Billboard Hits and The Gospel: Part 1

Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready) was number one on the US Billboard R&B chart for twelve consecutive weeks. The song was co-written by Alicia Keys and rapper Drake. Mariel Concepcion from Billboard magazine said of Keys: "the singer/pianist goes from entertaining puppy love to confessing deeper emotions… She finally builds up the courage to share a serious desire with her lover ... atop a building, thumping beat. For an artist who has built her career on songs about love, lust and heartache, Keys has never sounded quite as vulnerable and exposed as she does here." As we’ll see in a minute, the realistic sounding emotions that played a part in the track’s success could be attributed to the fact that Keys is singing to a real person.

The music video for Un-Thinkable was awarded Outstanding Music Video at the 42nd NAACP Awards. The concept is a noble one. It tackles the issues of interracial dating. Keys told Rap Up magazine before the video came out, "The [video] will highlight the past and present stigmas surrounding the subject." The gospel affirms the video’s concept of rejecting racism. Genesis 1:26-27 says that all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. One of the bible’s central figures, Moses, was married to an Ethiopian woman (Num. 12:1-6). The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches that people of different ethnicities and cultures are to be considered our “neighbor.” And we are to love our neighbors as ourselves (James 2:8).

I appreciate that the music video intends to promote cultural unity and an awareness that racism still exists. But, only the gospel has the power to get our society over the wall of racism. We see the solution as we look at what God has done to remove the barriers between us and him and us and others. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 5 that we were once God’s enemies and that there was a separating wall between him and us. But, through the death of Jesus we were reconciled to God. There is now nothing that can separate us from his unconditional love (Rom. 8:38-39). In addition, Paul addresses in Ephesians 2 the relational tension between the Jews and Gentiles. For thousands of years these two groups had kept their distance. But, through the death of Jesus, the dividing wall of hostility was destroyed (Eph. 2:14). All who trust in Christ are adopted into one family and become brothers and sisters with the same Father God. The gospel offers hope for our broken relationship with God and broken relationships with others.

While the music video promotes unity, as we pull back the curtain, we see that the song itself was not originally written with this message in mind. MTV reports that in a BET.com interview Drake revealed that the song was written with his lover and Keys’ lover in mind. "[Un-thinkable] is [about Minaj], I'm not gonna lie," Drake said. "The concept came from a conversation that we had, or conversations we have. I wrote it based off two things: Number one, based off that, and then two, based off Alicia and Swizz [Beatz] and their situation, and it just seemed fitting. It was like the perfect concept." We see here that the song wasn’t written to combat racism but illustrate Drake’s desires for a girl as well as parallel Keys’ desires for her new crush. So far, this is a pretty normal as far as song writing goes.

Where the gospel would confront Keys is in the fact that she is longing for a married man. Another MTV.com article, which traced the history of their relationship, reported that in 2008 rumors spread that Swizz and Keys were forming a relationship while Swizz was married to a popular nightclub singer Mashonda. Later that year, Keys threw a surprise birthday party for Swizz after him and his wife had separated (but still weren’t divorced). In 2009, he confirmed his relationship with Keys (through the lyrics of a remixed song) while he was engaged in a messy divorce with his wife.

Keys sings in Un-Thinkable “I know you said to me ‘This is exactly how it should feel when it’s meant to be.’” The warning that Keys needs to hear is that love is much more than a feeling. Love is a choice that is binding and covenantal. Who is to say that Swizz in a few years won’t go on to say “this is exactly how it should feel when it’s meant to be” to another lover? Divorce plagues America but especially those in the movie and music industries.

The gospel confronts this shifting from one marriage to the next. It is sin and it dishonors God because a) it rejects his design for how we are to live and b) it distorts the picture of how we are to live in relationship to God. He has provided us all with the gift of marriage so that we can experience a strong, pleasurable, and secure love with another person that will withstand hard times and keep us safe from our disordered emotions. For those who are united with Christ, he goes further and gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower us with agape love.

Listen closely. I’m not writing about Alicia Keys to say that people like her is what is wrong with the world. Sin is the problem and everyone has it by nature. All of us are tempted break our covenant with God and one another. Thankfully, the good news is that Jesus died to forgive our constant straying from God and put us in a secure relationship with him forever. Each week, when we as Christians attend church, we practice covenant renewal, which includes asking God to forgive us for being “staying sheep” (Isa. 53:6) who continually break our marriage covenant with the One who will never break his commitment to us.

Lady Gaga and the Gospel

by Tyler Zach

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, or Lady Gaga, is a Grammy-winning singer who has sold more than 15 million albums and 40 million singles worldwide. She is a highly talented songwriter who writes almost all of her music and even writes for other singers as well.

Larry King describes her as a musical and social phenomenon. She was on the cover of TIME magazine earlier this year - which included the 100 Most Influential People In The World. Gaga is one of them because she is not just an average entertainer. She speaks at rallies, writes letters to her US senators, and recently wrote a repeal to fight against the abolishment of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law.

The Fans

After Gaga went on tour recently, she said that her fans were “salivating at the mouth” and that they “behaved like monsters.” Thus, she now calls them her “little monsters.” She even got a “Little Monsters” tattoo on her microphone-holding arm this year.

Perhaps the reason for the intimate relationship with her fans is because they are the first group of people to approve of her. Gaga said on Larry King Live “Since my childhood in school, and for a very long time, I used to always feel like such a freak. I didn't have very many friends in school. I had a few close friends. And I -- I wasn't a popular girl. And got made fun of every day and couldn't really relate to anyone and didn't want do dress like anyone else and liked different things… And I felt like a freak, and I had nowhere to go.” Lady Gaga now has the friends she never had. Millions of them. One of her fans recently tweeted, “I love my life because my life is you, Lady Gaga.”

Gaga has become somewhat of a savior for the unpopular misfits of society. Later on in the interview with Larry King she says, “…And I guess, through the music and the performances we've done -- the clothing that I've worn, and as the fan base has begun to grow, I've sort of watched this massive group of misfits join together to liberate themselves. They love the music and they love what the House of Gaga is creating, because it has a sense of individuality, a sense of freedom, a sense of non-conform -- conformity. And I -- and I celebrate that.” She admits that her fans are “really, really, really troubled” and that “I still am fairly troubled.”

One of the unique things about Lady Gaga is that she aims not to monopolize her new fame, but to invite her misfit fans to be a part of that fame. The bio section of her web site includes “The Fame [music] is about how anyone can feel famous… But, it’s a sharable fame. I want to invite you all to the party. I want people to feel a part of this lifestyle.”

The Music and Performances

The overarching theme of Lady Gaga’s music and performances is tolerance and acceptance. Gaga told Larry King, “I’m more interested in helping my fans to love who they are and helping them to reject prejudice and reject those things that they're taught from society to not like themselves.” She called her latest tour, Monster Ball, a “celebration of shame,” a “rejection of insecurity” and “in essence an exorcism for my fans and for myself where we sort of put everything out on the table and reject it.” Fans are invited to come, lay all of their shame at the foot of the stage, reject it, and find acceptance through each other.

She particularly appeals to the insecurities felt by women and gays. The costumes Gaga wears on stage and on camera (many of which are not flattering) are “meant to be a rejection what people view about women.” Her new song “Alejandro” is a celebration of her love and appreciation for the gay community. Since the gay community has been heavily persecuted, the “House of Gaga” has been a refuge for this crowd. She has led the way for her fans to be open and honest about their insecurities. In a recent twitter post, Gaga said, “I'd wear any of my private attire for the world to see. But I would rather have an open flesh wound than ever wear a band aid in public.”

While Gaga’s “The Fame” CD focused on fame, the follow-up album “The Fame Monster” focused on the darker side of fame, as experienced by Gaga while traveling around the world in 2008-2009. She said, “While traveling the world for two years, I've encountered several monsters, each represented by a different song on the new record.”

Here are the monsters she encountered (all tracks on The Fame Monster):

1. Monster (Fear of Death Monster)
2. Bad Romance (Fear of Love Monster)
3. Don't Call My Name (Fear of Men Monster)
4. Speechless (Fear of Loneliness Monster)
5. New York (Fear of Heights Monster)
6. Bloody Mary (Fear of Alcohol Monster)
7. Take It Slow (Fear of Sex Monster)
8. Kiss & Run (Fear of Commitment Monster)

What has Lady Gaga done with these fears?

The Monster

Lady Gaga claims to be a very spiritual person. She admitted to Larry King, “I'm very religious. I was raised Catholic. I believe in Jesus. I believe in God. I'm very spiritual. I pray very much.” However, since every religion to her seems to be prejudiced against some other racial, religious, or social group she added, “I’m quite a religious woman that is very confused about religion.”

Where does Lady Gaga go then for spiritual clarity? Deepak Chopra - who began his career in the 1980’s publishing books self-help books on New Age spirituality. Chopra recently debated Pastor Mark Driscoll in a Nightline Face-Off: Does Satan exist? Chopra’s answer was no. Evil is just an illusion to him. That is why, when Lady Gaga came to him for help with her reoccurring morbid dreams, Chopra said “Don’t worry so much [about the dreams]. You’re just very creative.” Since Gaga was a little girl, she has had nightmares of an Anglo fish. Chopra said that in order to get rid of this childhood monster Gaga needed to put it in her show. She told Larry King in her interview that she took Chopra’s advice and created a gigantic Anglo fish for her to fight and kill right before the big finale. Will that be enough to get rid of her monster?

The Gospel

I appreciate Lady Gaga’s authenticity. She admits that she is troubled and that those who follow her are troubled. That is more than most Christians would like to admit about themselves. Also, her dream for the world is a noble one: “I dream and envision a future where we have a more peaceful religion or a more peaceful world, a more peaceful state of mind for the younger generation. And that's what I dream for.” In order to fulfill this dream Gaga has been using the tools of tolerance and acceptance. But, will these two things produce the kind of peace Gaga is longing for?

The idols of tolerance and acceptance may draw people in but it doesn’t a) provide the wisdom needed for what should and shouldn’t be tolerated, b) offer any spiritual resources for defeating our insecurities, and c) offer any resources for forgiving our enemies – which is part of the peace-making strategy. Gaga’s concerts may help people to feel accepted for a night, but what about when they go home? Will simply putting our insecurities on stage before the idols of tolerance and acceptance do any good?

Lady Gaga said herself that is confused and troubled. She is a sinner just like me. She has been guilty, as I have been, of tolerating sin, trying to save herself from her own fears and demons, and worshiping the approval of others. Her life and work has not been about glorifying God but about making herself famous and inviting her fans to share that glory with her. Is there still hope for her? Of course! As we look at the life of Nebuchadnezzar, we see that God is very merciful to the proud and famous when they repent. Not only can Gaga find forgiveness through the Gospel, but she can also find the resources needed to accomplish the goal of a more peaceful world.

The good news for Gaga and her fans can be found in Isaiah 9:6-7:

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.

Jesus has come. He is the Wonderful Counselor who shows us who God is and what he expects from us, which is better than the confusion of tolerance. He is the Prince of Peace for our troubled world. He has already, decisively, and triumphantly defeated Satan, sin, and death and reigns over all things. He is just and will punish everyone who has ever acted unjustly toward those who have been rejected in our society (including Gaga’s misfit fans).

The gospel is the answer to Lady Gaga’s fears:

· Death (Jesus has conquered death)

· Love (Jesus displayed how much he loved us by laying down his life)

· Men (Jesus died for his bride, the church, and commanded that all men protect, provide for, and lay down their lives for women)

· Loneliness (Jesus said that he will never leave or forsake us)

· Alcohol (Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to control us instead of alcohol),

· Sex (Jesus has taken the fear out of sex by putting it within the boundaries of marriage)

· Commitment (Jesus has publically displayed his commitment to us on the cross so that we wouldn’t be afraid to commit ourselves to him)

When the fame is gone and the fans are too, Lady Gaga, Jesus’ love and approval won’t be. And in the new heavens and new earth, we will get invited not to a stage, but to the throne of God’s glory where we can enjoy him forever.

The Christian Bubble

Listen up protective parents and pastors! There is something tragic going on at our public Universities.

Christian students seem to be getting spiritually slaughtered in their classrooms and dorms.

About 2/3 of Christian teenagers will quit attending a church once they leave home and go to the big city for college (barna.org).

Why are so many Christians leaving the faith after high school?

Bayard Taylor, in his book “Blah Blah Blah”, would suggest that it is because a lot of Christian students are coming out of a bubble that we’ve put them in. We have kept our students in “safe” environments – away from culture and all other worldviews. But eventually, the high school students have to step out onto the college battlefield, and when they do, it’s not pretty.

Imagine what would happen to us physically if we walked around with a plastic bubble around us so that we would never be in danger of getting sick. What would happen if someone came up to one of us and popped our bubble? Our immune system would be exposed to multiple diseases and we could possible die!

The flue shot is another good example. When you get a flu shot, you actually are injected with something harmful so that your body can learn how to better protect itself when a bigger dose comes along in the future. By “being exposed” our defenses grow stronger.

Applying this analogy, it would make a lot of sense to let our students out of “the bubble” to be injected with a dose of culture so that they can better learn to love it and critique it. Perhaps then their spiritual immune systems would grow stronger with each “exposure” and become more ready for the spiritual battles that lay ahead.

Some practical ideas:

• Pray about sending your kid to a public high school
• Allow your kid to have non-Christian friends
• Watch popular movies and have a good discussion afterwards about the biblical themes and non-biblical themes
• Allow your kid to listen to a variety of music that isn’t produced by a Christian label
• Allow them to question the Christian faith without getting angry at them (these questions will sharpen them and you)
  

How Should Christians Approach Culture?

House-flippers are kind of like gospel-centered Christians.

A normal citizen may pass by a banged-up house on the street or tour the home from the inside, reject it, and then move on.

But the house-flippers take a more gospel-centered approach. With every house that catches their eye, they view it as redeemable.

They search for the good in a house and then identify its areas of brokenness. They affirm that the house was once a brand new house designed by a good creator. But over time, as we know, every house begins to decay. Decay is the default. So then, the house-flipper goes about the process of redeeming the house (purchasing it for themselves) and then restoring it (reversing its decaying condition).

Paul, in Acts, walks up to a spiritually decaying people, affirms their God-given desire by saying, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious”, but then goes on to tell them about the Person (Jesus) who can redeem and restore them from their broken condition.

I think most fundamentalists would order that each banged-up house be torn down immediately and I think the liberals would chain themselves to the yard trees to promote tolerance (of the house in its current condition). One group tears down the house and the other group leaves the house the way it is. Neither of these approaches is love.

Which way do you usually approach culture?

Redeeming Souls vs. Redeeming Culture

There seems to be a dichotomy in the church between proclamation and mercy ministries.

Some churches train their people to share the gospel and hold many evangelistic events and outreaches. Other churches or ministries follow Saint Francis’s advice, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.” Redeeming souls vs. Redeeming culture. That seems to be the split.

The Christian communities I’m involved in seem to drift more toward redeeming souls than redeeming culture. We talk a lot about internal redemption (of the soul) but not so much about external redemption (of the culture). So, I think we should ask ourselves why this is and make some necessary changes.

Are we teaching out students how to redeem culture once they have come to Christ?

If they step out into one of these cultural institutions (Business, Government, Media, Church, Arts & Entertainment, Education, Social Sector) after graduation, will they know what to do?

How do we go about equipping our students to do the works God has prepared for them in advance... in their area of influence?