I'm thoughtfully concerned about the way we are approaching the rest of the world. I'm also very aware that this war is taking up a great deal of our attention. There are other things going on in our world that we should very well be involved. Whether that's dealing with HIV/AIDS in Africa, or poverty that is going on in all of these developing nations. You know, we are allotting a lot of finances and a lot of attention in trying to clean up a mess. Or, we are trying to cover up a mess versus actually doing some of these good things that we should be doing in the world.
ERIC: You say in the article that there is a facade. That artists and musicians, those inside of Contemporary Christan Music, are not permitted to talk about the real stuff that is going on...the real authentic struggles of live and faith. Are Christian Band's forced to be insincere because of this 'facade'?
DAN: Christian radio appeals to a certain audience. You know, there is a long history of negative repercussions for things said and things thought. It's not unknown to people within the Christian community that Christians tend to make it worse for people when they confess to things. When a Christian falls, in the public eye, it seems to be far worse. And the Christian community has, in many times, distanced themselves from this person. In a way they forced this person to find help in isolation. Which is, never really the way the Christian community is supposed to work.
I've got real struggles that I deal with. I'm a normal person...but because I'm a Christian doesn't mean that I don't lust, or I don't have issues with medicating from the problems of the world. Everybody has that, it is part of each of our stories. But we don't feel comfortable to share those things. So when it comes to writing songs about this, there is a very limited scope to what you can write about. There is a very limited amount of language that you can use when it comes to putting things on the radio.
If the Christian community is already (in this mind set) this way, when you are trying to create for Christian radio with acceptable content, it (the boundary) is even smaller. And there are definitely (known, but unspoken) boundaries, if there weren't, why don't we have more songs about sex on Christian radio? It's not like it isn't a part of the Christian life, it is. So why don't we talk about those things? Why can't artists write about that (sex, falls and politics)? Why aren't there more love songs on Christian radio? It feels like there is enough reason to think that maybe we've got some boundaries that don't need to be there.
Let me end with my thoughts from the previous posting...as the war continues to be a major cultural discussion, in and outside of the church community - what happens when a respected (and I really respect these guys) band the likes of Jars of Clay make overtures that the government is 'using faith' to go to war, and the results mimic the return of the Crusades?
How will the church respond to Jars of Clay and their open, honest and brazen opinions surrounding the war effort? Better yet, how will we (you) respond with our voices, attitudes, wallets and citizenship together in Graceland? If we don't allow for differing views to be expressed inside of Graceland, then Dan is right on one point...we then accept (allow) the 'power broker gate keepers' to control the presentation of Jesus' 'gang of followers' to today's post-modern culture. I vote for tolerance (that is different than acceptance), grace and allowing 'iron to sharpen iron'.
These guys love Jesus and they have some God given challenges for all of us to consider. At the very least, they are accurate in that the culture likes to hear about Jesus, but they don't want to hear it from us! This needs to change.
Pastor Dan Kimball writes, "They like Jesus, but not the church". In the end, we are all 'jars of clay', nothing more than 'cracked pots' redeemed by Jesus' love, redemption and Abba Father's great grace and doing our best to walk righteously in Graceland.
Comments: erichogueshow@hotmail.com
