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Re: Xian music
Here are my Saturday morning ramblings . . .
This whole issue of art and Christianity is very near and dear to me. I am
a writer, and I feel that writing is my calling from God. But does that
mean that everything I write has to express my own relationship with Him?
It seems like most of you would say no, and I tend to agree, but I do often
run into Christians who dislike what I write because it discusses subjects
that are taboo to the church: rape, incest, how hard it is to be sexually
pure, domestic violence, feminism, etc. I also use curse words every once
and awhile. But does that make what I write any less Christian?
It's frustrating, because I'm in a graduate fiction writing program down
here in Houston, and before that I was in the playwriting program at U.C.
(which is where I came in contact with OTR, by the way). In my classes, it
is taboo that I even bring up God at all, and when I do, that is a huge
rebelliion against the academic "workshop" process. I recently had a Jewish
woman get really angry at a story I wrote because she said it was ridiculous
for Christians in this country to think that they had any enemies. Never
mind the fact that what I was referring to was how Christians and most
people of faith have been treated by communist regimes in places like China,
and, until recently, the Soviet Union.
So I often feel I'm in a no man's (or woman's) land, somewhere between the
conservative Christians and the academics, and I can't help but wonder where
my audience is. Ultimately, I feel like I have to write what is true to me,
though, and that is why Over the Rhine has inspired me so much. I
appreciate their willingness to go for the deep stuff--to ask the tough
questions and to, above all, write what seems the most true to them at that
moment.
And as I write this, Karin is belting out "Give Me Strength" from the CD
player on my computer. Perhaps I should turn it up and dance.
--Kathryn
----- Original Message -----
From: Tobi <Tapehead at gmx_de>
To: <Over-the-Rhine at actwin_com>
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2001 5:47 AM
Subject: Re: Xian music
> > I think that the saddest part about this is that God is really not
> > glorified by this kind of music. He gave us music as a beautiful gift,
> > and if we have a talent there, we as Christians are commanded to
> > praise him with it with all our might- just as our beloved Over the
> > Rhine does.
> too true. And the sad thing is that then there are gifted musicians who
are
> still in the "CCM-scene" like Phil Keaggy who are almost ignored cause
they
> aren't hip enough. What a shame.
>
> tobi
>
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