Posted on 12/08/2010 3:04:23 PM PST by pastorbillrandles
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.(2 Peter 3:9)
Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden...(Matthew 11)
We have been taking a look at the impact of John Lennon from a christian perspective. Though he was indeed a very gifted man, obviously he put those gifts to the service of the sexual revolution, as well as Atheism, the plague of the drug revolution, and the sixties rebellion against Judeo Christian standards and norms in the west.
One of the lessons we can take from this study, is that none of us is an island, we influence each other, for good or evil. There are many who say, “why judge Lennon? He was a musician, an entertainer, thats all!”.
Lennon was much more than an entertainer, he was in fact a philosopher. Many of the rock stars of the sixties and seventies were philosophers. Their lyrics, costumes, music style, even the public persona all convey a philosophy. This age of mass media communication has afforded these philosophers a wide hearing by impressionable young minds.
The Philosophers that have the widest effect in our day are the film makers and much of the popular musicians. Through their mediums, they induce whole generations into various streams of philosophy;such as humanistic, Atheistic, Eastern religion, hedonism, Nihilism,pop psychology, etc. True is the saying, “I care not who writes the laws in a society, let me write the songs and my influence shall prevail.”
But it became apparent in the early 1970s ,that John Lennon’s own personal philosophy left him empty. The drug use he advocated, the sex without love, Atheism, hedonism, all of it left Lennon more than empty as this article from the Christianity Today website attests:
“Next came one of the most extraordinary turnabouts in John’s life. A television addict for many years (it was his way of looking at the world since he could no longer walk around anonymously), he enjoyed watching some of America’s best-known evangelists—Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, Jim Bakker, and Oral Roberts. In 1972 he had written a desperate letter to Roberts confessing his dependence on drugs and his fear of facing up to “the problems of life.” He expressed regret that he had said that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus and enclosed a gift for the Oral Roberts University. After quoting the line “money can’t buy me love” from “Can’t Buy Me Love” he said, “It’s true. The point is this, I want happiness. I don’t want to keep on with drugs. Paul told me once, ‘You made fun of me for taking drugs, but you will regret it in the end.’ Explain to me what Christianity can do for me. Is it phoney? Can He love me? I want out of hell.”
Here we see a glimpse of a more vulnerable John Lennon than the hedonistic,peace loving, hard as nails radical atheist image that the world celebrates today. Lennon’s regret about the blasphemies he had committed in earlier days, his confession that Love and happiness had eluded him, and note the last two statements to Oral Roberts,
Can He (Jesus) Love me?
I want out of Hell!
This is John Lennon, the man made in the Image of God, emptied of joy and life by the vanity of his lifestyle, trapped in a velvet hell of fame,luxury , and even worship, married to a literal witch who controlled his life, and wanting a way out. Could Jesus love him? Jesus died for Him!!! Christ died for sinners once and for all, the just for the unjust to bring us to God...,/i>
Oral Roberts wrote back, evidently, sending him a book on “Seed Faith”, and an account of the gospel. We don’t hear that much more of any stirrings of Lennon’s christian yearnings until 1977. That was the year Franco Zefferrelli produced a made for Television mini series called Jesus of Nazareth.
Lennon was so moved by the film, he confessed to a conversion to Christ! Here is how Christianity Today website recounts the story;
This correspondence and his exposure to TV evangelism didn’t appear to have any effect until he suddenly announced to close friends in the spring of 1977 that he’d become a born-again Christian. He had been particularly moved by the U.S. television premiere of Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth, starring Robert Powell as Jesus, which NBC showed in two three-hour segments on Palm Sunday, April 3, 1977. A week later, on Easter day, he took Yoko and Sean to a local church service.Over the following months he baffled those close to him by constantly praising “the Lord,” writing Christian songs with titles like “Talking with Jesus” and “Amen” (the Lord’s Prayer set to music), and trying to convert non believers. He also called the prayer line of The 700 Club, Pat Robertson’s program. (excerpted from The Gospel According to the Beatles by Steve Turner, published by Westminster John Knox Press, 2006. )
This would prove to be a brief phase, unfortunately for Lennon. By 1979 he was seeking deeply into the occult,being heavily influenced by Yoko Ono away from Christianity. His unpublished song “You Saved My Soul” was about being saved from the influence of a TV preacher.
God alone knows what ultimately became of John Lennon’s soul. It very well could be that in the closing minutes of his life he called upon the saving mercy of God. God is a God of mercy, remember the thief on the cross? If Lennon lingered in death, we have to figure that this was God’s mercy, giving him yet another chance to turn in faith to the Jesus that appealed to him in 1977.
Jesus died for Lennon’s sins as He died for mine and yours. Like Lennon there is a battle raging for the soul of every man. Neutrality towards God is impossible, indifference towards Jesus is the ultimate sin.In closing Lennon is an illustration of the well know words of our Lord and Saviour,
“What does it profit to gain the whole world and lose your soul, and what would a man give in exchange for his soul?”
I'm well, hope you are having an excellent run-up to Christmas.
Forgive my hyper-criticism of blog material, it's a fetish.
The charge of “sex without love” simply doesn’t hold any water. If he wanted sex without love the world would have never heard of Yoko Ono, and we would probably all be better off for THAT small blessing!
Your just trying to keep us honest my friend, merry Christmas
Thanks for the link. I’ve never had time or much inclination to research his killing. How about telling us what you read in this book..
Are you or have you ever been a musician? I used to be. (a drummer). Say what you want about John Lennon’s politics but the Beatles were musical genius. They inspired countless other musicians and their songs are covered and have been covered by dozens of other musicians.
“”Posting news feeds, making eyes bleed, he’s hated on seven continents”
You really are a nasty, bitter, angry person, aren’t you?
Their music was not “genius”.
It was overrated pop crap.
I have no idea why “countless” musicians would cover their music. There is/was much better talent out there. Just off the top of my head....Otis Redding.
(and yes..I am a musician....classical and jazz flute)
You’re entitled to your opinion. Musically I try never to rain on anyone’s parade, we all have our preferences. My drummer teacher was Joe Morello, I assume you know who he is. Personally I find a lot of jazz, not all of it, but most of it to be over-rated pretentious noise. But that’s just my opinion.
On MSNBC's Hardball, Chris Matthews just proclaimed "John Lennon was a hero of mine."
Suffice it to say that my opinion of Lennon is closer to yours, Mr. Farnsworth, than to Matthews.
I am so tired of hearing about this guy. He was no better than anyone else, but some people love to cook up some mystical crap about this dude and keep it stewing. His music was marginal, and they both are wackos. Add smore dirt to the grave and close this nonsense out.
I bet he doesn’t love Yoko.
Probably only tolerates her. I can't.
His life serves as an example of why it is so important to fellowship with other believers. My faith tells me if he truly believed Jesus has him firmly in His hand.
Yes, I've been involve in playing music from early in my elementary school days. Sorry to insult your tastes, but the Beetles are just not my idea of talent. They were promoted extensively and were at the forefront of the radical, rebellious movements of the 60's; that's why they were successful, IMO, not because of any unusual talent. I think the people who are on the bandwagon think so because of this excitement factor.
I can think of dozens of better song writers and singers than the Beetles. And John Lennon was a rabid nihilistic traitor. He should have been denied residency in the US.
I think it was the opposite, love above all else, love as the ultimate motive, love above honor and duty and marriage,etc. THAT is the ethic that so many women have dangerously bought into.
“How can you be with a man who cheated on his wife with you and want to marry him, don't you think he will just cheat on you?”
‘He didn't LOVE his wife’ they answer ‘he LOVES me!’
Love makes it all OK. Woody Allen figured it was OK to sleep with the sister of his own children, because “the heart wants what it wants”.
The problem isn't “sex without love”, although there may have been a current of that way way back in the 60’s for which I think you have failed to establish even a tenuous link to Lennon in either his life or music; the problem is idiots thinking that love overcomes all, and that “All you Need is Love”.
Your right but he was a leftist icon......and a jerk on top of that....I think the Beatles were vastly overrated...
I love the flute all kinds of music they make. I talked my daughter into taking it in highschool. Agree, the beatles were vastly overrated...but loved by the left..
You mean that I capitalised Atheism? Hmmm...perhaps because Lennon at that time was an Atheist with a capitol A- but he isn’t any more!
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