There are a few things that get my goat – gay apologists (who try to prove that the bible does not condenm homosexuality as sin), evolutionary patronizers (who treat those who doubt evolution as ignorant), and self-righteous heresy hunters (like CRS, for example) who tear down everything from Billy Graham to Christian Rock in their unbridled zeal for biblical purity. Don’t get me wrong, I probably agree with half of their stuff, but the other half is just narrow bigotry and fear-mongering (oh yeah, I dislike that too, hence my dislike for slippery slope arguments and liberal panic over the “scary fundamentalist Christians and Christian Right,” and the “Christian dominionists.”)
One site that I like to read, but which recently annoyed me in the heresy-hunting category, is Slice of Laodicea. In the name of doctrinal purity, they routinely attack the likes of Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen (OK, maybe *he* deserves some scrutiny), the Emergent Church, and now, certain Christian Rock bands.
They strongly moderate their comments, and last time I posted, they decided not to approve my comment, which was strong, but not caustic. So I just posted the following comment on their site, and saved it here just in case they decide that it doesn’t fall into the “he loves us” category for approval.
They claim they can have both their rock, which was birthed in rebellion, and their God.
I don’t comment much here because in the past, the moderator has decided not to approve my posts. Hard to have a discussion with someone who only posts favorable responses.
But you are definitely “old school” in your attitudes, meaning you have a disdain for youth culture, whether or not you have kids. And while I agree that today’s youth culture is filled with sex, disrespect for authority, and consumerism, your comment about rock being “birthed in rebellion” is one of those back-woods Baptist canards – you might as well say that it has “jungle rhythms from Africa” to complete your unbiblical and uneducated attack on rock.
Do you attend one of those culturally irrelevant churches where they will only read the KJV and, more importantly, only sing hymns from 200 years ago accompanied by a piano or organ? Such churches usually haven’t had a move of God since that time, else they might have more contemporary music, including rock and roll worship. But it sounds like you could not even conceive of such.
Admittedly, I know nothing of zombiegutz, but I enjoy, for example, the hard music band Pillar. When I saw them last year, they gave a powerful and articulate altar call.
While you are right to be concerned about some bands, and the secularizing of church ministry, you have to focus on content, not form. Rock is just a tool, like any form of music, and it can be used for good. Your comment about being birthed in rebellion may be true, but it is truly irrelevant. All music, in one sense or another, is born in rebellion. Have you never read about the revivals of the past? Even Martin Luther put Christian lyrics to drinking songs. Don’t be an alarmist that throws out the baby w/ the bathwater.
