Delilah and the devil are solidly biblical characters but the biblical references in the other two songs seem somewhat tenuous. Abraham in the Marvin Gaye song refers to Abraham Lincoln rather than the Patriarch and John to John Kennedy rather than the Apostle or the Baptist. Madonna (my lady), being an Italian designation for the Virgin Mary, is also not strictly speaking a biblical name.
This got cc thinking - if the youth group had the opportunity to introduce a pop song conveying a clear biblical message on national radio, what would they choose?
Cranmer's Curate would choose Elvis Presley's wonderful rendition of the hymn How Great Thou Art. The last verse beautifully expresses the Christian hope:
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home - what joy shall fill my heart! Then shall I bow in humble adoration and there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Your curate certainly wouldn't choose I still haven't found what I'm looking for by U2. It seems to exude an ungodly lack of gratitude for God's gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Yes of course it is true that we await the consummation of our salvation at the Second Coming of Christ but the Elvis hymn articulates the strong sense of biblical confidence surrounding that hope, in marked contrast to the post-modern spiritual ennui of the U2 song.
What would you choose? Any of Johnny Cash's spirituals most welcome.
Where is the Love by the Black eyed Peas, which reminds me of the Psalms, or the verses of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen that Simon Cowell left out:
ReplyDeleteI did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel so I tried to touch
I've told the truth I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah.
which takes us from Genesis to Revelation in one verse.
Magnificent.
ReplyDelete"Hurt" by Johnny Cash
ReplyDeleteGood podcast on it by Russel Moore:
http://www.russellmoore.com/resources/the-cross-and-the-jukebox/
Make sure you watch the video.
Stephen Walton
Marbury
Thank you Stephen - really interesting podcast. I find it quite difficult to assess Johnny Cash from a Christian point of view. Some of the songs he sang eg Why me Lord? & Redemption & God's gonna cut you down are really good and helpful but surely his undoubted personal troubles were no excuse for some of his behaviour as a professing Christian. In other words, I'm struggling to see him as a Christian role model for young people in terms of the way he lived his life though by God's grace his life seems to have ended well.
ReplyDeleteOh your Grace!
ReplyDeleteRe: the U2 song (which will be played at my funeral whenever that may be). I submit that you have not read that song by looking at its historical context within the U2 ouevre. I would also suggest hearing it around the context of Phillipians 3:12-14.
One could also hear '40', Yahweh or any number of their songs.
I wonder too, if your grace has heard any early Sufjan Stevens?
Thank you Sir. I'm a little uncomfortable with being called Your Grace. I think you might have got me mixed up with blogging genius Archbishop Cranmer.
ReplyDeleteSo I did.... I am a Methodist minister and it is September when the world goes mad- I plead incompetence...
ReplyDeleteNo problem Sir - would you like to choose a pop song with a strong Christian message?
ReplyDeleteFor a 'clear' message- a worship song or hymn. To cut it in the marketplace and be 'good' (IMHO- I did an MA through Cliff college looking at this) there has to be a certain obliqueness. Try recent offerings by 'The Fray' (they are Christians. Much, much older stuff: Martyn Joseph 'He never said'....back into ancient history: Barclay James Harvest 'He said love'.... I guess you would always say Dylan or Cohen. Nu americana: 'The Welcome Wagon' or early Sufjan Stevens. The list continues... Delerious?
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