Crosby, Lewis and Wonder

Bored to Tears
I’ve always loved music. For as long as I can remember, music has been one of my deepest passions. Growing up I listened to the music of the sixties. When my wife and I started college in the seventies, the music of the singer-songwriters became the soundtrack for our lives. In those days, the music used in church was mainly an elderly lady playing an organ while the congregation droned out the words to hymns written by Fanny Crosby or Isaac Watts. It seemed to me that God preferred music from any century other than one I was born in. The devout old folks at our church were convinced their duty was to ensure the younger generation was bored to tears with their rigid religious traditions. Words like ‘joy’ and ‘fun’ were missing from their vocabulary. I suspect God was just as bored as I was because we were both forced to hangout with the old guard for a couple hours. Thank goodness Sunday only came once a week.

Sacred vs. Secular
By the early eighties I was starting to know God a lot better and I discovered he was actually kind, loving and forgiving. However, the church’s view on music would become a big problem for me. As I assimilated into church culture I learned that music and a lot of other stuff was divided into two categories: sacred and secular. The secular stuff should be avoided and the sacred was to be embraced. Because of church teaching and peer pressure from friends, I decided to get rid of all worldly influences that distracted me from loving God. One of these influences was my collection of hundreds of vinyl records. So, I sold all my beloved albums so I could get more serious about loving Jesus. Secular artists were a bad influence. Their music promoted the wrong values and often contained evil messages. In more sinister cases, songs included hidden satanic messages concealed through backward masking. Listening to Christian artists was strongly encouraged, but when a Christian artist started to sound too ‘secular,’ the church would put them on probation. During this period many of us were better known for what we opposed, not what we valued and stood for.

Plug in Your Fender
After a fifteen-year hiatus from the music I loved, I slowly adopted a more healthy, balanced view of music. It occurred to me that people, not God, get stuck in a time warp and come to believe that the style and sound of music from one period in history is more sacred than another. When David, the biblical shepherd-king, was strumming his harp in the 10th century BC, God was well aware in 1950 Leo Fender would begin selling the first Fender Telecaster electric guitar. I’m confident that if King David had electricity, he’d have plugged in his Fender and led worship with 100 watts of passionate sound. And God would be okay with this scenario because he loves diversity and innovation. God is way outside of time, which explains why he does not have a narrow view of history. The heart of the worshipper is far more important than their instrument of choice: whether pipe organ or electric guitar. God does not waste time organizing music, art or culture into sacred and secular categories. He created everything that’s good for us to enjoy. As Rob Bell has pointed out, “everything is spiritual.”

The Devil’s Music
When my wife and I went to see the musical, “Million Dollar Quartet” we learned something fascinating about Jerry Lee Lewis. As a young man, he was devoutly Christian and deeply troubled by the sinful nature of his own music. He firmly believed his music was leading him and his audience straight to hell. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? As a teenager there was an incident that foreshadowed his lifelong conflict over his faith in God and his love of playing what the church calls “the devil’s music.” Lewis was studying at the Southwest Bible Institute in Waxahachie, Texas and was expelled because he dared to play a boogie-woogie version of “My God Is Real” at a talent show.  The next morning, the dean of the school called Lewis and student body president, Pearry Green, into his office to expel them. Lewis argued that Green should not be expelled because he was not aware of what Lewis intended to play. Years later Green asked Lewis: “Are you still playing the devil’s music?” Lewis replied, “Yes, I am. But you know it’s strange, the same music that they kicked me out of school for is the same kind of music they play in their churches today. The difference is, I know I am playing for the devil and they don’t.” This enormously gifted artist was pushed away from the church and his life and career followed a very different trajectory because narrow-minded, religious people would not embrace him and the way he wanted to express his faith.

Songs in the Key of Life
Fanny Crosby and Stevie Wonder have much more in common than you might think. Both were highly gifted, blind and widely recognized as prolific songwriters. Crosby wrote over 8,000 hymns and gospel songs during her lifetime. She made a powerful connection with her generation and her songs have been included in most American church hymnals. Stevie Wonder has written hundreds of songs and his work has earned a pile of Grammy Awards. Starting a child star with Motown records, his talent as a writer, performer and serious musician has placed him at the pinnacle of American music. As a music fan I have a strong connection with Stevie because he’s part on my generation. His landmark album, “Songs in the Key of Life,” is a celebration of love, family, faith and the joys of life. Inspired by God, Wonder expresses himself through the medium of music. Remember, music was God’s idea. Here are a few samples from Songs in the Key of Life.

His perspective on music:
“Music is a world within itself
With a language we all understand
With an equal opportunity
For all to sing, dance and clap their hands”
– Sir Duke

Experiencing the birth of his daughter:
“Isn’t she pretty
Truly the angel’s best
Boy, I’m so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I can’t believe what God has done
Through us he’s given life to one
But isn’t she lovely made from love”
– Isn’t She Lovely

Experiencing Love:
“Did you know that true love asks for nothing
No, her acceptance is the way we pay
Did you know that life has given love a guarantee
To last through forever and another day”
– As

Invitation to Enjoy
Historically, the church has been slow to embrace progress or change. Our default response is to resist new things, especially things we don’t understand. This resistance is often manifested in our reaction to art, literature, music and media. We seem to have a tough time finding that balance Jesus described as being in the world, but not of the world. This disconnect has been disastrous for the church. For good reason we get stereotyped as being negative, judgmental and reactionary. We should never forget that Jesus said he came to bring life to the fullest. Paul, the Apostle, said that God has given us everything to enjoy. This isn’t a blank check to indulge in destructive behavior, but it is an invitation to enjoy life. There’s truth and beauty all around us in the world. We simply have to take time to recognize and enjoy it. We need to be discerning, but we can’t afford to let our vision become distorted by the filter of religious tradition. Let’s be careful not to label people and force them into categories. God inspires people to use their gifts to create good things. When is the last time the devil gave you a really good idea? My music collection is now on my iPhone. I listen to Classic Rock, Pop, Jazz, Worship, Inspirational and, yes, music from this century. Balance is good. The New Testament guy, James, wrote that every good gift comes from the Father of Lights. When I listen to Stevie, I’m filled with Wonder at our amazing God.