Many of my friends will be familiar with my "Baby Test" for Christian worship music. It was inspired by the Southpark episode "Faith + 1" where Catman puts together a Christian worship band to milk the Christian music market on the premise that all you really had to do was replace the word "Baby" with "Jesus" in any pop love song.
So my test is this: if we can reverse engineer Cartman, if a worship song can be collapsed into a secular love song simply by removing the names and titles of Jesus and inserting "Baby", if the Christian content is otherwise negligable, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!
So with that in mind, just take a look a what this church does with "You Spin Me Right Round" and compare it to the Dead or Alive version. Head slap. I'm wondering if they do Justin Bieber as an encore. Like Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Oh!
Are you a man of peace Or a man of holy war Too many sides to you Don’t know which anymore So many full of life But also filled with pain Don’t know just how many Will live to breathe again
A life that’s made to breath Destruction or defense A mind that’s vain corruption Bad or good intent A wolf in sheep’s clothing Or saintly or sinner Or some that would believe A holy war winner
They fire off many shots And many parting blows There actions beyond a reasoning Only god would know And as he lies in heaven Or it could be in hell I feel he’s somewhere here Or looking from below But I don’t know, I don’t know
Please tell me now what life is Please tell me now what love is Well tell me now what war is Again tell me what life is
More pain and misery in the history of mankind Sometime it seems more like The blind leading the blind It brings upon us more famine, death and war You know religion has a lot to answer for
And as they search to find the bodies in the sand They find its ashes that are Scattered across the land And as the spirits seem to whistle on the wind A shot is fired somewhere another war begins
And all because of it you’d think That we would learn But still the body count the city fires burn Somewhere theres someone dying In a foreign land Meanwhile the world is crying stupidity of man Tell me why, tell me why
Please tell me now what life is Please tell me now what love is Well tell me now what ware is Again tell me what life is
Please tell me now what life is Please tell me now what love is Well tell me now what war is Again tell me what life is
For the greater good of god (x 8)
Please tell me now what life is Please tell me now what love is Well tell me now what war is Again tell me what life is
Please tell me now what life is Please tell me now what love is Well tell me now what war is Again tell me what life is
For the greater good of god (x 8)
He gave his life for us he fell upon the cross To die for all of those who never mourn him It wasn’t meant for us to feel the pain again Tell me why, tell me why
With the Metallica concert only a few hours away, here's an account of the exodus story, Metallica style.
Slaves Hebrews born to serve, to the pharaoh Heed To his every word, live in fear Faith Of the unknown one, the deliverer Wait Something must be done, four hundred years
So let it be written So let it be done I'm sent here by the chosen one So let it be written So let it be done To kill the first born pharaoh's son I'm creeping death
Now Let my people go, land of Chosen Go I will be with thee, bush of fire Blood Running red and strong down the Nile Plague Darkness three days long, hail to fire
So let it be written So let it be done I'm sent here by the chosen one So let it be written So let it be done To kill the first born pharaoh's son I'm creeping death
Die by my hand I creep across the land Killing first-born man Die by my hand I creep across the land Killing first-born man
I Rule the midnight air, the destroyer Born I shall soon be there, deadly mass I Creep the steps and floor, final darkness Blood Lamb blood painted door, I shall pass
So let it be written So let it be done I'm sent here by the chosen one So let it be written So let it be done To kill the first born pharaoh's son I'm creeping death
Have you ever thought about your soul - can it be saved? Or perhaps you think that when you're dead you just stay in your grave Is God just a thought within your head or is he a part of you? Is Christ just a name that you read in a book when you were in school?
When you think about death do you lose your breath or do you keep your cool? Would you like to see the Pope on the end of a rope do you think he's a fool? Well I have seen the truth, yes I've seen the light and I've changed my ways And I'll be prepared when you're lonely and scared at the end of our days
Could it be you're afraid of what your friends might say If they knew you believed in God above? They should realize before they criticize that God is the only way to love
Is your mind so small that you have to fall In with the pack wherever they run Will you still sneer when death is near And say they may as well worship the sun?
I think it was true it was people like you that crucified Christ I think it is sad the opinion you had was the only one voiced Will you be so sure when your day is near, say you don't believe? You had the chance but you turned it down, now you can't retrieve
Perhaps you'll think before you say that God is dead and gone Open your eyes, just realize that he's the one The only one who can save you now from all this sin and hate Or will you jeer at all you hear? Yes! I think it's too late.
"For the past 50 years, Dr. John Perkins has dedicated his life to empowering people and ministries to work alongside the poor and vulnerable. His guiding verse in life is Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." - John M Perkins Foundation
In the secret, In the quiet place In the stillness you are there In the secret, in the quite hour I wait, only for you 'Cause I want to know you more
Chorus I want to know you I want to hear your voice I want to know you more I want to touch you I want to see your face I want to know you more
I am reaching for the highest goals That I might receive the prize Pressing onward Pushing every hindrance aside Out of my way Cause I want to know you more
Secret
Things haven't been the same Since you came into my life You found a way to touch my soul And I'm never, ever, ever gonna let it go
Happiness lies in your own hand It took me much too long to understand How it could be Until you shared your secret with me
You gave me back the paradise That I thought I lost for good You helped me find the reasons why It took me by surprise that you understood You knew all along What I never wanted to say Until I learned to love myself I was never ever lovin' anybody else
Worship songs, oh did I say worship songs? Sorry, only the first one hails from the Christian music industry. The second hails from Madonna. Spot the difference?
Well, well, the things you find. Got some hits earlier today from someone searching for "Metallica and theology", undoubtedly due to some of my recent comments on Metallica's Judas Kiss and the buzz that generated. Anyways, I thought, Metallica and theology, what a cool thing to search for, so I did. And lo, I discovered "Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery". Prompts me to think, maybe there's a bigger conversation to be had on metal, dark alternative aesthetics and Christianity.
Call me a heretic but most of the time I much prefer everyday music to Christian music, particularly when it can be just as effective in opening up spiritual conversations, if you're open to it. Have a listen to this song by Metallica, Judas Kiss.
Metallica has been one of my favourite bands since the mid 80s. This song, Judas Kiss, is prompting comments like this on fan sites:
One fan: The song is most likely about being betrayed. And how jesus knew that inevitabley he would be betrayed by Judas, whether Judas knew yet or not. It also seems that in some places the story is told from the betrayers point of view and how Judas felt after he sold Jesus out and killed himself as repent. This is a great song and is one of the best on the album. Death Magnetic is a classic, the best thing Metallica's made as a whole since Master of Puppets.
Another fan: I don't think its talking all about one thing. I think he's mainly talking about the evil in all of us.
Yet another fan: So it's about someone (everyone?) who has or will give up and turn their back on the world will be tempted to betray everyone and everything. And it's more likely to happen than you think.
So, not only has it got people wondering about Jesus, it's got them wondering about the sin in us all. It may not be to your taste, but is the Spirit to be found here you think?
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