make me want to throw up. Just my 2 cents.
Love Is Not Against The Law
Today is Valentines day.
I don't like Valentines for the sheer fact that our culture puts way too much emphasis on love on this specific day, not to mention the fact that it's the wrong kind of love.
This song reminds me of what love is. And for the longest time I've wanted to blog about the wonderful lyrics that Derek Webb writes, so here are the words of Webb in his song, "Love is not against the Law" --
Politics or love
Can make you blind or make you see
Make you a slave or make you free
But only one does it allAnd it's giving up your life
For the ones you hate the most
It's giving them your gown
When they've taken your clothesIt's learning to admit
When you've had a hand in setting them up
In knocking them downLove is not against the law
Love is not against the lawAre we defending life
When we just pick and choose
Lives acceptable to lose
And which ones to defend'Cause you cannot choose your friends
But you choose your enemies
And what if they were one
One and the sameCould you find a way
To love them both the same
To give them your name
May you come to understand that Love is not limited to a certain socioeconomic status. Love reaches out to the broken, the poor, the annoying, the sick, and the unloveable.
Love is contagious. May you not only love your friends and family, but the person who cut you off in traffic, that annoying co-worker, and that annoying relative that you have to see every family reunion.
Once we, and myself, understand this, we will truly see Christ represented in our words and deeds.
Love is not against the law.
Trail of Crumbs
Tonight was great. I went to the weekly college service at the Church I attend, Bayleaf Baptist Church. We had a prayer night, and it was much needed, not just for the body of believers in the college, but for me as well. God spoke through the prayers of plenty tonight. But what stuck out to me was the final song that we sang to wrap up the atmosphere of prayer.
Derek Webb is an amazing musician. He says what's on his heart in every single song he composes. A certain song, "Take to the World," was the song that we sang tonight. This song was a reminder to the college group at church to take the Gospel of Christ to our culture here in Raleigh. One of the lines in the song stood out to me,
may the bread on your tongue
leave a trail of crumbs
to lead the hungry back to the place that you are from
The bread on one's tongue is the Love of Christ that shines through a body of sin. The trail of crumbs are the actions we take in Love to a lost world. The place that you are from is talking about the Cross of Christ where the pure definition of Love came from. These words that Webb composed spoke deep to my closely-held beliefs of Love and the role of it in our lives. The greatest commandment is to Love God with everything we are and to Love others in the same way Christ loved his bride, the church. If the love that is shown to the world is not of ourselves, but of Christ, we will leave a trail of love that will allow for non-believers to delve into the idea of Love.
Jesus Christ said that he is the bread of life, and that anyone who eats of him will never go hungry. The world we live in is hungry for Christ. May we, as followers of Christ, leave trails of Love for a World that is famished, so that the Bread of Life will fill up empty souls.
