Archive for August, 2009

The Monday Muse: Christian Music

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Comments Posted on Aug 31, 2009 Last Updated Sep 01, 2009 Posted by Jeff Lash

On our Sunday School class blog, some folks have been discussing the nature of Christian music by comparing it to mainstream music. It brings to mind a classic debate in the Christian music world. What makes Christian music Christian? In the music business, Christian is a label for a particular genre of music. There are Christian record labels and Christian distribution. There are Christian stores that sell the Christian music. But what is the unifying bond between all of the diverse styles listed as Christian music? A band like August Burns Red is very different from the David Crowder Band. Red tours with mainstream rock bands and plays in smokey clubs. Nicole Nordeman tours with other Christian artists and  plays in churches and at Christian conferences. I’m not knocking on any of these artists. I’m simply making the point that there is a great deal of diversity in the genre of Christian music. So again…what makes a Christian artist Christian? It certainly can’t be about musical style. It must be the message. Yet some bands overtly write Jesus into their lyrics and others create hidden messages. We could certainly debate what we think about both approaches (as well as others). But here’s my real question:

Should we have a genre called Christian music? Why or why not?

I have a lot of things that I want to say about this but I will leave that for the comments and maybe some further posts.

The Word 8.30.09

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Comments Posted on Aug 30, 2009 Last Updated Aug 30, 2009 Posted by Jeff Lash

Jesus tells his disciples that they are sent out as vulnerable sheep among a pack of wolves. In the previous verses, Jesus mentions that judgment befalls those people who reject the blessing and message of his disciples. The perspective is set on those who reject the message and the consequence for their rejection. Jesus shifts the focus onto his messengers. The world is made up of only two kinds of people: believers and nonbelievers. There are worshipers of Jesus and worshipers of everything else. Those who worship things other than Jesus have set themselves against Him in some form or fashion. The message of the gospel is bad news them. The gospel divides at the most profound levels. We should be prepared for persecution of any form. We should be wise and cunning in the way we live among the wolves and yet blameless in order to remain faithful to our Lord.

Matthew 10:16-23 (ESV)

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Singing the Lord’s Prayer

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Comment Posted on Aug 29, 2009 Last Updated Aug 29, 2009 Posted by Jeff Lash

Check out this 2 year old singing the Lord’s Prayer. It is too cute. For whatever reason I find the songs and expressions of little children moving.

The Word 8.23.09

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Comment Posted on Aug 23, 2009 Last Updated Aug 23, 2009 Posted by Jeff Lash

Jesus gives his newly commissioned disciples instructions on carrying out his ministry. There two things that stick out to me (among other things). First, Jesus tells the “twelve” to bypass the Gentiles and Samaritans and head directly to Jews. I think this certainly says more than one thing of importance. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the promises made to Israel. He is the Messiah. The good news comes out of the Jewish tradition and faith so it must first go to them. If it went to the Gentiles first then this good news would be near impossible for the Jews to believe. So Jesus isn’t contradicting his statement that “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) There is a proper order to salvation history because the promises were first made to Israel. When Jesus dies, the temple veil is torn and all may have access to God through Christ.

Second, Jesus tells his disciples to give without receiving compensation since the gifts they will be bestowing were received without payment. We should be reminded that the grace we have received has not been given to us based on any merit of our own. Eternal life is the free gift of God. Paul echoes these sentiments in his words to the Ephesians. “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (Eph. 1:5-6) His love is matchless. His grace is glorious. Worthy is the Lamb. He is the only one deserving of honor and praise.

Matthew 10:5-15 (ESV)

5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Theology for the Church

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Comments Posted on Aug 20, 2009 Last Updated Aug 20, 2009 Posted by Jeff Lash

I just finished an excellent article by Gerald Heistand concerning ecclesial theology. What is ecclesial theology? “Ecclesial theology is theological reflection written to the wider believing community, for the good of the church catholic, and born out of pastoral/ecclesial concerns.” The Society for the Advancement of Ecclesial Theology was created for this very purpose. Simply put, the society desires to see robust theology being worked out in the context of the church. It is an exhortation for the revival of pastor-theologians as opposed to solely professor-theologians.

I don’t have enough fingers to count how many times I have heard people refer to theology as the work of academics and scholars. This is just not true. The work of these men is very important in changing this perception and showing how orthodoxy is essential to orthopraxy. So…I heartily commend Heistand’s article to all who want to know more about the work of the society and its call to a more ecclesial theology. As Heistand says,

The Church is God’s vehicle for changing the world. While apologetically driven academic theology is legitimate, the bulk of evangelical reflection and writing needs to be written in service to the church, to the believing community. We won’t change the world by reforming the academy. But we will–by God’s grace–change the world by renewing the church. But such renewal will only come through the communication of deep, robust, biblical, historically informed, culturally aware, thoughtful, and prophetic truth. Frankly, the sort of theology that will advance the cause of Christ will likely not find much favor in the wider academy, given its current rules of engagement. But that’s fine–our goal isn’t to win the favor of a secular academy; our goal is to renew the church.

To that I say…Amen.

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