[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
OT: Christian Music, Religion, The Meaning of Life, and Courage
--- TYoder at sschwab_com wrote:
> i consider myself to be a believer....i still have faith
> that God exists, i'm just very disappointed in
> those who claim to be His own.
>
One of my favorite songwriters, Kevin Thornton, ex-Catharsis
& the Humdrum, said it well: "I trust God, but he hasn't
said too very much. I don't trust his children, they are
saying far too much."
> if someone such as i....raised in the church...can feel
> alienated by this music...then how much more alienating
> can it be for someone to whom these pretty words of
> happiness and light were not heard every sunday morning?
> it seriously sickens me. i'm imperfect....i've screwed up
> many times in my walk "in the light"....and i desire...i
> need to hear music that acknowledges that we are all
> HUMAN....
That, too, is the aspect I find encouraging about the
"christian" artist that I connect to. It's liberating, or
has been to me, to realize that God is God, I am not, and
trying to act perfect, like somehow believing that Christ
died for my sins will make my life work out alright, seems
more to me like Adam taking a bite from the fobidden fruit
than relying on God's goodwill. American fundamentalism has
gotten into the mindset that salvation is the end of the
spiritual journey... once you "accept" that Christ is God
incarnate and provided forgiveness for sins. After that,
life is good, and heaven is your reward. But the way I read
my Bible, "salvation" is only the beginning. Spiritual life
is a process of growing and learning just like physical
life. Heaven is a place of fellowship for those who love
God, and that fellowship its own reward. The Bible speaks of
riches in the afterlife for those who have dutifully served.
But it also speaks of the true servant returning or
reinvesting that reward, as the service (i.e. fellowship
with the Creator) is the real gift.
Madeline L'Engle said once about writing from a religious
perspective that she could write about the light. Or (she)
could write about what she saw because of the light, what it
was shining upon. Which is everything.
Flannery O'Conner wrote that it is harder to believe than
not to.
And CS Lewis wrote in "The Great Divorce" that to those who
do not know the Creator, Heaven would seem hellish and hell
would seem as comfortable as home.
Jesus hung out with prostitutes and drunks before he was
crucified. I think if he were incarnate today, he'd be
hanging out in gay bars and other places most religious folk
wouldn't dare be seen. Today's religious establishment is
just like it was back then... It's busy looking righteous
while it's really only building itself up, instead of
actually encouraging its followers to love God, act humbly
and serve each other with the grace that is so freely given
from above. That unconditional acceptance... despite all my
shortcomings, flaws, and bad choices I make, that is what
encourages me and ever draws me back.
=====
Bradley S. Caviness, Bigwig
Bigwig Enterprises
http://www.bigwigenterprises.com
"We're all writing everyday with our lives, whether or not we ever pick up a pen." – Linford Detweiler, Over the Rhine
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices
http://auctions.yahoo.com/
---------------
Unsubscribe by going to http://www.actwin.com/MediaNation/OtR/
Follow-Ups:
References: