This irreverence for the world we're all born into is almost like wishing death would come faster so they could get out of this nasty, horrible place God supposedly called ‘good.’
The following is the result of a quick research project I did of just two days of to-and-from-work commutes, listening to a contemporary Christian music radio station.
Out of all the songs I heard, these five messages were loud and clear.
1. How terribly, unbearably hard, it is ‘down here below’ in this burdensome world.
2. A perpetual “I am nothing without You God” underlying theme throughout the music. I call this “not-enoughness theology.”
3. An almost begging, ultra-dependent neediness and crying to ‘God up above’ to please ‘come down’ and help us.This continual barrage of sad, desperate dependency actually fosters an emotional, low-self-esteem, soap opera-like, daily lifestyle. And it paints an unrealistic picture of us being an emotionally-unhealthy, ultra-dependent, otherwise-helpless bunch of needy souls barely making it through the week without our God.
4. An emotion-based romance, almost lamenting for some future utopian, off-planet paradise that will be oh so much better than the life we have to continually struggle through here in the here and now.
5. An endless, very romantic emotion-based adoration and worship.
Although there are some small pockets of Christians who have moved beyond the theology that many of these songs portray, the majority of evangelicals still unfortunately cling to this belief system cross section.
When we are ‘worshiping’ an up-there-somewhere God it becomes not much different than laying flowers and fresh fruit at the base of a statue in some other religion. In reality, it IS the same thing with extra emotional romance, the feelings of indebtedness, unworthiness, and not-enoughness added.
Why would I want that? Why would anyone want that?
I guess for reasons of comfort perhaps. It is indeed the opposite of taking 100% personal responsibility for our own demeanor, our own maturity, our own personal growth, our own humanitarian benevolence, and even our own happiness and mental wellness. All the music purports that we are simple “not enough” to govern our own lives in such a responsible manner.
Its The Theology!
I began to realize that it is not the lyrics of these songs that are ‘all wrong,’ it is the theology. It is the theology that is creating this perpetual ultra-dependency that never progresses beyond a certain point.
The Strange Romance for Anywhere Else (But Here)
In some of the songs, there seemed to be a continual psychological love affair for some distant place that is “Oh, so much better than Earth,” which sadly creates a strange sort of contempt for the natural world of the here and now. This boredom and irreverence for the world we were born in is strange at best. It is almost as if they wish death would come faster so they could get out of this nasty, horrible place God supposedly called ‘good.’
The full article is available here
Why would I want that? Why would anyone want that?
I guess for reasons of comfort perhaps. It is indeed the opposite of taking 100% personal responsibility for our own demeanor, our own maturity, our own personal growth, our own humanitarian benevolence, and even our own happiness and mental wellness. All the music purports that we are simple “not enough” to govern our own lives in such a responsible manner.
Its The Theology!
I began to realize that it is not the lyrics of these songs that are ‘all wrong,’ it is the theology. It is the theology that is creating this perpetual ultra-dependency that never progresses beyond a certain point.
The Strange Romance for Anywhere Else (But Here)
In some of the songs, there seemed to be a continual psychological love affair for some distant place that is “Oh, so much better than Earth,” which sadly creates a strange sort of contempt for the natural world of the here and now. This boredom and irreverence for the world we were born in is strange at best. It is almost as if they wish death would come faster so they could get out of this nasty, horrible place God supposedly called ‘good.’
The full article is available here
