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 ...
This thought process is scary. It's what our new pastor says too. It's a different thing that "I surrender all". It's a thought that says... I'll accept christ as long as the world still likes me. It's contrary to biblical teaching.
Re your last sentence, you love opening worm cans don't ya? LOL.
Amen.
(and in case you didn't notice, I don't agree with Brother Cloud's stand on Rock music, and I know many other Baptists that also disagree with his opinion - his opinion is reached by stretching, bashing catholics, and his own personal tastes, rather than a solid theological basis, imho)
Moi? ;0)
Got that right, rebellion against that which is good, right and true. I think it's people who know they should believe, perhaps raised that way, but shun it because the academic elite tries to find ways to debunk the Bible and insert the religion of Moral Relativism.
Well, my personal feeling is that being Christian today means that it is our beliefs that are open to attack, our beliefs and faith that are open to mockery, disdain, persecution etc... So, we as christians are rebelling against the the Godless Left that is arrayed against us in every sphere of society (even in many of our churches) - since Political Correctness is so mainstream these days, it makes us Christians the rebels - much like Jesus was, theoretically, a rebel in His time...
You have to reach them at their level. I am sorry but that is true. Those kids that are caught up and wrapped so tight in the secular world have to have someone to identify with. Heck, there are even some that have been brought up in churches that can't identify because they still don't feel accepted.
No one is saying that the kids must compromise. But, in order to get the message to them you have to be able to push through the other garbage thrown in their faces nowdays and get it to them in ways that they can relate to and understand.
"I love rock and roll but I also associate is with rebellion, anarchy and being less than sacred of Christianity......."
Sounds like the Sanhedran talking: "This JESUS is nothing but Rebellion, ANARCHY and is against everything sacred of our Jewish Faith."
(My 9 year old boy had to write about something he has strong beliefs on. It started out with "GOD ROCKS!". A public school - and they didn't kick him out!)
Or, you could look at it another way as well - a kid that is afraid of what their friends might think about them having Faith, might eventually overcome that fear, and who knows - it might even give them the strength (as Faith often can) to be more open and honest with their friends about it. And who knows, some of those friends might one day be lead to the Lord, and be saved.
Sure, it may not always work, but sometimes it might - and when it does, it's worth it.
You nailed it.
You see, I don't. I don't think God requires me to be a geek (nothing wrong with geeks, but I'm not one, and I'm a Christian), or to not have fun in my life, or to dress like my eighty year-old mother's algebra teacher.
And I think if a kid has that one less obstacle to consider, it's a good thing.
What I said has nothing to do with whether the world likes you for your beliefs. I didn't suggest kids do drugs, have sex, or think sin is good. I said that if they are aware of cool people - people they can relate to - that are Christians, it can do something to overcome an obstacle to being curious about salvation and a relationship with Christ.
But, a lot of people seem to think like you. That is apparent from this thread.
Iamthisclose to pounding my head against the wall. : )
Headbanger! ;0)
LOL
I haven't read this whole thread. Really didn't read past the forst 20 posts, so I'm sure I'm coming into this thing late and probably repetitive. My church is going through this same stuff. When you start down the road of "selling the gospel". Making it attractive enough that people will say ... gee.... yeah ... I could be a christian because it's cool, or because it's not uncool... you've started down a bad path.
You know... there's reasoning among men, and then there's the text. And even the text tells us that what seems right to a man is often folly to God.
I heard a statement that I really agreed with. It's my tag line. What you win them by is what you win them to.
And to me, all of the music the world has is nothing. It has nothing to offer me. I don't see any redeeming qualities in it. Nothing. Same with books. I used to read 'casually', now I never do. If I am gonna spend time with books/music, it is gonna be worth it. Wish that were true in all areas of my life...
Okay, well, portray it as "uncool" as possible then, if you think that's better.
Maybe pregnancy and drug use is up because they live in a culture that glorifies drug use and premarital sex, and because parents don't keep control over what their kids get involved in. People have always craved acceptance. Even when I was a kid. That's nothing new.
And it's not that the church is trying to push it's way through the garbage and reach children. It's that the church is trying to often emulate the garbage so as to fool them into accepting it.
Salvation is about understanding one's need for a savior. Acceptance that Jesus is that savior. And acceptance of that salvation. (unless your a hardcore calvinist... then it's just about being chosen). But you just can't find a single biblical reference where it says "the apostles / early christians / followers etal" examined creative ways to soften the gospel and make it more appealing to the world. When you consider what being a believer ment back then (often a dinner date with lyons or someone throwing rocks).... it's just difficult to believe that the cause of christ can only be advanced if we make the gospel appealing in a worldly sense.
Why not just portray it as salvation for the lost.? Portray it that God accepts you as you are, and then works to make you like one of his?
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