I'm now at school. Actually I've been in school for a while now, and have been unable... or unwilling to update my blog. There was an event last weekend which I knew I just needed to talk about, but was unable to get the words right, so now I force myself to sit down and tell the world.
I went to Rock the Light last weekend. There, I said it. I spent the weekend in Kansas City at a christian music festival. Now, if you know me (and not the me of two or more years ago), you would know that I loathe christian music. One, it's unoriginal (mostly, anything that is usually is considered by me to be decent music). Two, you can usually just change all the "God" lyrics in the song to "girlfriend" lyrics and it's a love song, kind of cheesy. Three, well, it's unoriginal.
So here I am at Rock the Light. (Did I mention I went because I was working for Admissions at school?) I'm sitting at our table with different assortments of the three other people who came with me. We get bored, so we decide to keep a tally of sights we see. We make a column for Cheezy Christian T-shirts, one for fanny packs, and one for anything else crazy we see. And we found over 170 different Christian T-Shirts on Saturday alone. Now, some of these were good, but most were not good. They were unoriginal. What is it about Christians that we feel in order to fit into "popular culture" we must steal ideas instead of making our own? Can we not give glory to God through being creative? Can we not at least try to be the best at our respective fields--not just our Christian respective fields?
COMPLAINT 1: Unoriginality.
Anyway, I see all kinds of t-shirts: Adidas logos saying "Addicted to Jesus," Reeces logos saying "Jesus", our least favorite of all was the shirt that said JesUSAves (as if God is specifically on the side of America...), There was a facebook logo that said something like "will you accept Jesus as your friend?," all kinds of terrible imitations. Can we not just try to imitate Jesus and not all those around us? I'll stop talking about all the shirts, just look some up on Google image search.
COMPLAINT 2: Idolatry.
Of all these Christians who love Jesus, they sure make a hoopla about Casting Crowns and Jeremy Camp. I talked to several people who thought Jeremy Camp was really hot and just wanted to see him. We got free tickets (original cost of $54 a night) to see Casting Crowns friday and Jeremy Camp saturday, and we couldn't pass up seeing both of these bands. One of the people I went with and I started down to our seats right when Casting Crowns was coming to play, well, we just happend to catch this and started cracking up laughing because all I can compare the cheering to is U2 at a concert in Dublin, or something.
Then, Mark Hall (the lead singer for Casting Crowns... I had to look it up on the Wikipedia) began to pray, asking that the night be about God and not them... yet it still seemed all about Casting Crowns. People all around us had paid $54 a seat to "worship," hands held high, but it didn't seem like the right kind of worship...it seemed like worship to Casting Crowns. I really hope there were no non-Christians here, because I think this event would push them away from Christianity--I also feel events like Rock the Light are the reason why so many high schoolers fall away from Christianity after high school...a false sense of being a Christian.
Anyway, the lack of God seemed evident to me, but maybe I was just too cynical.
Oh, I forgot about Jeremy Camp. Why is it that his only good music comes from his first two CDs, then it just seems like he's churning out Christian crap? Is it because at one time he was a musician for the right reason? I don't know.
COMPLAINT 3: Pleasing to God?
Psalm 100
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
If someone THINKS they are pleasing to God, does that mean they really are? (Hos 6:6 "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings"). I don't know. Did Abel think his unworthy sacrifice was worthy? Did Ananias and Sapphira think they were pleasing God by fooling everyone to think they gave everything? Did the Israelites think they were pleasing God when they made a golden bull? Do any of these examples even work in this situation?
I feel as if God as a specific desire: and that is to be praised, and I feel as if there are specific ways to praise God. Now, maybe I don't know exactly those ways, but I feel as if "any way you want" is not the correct option. Yes, "praise him with tambourine and dancing..with the clash of cymbals...Let everything that has breath praise the LORD" (Ps 150:4-6). But I feel that the weekend was not praising to God, but a slap in the face of a God who richly blesses us, who sent his son to die for us, who gave us grace (not cheap grace) and MY God cannot be summed up in three chords, two verses and a chorus, this kind of "praise" especially when found in adoration of the performer, is not worthy of being called praise to my Creator. At least that's my thought.
My mom always says, "some people worship in other ways," maybe I just don't see what's going on inside, maybe I'm judging too much. But, if I don't rebuke and correct my brothers and sisters in Christ, how will anyone outside the Church even give them the thought of day?
Maybe I'll get back on this train again in the future... my ranting needs to end so I can do some homework.
Tonight we held J Alvin loves Mayfield. Many of the J Alvin guys dressed up, came to the Atrium, practiced our songs, walked over to Mayfield, and wooed the ladies with our singing.
