Posted on 12/07/2004 12:06:09 PM PST by LouAvul
The growing clout of America's 100-million evangelical Christians is being heard loud and clear. Just turn on your radio, and you'll notice that a seismic shift in American culture is taking place.
Before, you could tune into different stations, which offered different music and different messages.
But now, as Correspondent Bob Simon reports on 60 Minutes Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. ET/PT,, evangelical Christian music is flowing into mainstream media -- and changing it. In fact, Christian entertainment now brings in $4 billion a year.
Rappers and rockers are making hits and making money while spreading the gospel to national audiences. Christian groups can be heard on secular radio and seen on "The Tonight Show." Earlier this year, the group Third Day even played at the Republican National Convention.
"The fact that there are Christian themes now emerging in rock and that Christians are in rock is just representative of a spiritual desire or a spiritual hunger in our culture," says Cameron Strang, publisher of Relevant Magazine, a religious publication.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
The name of the concert in Washington state is called "Creation". Googled Creation, Gorge, Washington and found their website where I found this:
You are invited to attend the eighth annual Creation festival at the Gorge Amphitheater! Join with thousands of people from all across the United States and Canada for three exciting days of great Christian music, inspired teaching, camping, friends and much more. The dates for Creation 2005 West will be Wednesday July 27 to Saturday July 30.
The response to last year's festival has been tremendous. More important than the great music and perfect weather was the many life changing decisions made to follow Jesus Christ. That is what Creation is all about.
Creation 2005 West is one of only two Creations festivals that will be held this summer. The original Creation is celebrating it's twenty seventh birthday this year and is considered to be the world's largest annual Creation festival.
For many people Creation is like a warm family reunion. Each year you can look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones from all across the world in some cases. If this is your first time to attend, we hope you will love Creation as much as we do.
For the third year in a row there will be four nights of music rather than the normal three! Response to the addition of this extra evening last year was extremely positive. Last year the new traffic plan worked perfectly and there was no congestion problem.
The location will again be at the Gorge Amphitheater which is located near the small town of George in central Washington.
Almost everybody chooses to take advantage of the low cost camping on site. The result is a colorful, festive and peaceful atmosphere. The sites are primitive but there are showers, toilets, and even shuttle buses. Those less adventuresome choose to rough it in a hotel or nearby campgrounds with full hookups.
The Gorge Amphitheater is in a beautiful secluded setting featuring a magnificent view of the Columbia River Gorge below. Pollstar Magazine ranks the Gorge Amphitheater as the nation’s best outdoor concert facility. The view of the gorge and the basalt cliffs are quite breathtaking. The sky seems to always be a deep shade of blue. A huge video screen means that even those at the rear of the grassy hillside have a great view of everything on stage.
The program starts each day at 9 a.m. in the main arena with worship and the packed program does not stop until 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. at the late night clubs.
Creation is much more than just a music event! The Word of God is honored at Creation. Much prayer and effort goes into finding those speakers who God wants to have at Creation. The goal is for lives to be changed to the Glory of God!
The music program each year features the very best Christian artists in a variety of venues. Unlike some events, you will not have to wade through dozens of mediocre bands to hear one good one. In addition to the main arena there is also the very popular FRINGE stage which features cutting edge artists in a more intimate setting. Each afternoon some of the nation's top modern praise and worship leaders will be at the CREATION WORSHIPS tent.
There will be so many things to see and do at Creation '2005. Here is just a short random list of some of them: Exhibit Area, Comedy Club, Illusion Show, Special Seminars, X Games, A Skateboard and BMX Team, Candlelight Service, Children's Tent and Craft Area, The Fringe Stage, Group Leader VIP Area, State-of-Art Production, Huge Video Screens, Contests and Give-Aways, Meet the Artists, Radio Row, Water Baptism, Hiking Trails, Prayer Tent, Late Night Clubs, Modern Worship Music, Food Court & Grocery Store, and much more
In addition, safety is a big priority at Creation. The medical facility is staffed with very qualified doctors and nurses who are available 24 hours per day to oversee your health. Securities patrols take place 24 hours per day and the camping and staging areas are very secure.
Join us in praying for Creation ‘2005, that God would be glorified by this event and that many lives will be saved and restored. That is what Creation is all about - changed lives!
See you in June! It will be the highlight of your summer... maybe your life!
Here ya go. It is an example of a lyric from DC Talk. Not necessarily a bad band, but 'watered down':
Consume Me
from Supernatural
by Toby McKeehan
Lovely traces
I can sense you in everything
The way that you move me
Takes me far away
I seek no escape
I'm dreaming through your eyes
I am wandering through your mind
I'm overtaken
By the way that you deliver me
I'm transcended
There's no place I'd rather be
Than here in heaven
Without you I'm incomplete
It's hopeless
CHORUS
You consume me, You consume me
Like a burning flame running through my veins
You consume me moving through me
Anytime anyplace you invade my space
You consume me, You consume me
Wholly devoted
I immerse myself in you
Baptize me in your love
'Cause drowning in the thought of you
Floods my soul
I'm taken by the things you do
God you know
It doesn't matter what I lose
I'm yours
CHORUS
BRIDGE
I am in your hands
Under your command
Like a puppet on a string
I am willing to
Put my faith in you
So before the world I sing…
©1998 Achtober Songs, Out of Twisted Roots Music, Blind Thief Pulishing (BMI), Fun Attic Music (ASCAP)
I guess Paul had it all wrong when he was on Mars Hill in Acts:17 and he used the idol to an unknown god as a way of introducing the gospel to the Athenians. I have yet to meet a Christian, who enjoys modern rock praise and worship, who wants to substitute the Holy Bible with a Third Day song book. God gives us all gifts and it is up to the individual to use that gift for good or bad. If a musician can use their gift by playing rock to reach those that have not heard the Gospel and helps that person to have more interest in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and find salvation then the great commission is being served and the Lord God is being served. Christian rock music and concerts are no different than what Paul was doing in finding a way to get people to hear the gospel. Ever Christian concert event I have ever been to have had the actual word of God spoken and the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection revealed. The last time I checked Jesus went out to where the unbelievers were to deliver his message. I don’t think he hung out with the tax collectors of those days because he thought they were cool and like to talk economics. If your out playing more power to you in getting the word of God out there for all to hear.
Hey check out Alice Cooper’s “The Last Temptation”, “Brutal Planet”, and “Dragon Town” and also Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush’s “Eye of the Storm”. They deliver a good message about their personal salvation plus they really rock.
The Coop Rocks! Last Temptation is one of my all time fave albums. I love Dragontown and Brutal Planet also. After seeing him this last tour, I played all those albums over and over till hubby got tired of it. :)
Have you checked out Alice's testimony in "Rock Stars on God"? It blew me away to read the interview with him talking about his faith so openly.
What is watered down in those lyrics?
That almost reads like a Psalm.
No. Do you have a link. That would be great to read. I've listen to Alice for years and when he released that trilogy of albums I was ecstatic. Getting to hear music that I really enjoy having a great message was so cool.It was like the first time I heard Bride. I went move over Sabbath, Ozzy, Judas Priest, and BOC(etc.) you've some serious competition in halls of metaldem.
But I also like good Blues check out Glenn Kiaser solo stuff along with the REZ band.
This question strikes me like that of what is a proper way to go to church. Walking only? Horses? Chariots? Sled dogs? Automobiles? Or by what lights should we read the bible in church. Sunlight only? Candles? Kerosene lamps? Electric bulbs? The "simplest" possible method is not always the optimal one.
I'm with you about Pillar. They are truly a great metal band. I love 'Frontline'!
Personally I think what the Bible states about singing and making melody in our hearts specifically excludes instruments. I suspect we would disagree on this point.
At the most, without investigation into the individual personal situations of others, and absent a specific negative command, all you can claim is that it doesn't edify you. That's fine, and if you tell us something doesn't edify you (e.g. rock Christian songs) we will not give it to you. The facts are highly situational, because everything is offensive to somebody for some reason. Traditional church music might be the "WORST" way to reach a certain population.
And I think you can get to that conclusion (absent a specific observation that it does not edify) only by employing fallacious inferences. If we could not rely on an assumption that God expects us to use ordinary and available means to achieve commanded goals, the Bible would read like the IRS tax code on steroids. When we look after orphans and widows in their distress should we use the telephone? After all God never commanded it.
Yours is a familiar arguament. As I stated though I think the Bible gives specific instruction in this matter.
Only if you fallaciously reason that positive command to do A, means negative command to do B in support of A.
Which, by the way, is a prideful position to take (imho). It is virtually the worship of minimalism for its own sake.
He said to make it of gopher wood which would exclude say pine or any other wood for that matter.
To make melody in your heart excludes making melody with say a organ or any other instrument for that matter.
Do you see my reasoning?
Is it flawed?
I don't see how you come to that conclusion.
What is watered down about those lyrics? It sounds to me as if the person who wrote it is sharing parts of his or her intimate relationship with Christ.
Have you read the bio of the band?
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