Ravings of a Mad Musician
The Christian music industry is now larger than ever. Some areas of it retain its integrity, some don't. A lot of lines have become blurry and it's becoming harder to tell the sheep from the wolves. Many areas of sanitized plastic Christianity have lost touch with the real world. Jesus said we were not to be conformed to the things of this world but he didn't say we should ignore it altogether
Jesus was not politically correct. The world in general has become obsessed to the point of stupidity with its P.C. gospel in which there is no sin, no hell and no need for a saviour. The Gospel of Jesus doesn't fit into the P.C. overcoat society is trying to make it wear.
God himself has given every man free will. Man can choose which god he will serve and how he will serve him. The purpose of my music is not about dragging unwilling converts to the altar screaming, or attacking other religions. It is simply urging those who profess to have a faith in Christ Jesus to look closely at themselves and what they are doing. Judge yourself now. It's a lot less painful than waiting till God has to.
Over the years I have been involved with many churches and many different scenarios. Some of which leave memories I treasure, some of which I'd sooner forget. More than 40 years after I began my Christian experience I see that little has changed and I frequently end up observing the same behaviour I saw as a small boy. Time has moved on, the world has changed and empires both Christian and secular have risen and fallen. Throughout all of that, the only thing that never changed was the God I serve. I have studied lessons in the classroom of reality which taught me that pinning your hope on men, even strong men of God will lead to disappointment. I've seen many a person leave the church in floods of tears because things didn't go the way they expected.
Some churches are so legalistic you can't even get past the door without a shirt and tie, while others are so free and easy you wonder if it is a church at all. The simple truth is that the perfect church is nothing more than a utopian dream. It doesn't exist, and neither does the perfect Christian. The Christian family is much like any other family in that you have the wild ones, the boring ones, the ones everybody tries to avoid, the dim ones, the bright ones, the manic ones and the naive ones. We all have faults and we all come with baggage, but we do well when we realize that we all have something real to give while having a real need to receive.
Mans interpretation of scripture has led to more grief than can be mentioned, dividing the Church into denominational camps who each have their own brand of Christianity. Whilst in some areas they can co exist happily, in others competition is intense. Doctrine can be batted to and fro from one end of the spiritual tennis court to the other, but everything you need to know is written down for you. God's word is the manual for your life and the responsibility for what you do with it sits upon nobody else's shoulders but your own.
The Pastors teaching may have been good this Sunday. He may have had a real word from God for you today, but he could be off the rails by next week and the only way you would be able to tell is if you read the Bible for yourself. It's very easy to over complicate the teaching of scripture and many new Christians leave the Church service so confused they have trouble remembering where they live. The benchmark is the Bible and if you are hearing "new truths" from your spiritual mentor, you will be able to find what's been taught right there in scripture, and in context. If you can't, that's when alarm bells ought to start ringing.
You need a personal relationship with Jesus and a working knowledge of The Bible. Heaven is a pre book only event. You can't get in on someone else's ticket, nor can you justify your own shortcomings at someone else's expense.
Many of my songs are about the things I have seen and experienced from the incredible diversity found in Christendom. Particular churches and particular people have also inspired many of my lyrics but the underlying theme of many of my words relates to the Churches astounding inability to see and know its own faults, refusing to venture out of its insular world and take a look outside.
Out there, people are being ripped to pieces by the disposable society we now live in. Lives are broken on a daily basis and the spiritual hunger in the world has never been greater but the answer to this problem is not compromising the Gospel of Jesus to make it more appealing. Putting your conscience money in the collection plate and going home for your Sunday lunch is not the reaction they need either. It's time to roll up our sleeves and get our hands in it, pretty much like Jesus would have done if he was on the earth today.
