Spiritual Wimps
Do yourself a favor and go to www.theworkofthepeople.com and do a search for “Derek Webb” or “A New Law.” They have a video they made for Derek’s song by that title. It is for sale for $15, but you can view it on their site for free.
No really, take the five minutes and watch it, them come back.
That is the genius of Derek Webb. He makes you think. Half the time, you listen to his songs and think: “Yes! That is exactly right!” The other half of the time you feel really, really uncomfortable.
“A New Law” does a great job of illustrating the problem in the Evangelical Ghetto where we refuse to be “faith seeking understanding.” We want and demand that others simply tell us how to believe, how to behave, and what is the bare minimum we can do to earn God’s approval. The problem is we can’t earn it; we have been given it. That approval should spur us to want to change our lives and seek a deeper walk with God.
Instead we have too often reduced the Christian life to actions and inactions. Go to church; don’t go to R rated movies. Read the latest Christian self-help book; don’t read Harry Potter. Vote Republican; don’t be friends with people who think differently from you. Teach your kids at home; shield them from anything that could challenge their faith.
As spiritual warriors go, we are probably looking like a pretty anemic bunch.
No really, take the five minutes and watch it, them come back.
That is the genius of Derek Webb. He makes you think. Half the time, you listen to his songs and think: “Yes! That is exactly right!” The other half of the time you feel really, really uncomfortable.
“A New Law” does a great job of illustrating the problem in the Evangelical Ghetto where we refuse to be “faith seeking understanding.” We want and demand that others simply tell us how to believe, how to behave, and what is the bare minimum we can do to earn God’s approval. The problem is we can’t earn it; we have been given it. That approval should spur us to want to change our lives and seek a deeper walk with God.
Instead we have too often reduced the Christian life to actions and inactions. Go to church; don’t go to R rated movies. Read the latest Christian self-help book; don’t read Harry Potter. Vote Republican; don’t be friends with people who think differently from you. Teach your kids at home; shield them from anything that could challenge their faith.
As spiritual warriors go, we are probably looking like a pretty anemic bunch.
Wow.
ReplyDeleteI agree with it all...except the "Teach your kids at home; shield them from anything that could challenge their faith" bit. To me, teaching my kids at home is going against what everyone tells me to do...at least in my world.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Amy, I am not against homeschooling in principle. Especially when people are qualified to do it and now that there are ways for home schooled kids to interact with other and learn to socialize.
ReplyDeleteIt just that we were in a place a few years ago where there was a lot of pressure to home school. You almost felt like a bad Christian for letting you kid go to public school.
That, and as a youth minister I always knew to watch out for the kids that came up through the home school system. They tended to be ill equipped to handle what the world eventually threw at them after all those years of never hearing the lies.
David and I have been listening to Derek Webb for about four years now. The song that speaks the most to us is also his most offensive: Wedding Dress. About the homeschooling comment: I think it is the parent's job to educate their kids, not the government's. I think some parents can go overboard and shelter too much, which causes a huge reality shock when the kids are older. Finding balance is key. We have to be real with our kids, just like we have to be real in the world. I think you're right though. We tend to base our Christianity on what we are or aren't doing, which is OK to a point (because we have to work out our salvation). But, if what we do isn't coming from our hearts, but is instead coming from the knowledge that not doing those things is "not Christian," then we are doing them for the wrong reasons. Good blog, Jason.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts. Isn't it funny how people make others feel like they are making the wrong choices? Mom told me that when we lived in Oklahoma, other parents were telling her that she needed to homeschool. And we were told that we needed to send our kids to private school in Dalhart. Maybe it's the Dietz in me, but I kind of like to go against the flow. It makes life more interesting.
ReplyDeleteI just want you to know that I really enjoy your blog. It makes me think...and refer to my dictionary (Jay). :)
Yes, I like Wedding Dress a lot too, but I think my favorite is "I Repent." It should show up in an entry someday.
ReplyDeletedude, i really like derek webb. he is not afraid to throw stuff back in the face of the pharisees ...
ReplyDelete" just give me my grape juice "
i like mine with a little (but only a little) more age on it. new wine for new skins ...
peace out.