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 ...
Ever hear of the Great Awakening? The Methodist movement? These featured all manner of peculiar outbursts, including laughing and shouting. Many called Wesley's early followers the "Shouting Methodists". The expansion of the new testament church throughout history often seems to be accompanied by strange manifestations.
Once in royal David's city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
who is God and Lord of all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall;
with the poor, the scorned, the lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.
And, through all his wondrous childhood,
he would honor and obey,
love and watch the lowly maiden
in whose gentle arms he lay:
Christian children all must be
mild, obedient, good as he.
For he is our childhood's pattern,
day by day like us he grew;
he was little, weak and helpless,
tears and smiles like us he knew.
and he feeleth for our sadness,
and he shareth in our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love;
for that Child who seemed so helpless
is our Lord in heaven above;
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
with the oxen standing round,
we shall see him; but in heaven,
set at God's right hand on high;
when like stars his children crowned,
all in white shall wait around.
Heh heh heh
I like it. I'm a fan of Native Flute music...
Yeah- the first time i heard alive i thought "they have got to be christian". That's a great song and if you've lived it, you get totally what they are saying.
It's not my job to judge the reverence of others.
Are you capable of discernment?
There's a hot Tex Mex country bad called "Los Lonely Boys" that's getting airplay and time on national TV shows, with their song "How Far is Heaven". Also heard the song on my local Christian station, so I'd assume this is a case of Christian music with a positive theme crossing over into the mainstream. I'm all for it; people are lost and need to hear inspirational themes.
Sure, but it's not my responsibility to tell others that they are worshiping wrong.
What would you have me do with the Vineyard Movement? Get on my horse, and compel them by the sword to worship correctly, and kill those who refuse like the dirty filthy heretics that they are?
You mean that you walk out of a church just because you see a keyboard? How utterly sad.
Now we know how The Crusades happened. ; )
As far as I know, LLB aren't a "Christian" band. I do think, though, that people got tired of the woe-is-me angst of grunge in the 90s. Heck, I listened to country for a while because I got tired of listening to 19 year olds who made more money last week than I made last year tell me how bad their lives were.
It's more than singing songs. It is a way of life. We should worship Christ in everything we do. If anyone thinks that worship is confined to a couple of hours on Sunday morning they are in a sad position spiritually.
Yep. You have to be discerning, don't you? Some lyrics in 'Christian' music wouldn't get a passing grade when it comes to doctrine.
Hehehe.. I'm more tempted to walk out if I *don't* see some guitars.
I am sooooo 11th century ;0)
Hey OC, haven't seen you around in a while...
You're right.. some lyrics wouldn't get a passing grade in doctrine. Then again, if we're getting our doctrine from song lyrics.............. :)
“There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Luke 2:8-9
------------------------------------------------------------------------
George F. Handel (1685-1759)
Words: Nahum Tate, 1700;
first appeared in Tate and Brady’s Psalter, 1702.
While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around,
And glory shone around.
“Fear not!” said he, for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind.
“Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind
To you and all mankind.
“To you, in David’s town, this day
Is born of David’s line
A Savior, who is Christ the Lord,
And this shall be the sign,
And this shall be the sign.
“The heavenly Babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid,
And in a manger laid.”
Thus spake the seraph and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God on high,
Who thus addressed their song,
Who thus addressed their song:
“All glory be to God on high,
And to the Earth be peace;
Good will henceforth from heaven to men
Begin and never cease,
Begin and never cease!”
An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.
"Well," said the farmer. "It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns."
"Praise choruses?" asked the wife. "What are those?"
"Oh, they're okay. They're sort of like hymns, only different," said the farmer.
"Well, what's the difference?" asked the wife.
The farmer said, "Well it's like this ... If I were to say to you, 'Martha, the cows are in the corn,' well that would be a hymn. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you, 'Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, in the CORN, CORN, CORN, COOOOORRRRRNNNNN,' then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well that would be a praise chorus."
As luck would have it, the exact same Sunday a young, new Christian from the city church attended the small town church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.
"Well," said the young man, "It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs."
"Hymns?" asked the wife. "What are those?"
"They're okay. They're sort of like regular songs, only different," said the young man.
"Well, what's the difference?" asked the wife.
The young man said, "Well it's like this ... If I were to say to you, 'Martha, the cows are in the corn,' well that would be a regular song. If on the other hand, I were to say to you,
Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth.
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by
To the righteous, glorious truth.
For the way of the animals who can explain
There in their heads is no shadow of sense,
Hearkenest they in God's sun or his rain
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.
Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight,
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed.
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn chewed.
So look to that bright shining day by and by,
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn
Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn,
then, if I were to do only verses one, three and four, and change keys on the last verse, well that would be a hymn."
And you are the supreme know it all on the Holy Spirit and His methods and plans? I think not.
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