This is a bit of different topic than we usually talk about here, but I found this article by Charlie Peacock in CCM quite insightful about the current and future state of the Christian music industry.  Charlie Peacock is one of the Christian artists who doesn’t get enough recognition in my opinion, but his overall influence on the industry is hard to overstate.   He has worked with a diverse bunch of musicians including Al Green, CeCe Winans, and Switchfoot to name a few.  So, as the saying goes, when he talks, we should listen.

There are a lot of good quotes in the article, but here’s a few I really find hard-hitting:

The music business, Christian and otherwise, has been a wealth-creation mechanism for a small, elite group of executives, songwriters, producers and artists. Those days are over. Still, the old guard won’t go peaceably. They’ll fight for control to the end. When they finally exit, the new music business will be underway.

Christian music as a genre has always been a music you move on from. Young Christian baby-boomers and Gen-X once in love with the music abandoned it in adulthood and have not returned. As a result, legacy artist catalogs (ranging from Larry Norman to Amy Grant to dcTalk and beyond) do not and will not have the staying power of their mainstream counterparts such as The Beatles, The Eagles, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Celine Dion, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and U2. All these artists, and a hundred others, remain popular and economically viable today. Sadly, the pattern does not hold true for what was contemporary Christian music.

I can especially speak for the validity of the second paragraph.  I think I had close to 300 albums when I left for college, and the vast majority of them were “Christian”.  I look back on some of those groups like Audio Adrenaline, dc Talk, and the Newsboys with fond memories, but honestly I find a lot of it written for the 12-18 year-old demographic.

Working with college students, I find that many of them do not have the same type of devotion to Christian bands that students had even less than 10 years ago.  They have access to practically any song from an artist in any genre at any moment.  They no longer have to go to the shady record stores to get their music.  The ones that into more mainstream music no longer listen to the church-lady warnings about personal holiness.  I’m not saying whether this is good or bad, I’m stating what I see.  I think that in the future is going to get harder and harder for Christian publishing companies to survive.  Like Peacock says, the mainstream CCM industry will probably get distilled down to one big company.

Anyway, I found the article interesting, and I hope to hear people’s thoughts.  I think parallels can be drawn between the CCM industry and the church as a whole.  People are less willing to invest themselves in top-down, power-driven institutions, and I think the time is coming when these institutions will need to make some big changes to survive.

HT: Tall Skinny Kiwi

“While some “Christian” pastors have slipped their Biblical moorings and are now apologizing for opposing abortion, men like Barak Obama are leading the charge to against pro-life legislation.”

This was the opening line in the post entitled It’s a Mad World, at CRN this morning.

It was followed with the statement

Is it really wrong and “Un-Christian” of Christians to call abortion a sin

So, I followed the link to a little leaven where they asked

Is the church wrong and judgmental for claiming that abortion and homosexuality are sins and contending against them?

Wow! A church that claims it is judgmental to call abortion and homosexualty a sin? A church that says it is wrong to call homosexuality a sin!? Where would this be? Well, it doesn’t exist. Here is the original news story and a few quotes that CRN or A Little Leaven will probably not want you to read

Georgia Baptist pastor who pledged to apologize to gays, women seeking abortions, and couples who live together outside marriage…

His apology was not limited to the aforementioned groups but was directed to those in the secular world that drive by churches each day and never consider visiting because of the judgmental posture…

Lee did not yield ground on his conservative beliefs but said the Church’s established methods of judging others for their shortcomings obviously has not worked. Driving people away from Christ is not an effective way of bringing them to Him, he said through a variety of illustrations….

“I am 37 years old and I believe the Bible is 100 percent truth without error. But the Bible tells us we are to judge our own lives and not the lives of those outside the faith”

And while I firmly believe that Romans 1 is true in its discussion of homosexuality I know that it is much easier to condemn when you do not know those in that lifestyle.

So, this would have been a big, huge, juicy story… if it were actually true. Apologizing for how we have treated these people is not the same as apologizing for what scripture has to say about their lifestyle and choices. I find it very ironic that Christians run to the media for an apology when someone treats them bad, but we are unapologetic for gay bashing, abortion clinic vandalism and arsons, and let’s not mention gadhatesfags.com. Don’t see too much outrage over how we have treated those that need Christ the most.

BTW… I LOVE how they had to drag Barack into the equation. Wouldn’t be a good ODM article without blaming some politicians for where the church has fallen short in affecting society.

Since Ravi Zacharias is now labeled as an apostate, I’d thought it would be apropo to point out some more apostasy from another elder statesmen of evangelicalism.

“The hallmark of an authentic evangelicalism is not the uncritical repetition of old traditions, but the willingness to submit every tradition, however ancient, to fresh biblical scrutiny, and, if necessary, reform.”

John Stott

Looks the Emergents have gotten their claws in another one…

***UPDATE (by Chris L)***

For those who might not understand where Ingrid’s article references Ravi Zacharias as being apostate, please see the graphic below:

______________
It is hard to find a ‘charitable’ reading of this to suggest otherwise.

Sometimes no commentary is needed to illustrate how the ODM’s have the unique ability to twist “news” to fit their agenda.

First from A Little Leaven comes the story of the sorry church

Is the church wrong and judgmental for claiming that abortion and homosexuality are sins and contending against them? Pastor Richard Mark Lee of the Family Church in Sugar Hill, Georgia thinks so. What did he do about it? He apologized to the unchurched for being judgmental during a highly publicized church service.

We think that Pastor Richard should also apologize on behalf of God for destroying the earth by flood because of men’s wickedness, destroying Sodom and Gomorah, plaguing the Egyptians and killing their first born, destroying Korah and those who followed him, killing everyone in Jericho, and killing the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel for their false religion.

And now from the Pastor, Richard Mark Lee, of Sugar Hill Church

“For me, I cannot stand in front of God and tell Him that I did nothing to reverse that perception. It’s important to know that the 18-28 year-olds are not against Christ; in fact, they tell pollsters that they have fond feelings for Him and believe in God. But the bottom line is that the Church is still perceived as judgmental, homophobic, and irrelevant” rather than for our love for them.

“I am 37 years old and I believe the Bible is 100 percent truth without error. But the Bible tells us we are to judge our own lives and not the lives of those outside the faith.

“Today I want to apologize to our community for getting in the way of Jesus. He really is awesome and you’d like Him, even though you may not like those in the Church.”

Lee addressed a variety of misperceptions the Church has given to unbelievers in an increasingly non-Christian society.

“I have picketed abortion clinics, I’ve held the signs and banners and done all those things. I am pro-life but I regret being involved in those things. I am sorry for having a bumper sticker mentality.

“If you have had an abortion recently or even several years ago, I want you to know that I do not sit in judgment of you today. I am sorry if you have sensed a spirit of judgment in the way I presented myself and the gospel.”

Then he addressed the gay issue and individuals in the Church who “have a pharisaical mindset,” apologizing for the way some Christians “have demonstrated prejudice, bigotry, or a hateful attitude.

“We are sorry for acting like the head of the body of Christ rather than like a part of that body. We are sorry for driving you out of church; that is not of God. “I have apologized to God and now I am apologizing to you.

“In my day of arrogance I have laughed at my share of gay jokes but I now understand that participating in such activity does color the way you view people. You can’t avoid it. And while I firmly believe that Romans 1 is true in its discussion of homosexuality I know that it is much easier to condemn when you do not know those in that lifestyle.

“I have recently renewed an acquaintance with an individual who is homosexual and I have come to the realization that I cannot engage in jokes which demean the very person I am trying to reach.

“We have used trite phrases such as ‘love the sinner but hate the sin’ in these instances but we should really love the sinner and hate our own sin. The Bible teaches that love does not find fault, but the hard truth is that the world has seen that we do not love those who are different from us.

“Time and again, Jesus’ words challenged the religious establishment. He taught us to leave the 99 and go after the lost one. But we have not followed that teaching very well and have actually pushed people further away from church.

“In John 4:18 we read that ‘perfect love drives out fear.’ I apologize for driving you out of the church and making the church a place that you fear. While the Bible teaches that we should all have a reverential fear of God, we should not fear those who sit in the pews. I make this apology and genuinely ask you to forgive me.”

Read the rest of the story here.

Ingrid is railing against a church again:

Belly up to the bar, pardner. They’re serving up a new kind of church in Sidney, Ohio. With the promise of pizza, wings, top regional bands, “rowdy fun”, and a short message, what’s not to like? I was about to remark satirically about mechanical bulls playing a role in the “worship”, but once again was outdone by reality. The article from WTOP News reports that mechanical bulls were the theme of the, uh, sermon which purportedly dealt with the issue of “getting along in life”.

Sounds pretty terrible, right?

Of course, what Ingrid leaves out is that these aren’t Sunday morning services.

You know Ingrid, this is getting ridiculous. If you’re really that desperate to drum up antagonism among the body of Christ I can send you a huge list of churches that get together for Saturday morning breakfasts, Wednesday night dinners, weekend trips to retreats, and other such shenanigans. In fact, I heard there was even one church that didn’t have worship services at all one day and instead spent all day hitting things with hammers.

Merci!

There has been much virtual ink spilled over Eckhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth, as of late, and the majority of it has to do Oprah’s endorsement of the book in her online course which has over two million students. Now I admit that I have made statements to the effect of brushing off Oprah, because I honestly do not see her as a major threat to Christianity. That being said, there are some who are definitely influenced by her brand of feel-good self-help advice meets pop psychology meets spiritual fad of the month entertainment. The frustrating thing to me is that I think it has been hard to find a response to Oprah that didn’t go over the top by spouting off lines to the effect of calling Oprah the anti-Christ and being part of a vast, global conspiracy. So anytime I see a review on the blogosphere that contains real and helpful information, I take note of it.

Greg Boyd, the pastor of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, MN has written a review of Tolle’s book, that I believe is a good example of how to approach these sort of things. First, most importantly, Boyd does something that should be common sense, but he actually read the book himself before writing about it. Secondly, Boyd refrains from making an ad hominem attacks on either Oprah or Tolle. Third, he does a thorough review of the points in the book, and points out both good and bad.

In the end, Boyd’s see the book as potentially dangerous and deceiving, and he advises caution should people choose to read it. Here is Boyd’s summary about Oprah and the book:

I am left, then, with deep concerns about this book and with the fact that Oprah (who explicitly identifies herself as Christian) is so enthusiastically supporting it. Again, I’m not denying there are some very good insights in this book. Nor am I joining the rank of those who are castigating Oprah as the new pastor of a new, heretical, internet “mega-church” or “cult.” I believe both Oprah and Tolle mean well and are sincerely trying to help people improve their lives. But I am nonetheless very concerned that the masterful way Tolle identifies and diagnoses the struggles we all wrestle with will make readers more gullible in accepting the strongly anti-Christian religious belief system he’s intentionally or unintentionally slipping in the back door.

To me this is an example of how Christians should approach discernment. If it is done in a reasonable fashion without resorting to hysterics and conspiritorial thinking, it seems like it has a much greater chance of being listened to.

It’s kind of rare that I find something in the “Christian” music market that I can recommend to people, but one exception throughout the years has been Justin McRoberts.  I don’t even know if it’s completely accurate to say he’s part of the Christian market, since he releases all of his music independently.  But He is a Christian, and he still writes a lot of his songs with a Christian audience in mind.

McRobert’s new album is entitled Deconstruction, and though the word has gotten a lot press recently, I find the lyrics to be quite poignant and challenging.  I find that God has gifted certain people to express things I would like to say better than I possibly could.

Deconstruction
© Justin McRoberts 2008 Five Foot Six and a Half Music (ASCAP)

I am comfortable with deconstruction
I am comfortable with doubt
It’s the assurance that I’m right about the mystery
The assurance that you’re wrong that I can do without

So everything I knew about you
Everything I thought I knew
I’d tear it down and I would leave it all in pieces
If finally what it means is that I’m left with only you

They say it’s not about religion
But then they tell you how to think
They say it’s all about the way you understand it
Then they tell you what it means that you’ve experienced these things

They say it’s not about performance
They say it’s all about the heart
But every critic with his pen or his computer
Talks about effectiveness and not about the art

If you’d like to hear the song, it should come up on the embedded player on McRobert’s website.  I highly recommend that you check him out if you haven’t before.

Several months ago, I chronicled my learning experience on the workings of the Wikipedia and the small-minded ways in which some Christians were trying to make this their new digital battlefield for Truth^TM (which should never be confused for truth). Now a grizzled veteran in the ways of Wiki and the Truth^TM wars within its pages, more stories have accumulated along the way…

A few will I share today, though I am sure some are not yet complete, and yet others will meet me on the road ahead.

Thin-Skinned-Ninnies

Amazingly, along the road, I’ve met some Christian brothers whose capacity for disagreement sits somewhere below ‘E’ on most reasonable scales.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rorschach inkblot test:

The theory behind the test, created by Hermann Rorschach, is that the test taker’s spontaneous or unrehearsed responses reveal deep secrets or significant information about the taker’s personality or innermost thoughts.

One application of this pseudo-science test is that the Rorschach test reveals the common biases of the subject taking the test. Today, one can witness this particular phenomena in the response to Rob Bell’s approximately 2 minutes of speaking time at the Seeds of Compassion event in Seattle, WA.

The Setup

The context of the event is that 15 representatives of different religions were invited to a panel discussion (which is different than being given a lecture with free reign of topics) on Sprituality & Youth, along with the Dali Lama and Desmond Tutu. Rob Bell, the teaching pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI, was one of the invited panelists. During the 3-4 hour session, he was (according to the A Little Leaven) given two questions, for which he had approximately 2-3 minutes of mic-time.

Read the rest of this entry »

Once again, Ken Silva attempted to take on Erwin McManus, claiming that his doctrine is no different than the new-aged philosophers of our day. Even though Silva has been proven wrong time and time again on this subject, he has to keep the juicy headlines coming to keep his hits up. What good is a prophetic discerner without a large, blind and angry following, ready to email and repost everything they have said?

Anyhow, I though this quote from his article was quite telling of where most of the ODMs stand on the gospel. It also shows the lovely twists they put on their stories. After informing the world that McManus had taught a seminary class at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, CA, he reacts to McManus saying that Spiritual leaders are essentially cultural architects who shape their culture. Silva’s response:

“Uh-huh, right. So that’s what caused each Apostle save John to be brutally murdered. These ambassadors for Jesus Christ were shaping their culture. Hardly”

What a strange quote from a man that is attempting to shape culture with the gospel. I mean, he runs two websites, does countless radio interviews, and apparently hears from God about who he should attack next. Despite all this, Ken Silva actually believes that the gospel has no power or affect on culture. You see, contrary to Mr. Silva, I actually believe and know that the gospel is good for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness. If that doesn’t have a huge affect on the world and culture around us, something is wrong.

editor’s note: research tactics and quote splicing techniques used by ODMs may have been utilized in the making of this article.