Can Christians even have pet peeves? Well, I guess we do, but maybe the question is how we should or should not express them or respond to others because of them. At any rate, today there were three things that...bothered me. I'm not sure you can properly classify them as pet peeves, but whatever you call them they're irksome.
(warning: do not continue reading if you have no desire to hear why i'm...annoyed.)
One of the good things about my morning job is that I can listen to the radio while travelling from one job site to another. But that good thing precipitated today's bugaboos. And here they are:
1: A man-centered gospel. In an untitled sermon by an unnamed preacher, the Gospel was presented as the source of authenticity. If you come to Christ, the appeal went, you can recover authentic humanity. Now, I'm sure there's truth there. We were made to fellowship with God, who is the greatest reality, and without a proper understanding and relation to Him we haven't found our purpose for existence or our reason to live, nor are we living in touch with reality; however, the message went on to announce that this reclamation of authenticity is the purpose of Christ's death and the greatest result of salvation. And there I began to wonder. Is salvation really about what happens to/for man? Is my authenticity God's greatest concern? I think not. And while I could be wrong, there seems to me a world of difference between a philosophy that claims salvation is fundamentally, primarily concerned about man's good and one that says salvation, like all else in life, is fundamentally about God's glory.
Contestant 2: An experience-based theology. The lyric of the chorus said something like "I know my God is real, because of the way He makes me feel/ I know my God is real, cause I feel Him in my soul." Again, I'm sure there's truth in the fact that God's Spirit testifies to our's that we are His children, and that that's an internal experience. But Puleeaase!! God is real because you feel something? You prove God's existence by some experience not explicitly tied to anything accept visceral, fuzzy feeling? Again, I don't think so.
Number 3: WMUU. Do I need to say any more? (should I say any more?) I mean, I have maybe 20 minutes in between subdivisions to get some kind of spiritual input, some meditation starter, some thought of God in the midst of the sweaty, dirty, hot work day. And the best they can do is Hawaiian elevator music? How bout some preaching? Scripture reading? Okay, fine, I'll settle for some good Christian music. But no, they're too busy playing the tamest version of "Yesterday" they can find. The billboard on Wade Hampton says
Beautiful,
Christian
Radio. And for the third time today I arrive at the same conclusion: I think not.
(and now some of you are saying, "Oh, we know. But you're working on it, bless your heart." :-)
So there you have it. I'm done. Was that ok?
david
DMo,
That is the old guy I know and love. Always ruining everything by actually using the mind God has given him. May all of our pet peeves be ones that flow from a mind renewed by the ever precious Word of Truth. May the gospel of Christ be pure on our lips and may our music be above all Biblical. Finally may all of us find "Grace To You" on the radio somewhere!! Grace and peace.
Bails
Adam Bailie
Local Outreach Ministries
Grace Community Church
13248 Roscoe Blvd.
Sun Valley, CA 91352
(818)-909-5708
But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name [Jesus], who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13 NASB)
Maurice,
Did you know that the call letters WMUU actually stand for We Might Understand Unity? You see, it's a secret plot to undermind the foundation of fundamentalism: disunity. Just don't play the songs backwards, or you will be in big trouble.
Michael Whitcomb
2Lt., USAF
LRAFB, AR
314 Airlift Wing HC
As you know from my weblog lately, I'm learning a lot about the authentic source of authenticity, and I believe that it is a proper result of an understanding of the Gospel, the proper result of the working out/living out of the Gospel. But I agree that authenticity is not the preeminent aim of the Gospel. Neither is top-notch exposition. Neither is a system of theology. Neither is agreeable church polity. Neither is fruitful missions. Neither is good music. Neither is blameless child-rearing. Neither is sweet fellowship. Authenticity, like these other items, is a result of the truth but not its ultimate aim.
Our eternal security lies in the fact that the Gospel is not primarily about us or the matrices that we are capable of comprehending. The Gospel is primarily about God. Sure, our good is always corrollary to God's glory, but our good is not the point. And that's the irony of the fact that our advantage is not the point: therein lies our greatest advantage.
For me, the key to enjoying radio is moderation. I live an hour west of Chicago, but on occasion, I listen to a Greenville station via streaming satellite while I work. The drawback with any radio station is that they seek to please an audience made up of diverse people with diverse tastes, diverse levels of exposure to theology, diverse experiences with diverse kinds of music and elocution styles. Diverse people who have gotten up on diverse sides of the bed that morning to face diverse circumstances. I hate to break it to you, but unless you are a very broad-minded and accommodating gentleman, you are never going to find a radio station you like across the board.
I rarely turn on the radio. I'm too picky. I don't mind not knowing what's coming next, but I like to ensure that it will be something that builds me up. I can't ensure that with radio. If you want more control over what's coming next, invest in a tape-deck and/or portable CD-player with a cassette adapter. Then you can always ensure "sound" exegesis (on your terms) and "edifying" music (on your terms).
Otherwise, listen with a few grains of salt.
I agree that Christian radio stations should be held to some absolute standard of excellence, but there's no manual for how best to glorify God (which is the standard of excellence) in Christian radio. In theory and doctrine, yes, there should be a perfect-world radio station that Does The Job righteously. But when it comes to interpretation and application there will always be diverse opinions. You can't get much more applicational than you get with radio. We can rant and rave against elements that rub us the wrong way. But someone is bound to disagree, and that someone is sometimes the dee-jay.
So, if you're hearing with those grains of salt in your ears, I think you'll hear the contrast between WMUU and the local oldies or pop rock stations. All you have to do is listen to Christian radio stations for a few minutes to hear amazing testimonials about how they've been used as salt and light in spite of their shortcomings.
"There is always a God-glorifying way to grieve over a lack of God-glory."
Posted by: joydriven at June 16, 2003 10:41 AMP.S.
Thankfully, there are a lot of stations that do air MacArthur, but if you can't find them and/or decide to go another route, "Grace to You" is available via the cassette medium too.
And many churches...
(including mine)
http://www.wordcenteredministry.org
...are putting out audio sermon CDs.
What wealth!
Posted by: joy mccarnan at June 16, 2003 12:12 PMExperiential theology is nothing new in music, although the church at large has taken it to new extremes in the last 20 years.
It started hitting evangelical circles with Moody and evangelists of that era and a bit later. They wanted music that appealed to the people, not some high-church distant theology, and the gospel-hymn was born (well, promoted, actually). They went out of their way to seek and use this music. This is well-documented should you want to research it further. I could give limitless examples, some subtle and some not so, but how about "You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart." Okay.
Certain genres of Christian music tend to dwell more on experience then others. Although some people slam contemporary praise and worship this way, it actually has a much healthier balance than, say, gospel music (white, or "southern" gospel, and black gospel alike). I can only take so much southern gospel because of this. Arguing against myself here, the psalmist often reflects on his experiences/feelings, focusing them through the lense of God's faithfulness. So there must be a place for it, and probably the early Protestant hymnody was overbalanced the other direction.
This is an issue every good worship leader/music director has to deal with. Balance is probably the key.
Posted by: Keith Morris at June 16, 2003 12:27 PMit's late and so i must keep my view short tonight although there is much to say on these understandable frustrations. (first, in light of these pet peeves, my many pet peeves-such as people who drive slow in the left lane, seem rather petty) WMUU-yeah, i'd have to agree. i couldn't take it. and joy made a good point too, you'll never find a christian radio station that you'll like 100%. testimonials on radio stations tend to frustrate me though because they're so emotion centred and say little about the grace of God or the working of the Holy Spirit. that frustration is really the opposite effect that the station is generally going for-ususally christian radio seems to push for the soothing, uplifting effect- and so i figure if the station is creative the opposite result, it might not be the thing for me to listen to. but that's just me of course. if it's the tamed down version of 'yesterday' that's causing people to drive slow in the left lane-well then, the station ought to be off the air.
praise the Lord for CDs.
I couldn't agree with you more about all three of the pet peeves. - esp. the issues regarding WMUU!
If I could merely add one more "peeve" to this short list of pets, might I add my own flesh. You see, I have been increasingly aware of, and disgusted with the worldliness, and sinfulness of the old man that dwells within. I am increasingly in Agreement with the apostle that the good things I want to do, I don't, and the wrong that I don't want to do, that I do.
I praise God for our Savior and Sanctifier!