Hello friends!
I've been away from the blog for some time now. It's not been laziness actually, I've just had a really hard time finding something that needed to be said. I felt like I had already touched upon everything that I was thinking about touching upon, and that seemed silly to just repeat myself over and over again. So I've been sitting, watching Google news every day, hoping that something would come along and spark my interest and provide me with something to say.
Ahh....That did it. (Warning: Harsh Language)
That's right folks. In the midst of their violent and offensive lyrics, our good friends the Insane Clown Posse has been a Christian band the whole time. Apparently according to them, if you dig deep enough into certain songs, you can find God. If you dig deep enough into other songs, you can find out how hilarious sexual violence is...
Let's break this down from the top, because I think there are some pretty legitimate ramifications both for those of us who work in the Church and those of us who are just trying to follow Christ as best as they can.
First of all, it's not for me to say who is a Christian or not. While it sounds on the surface as though these guys are most definitely not behaving in a way that glorifies Christ, the only thing I can't see is what's going on in their heart, and truth be told that's the only thing that matters. As much as I want to call their motive into question, the truth is I really can't.
That said, any of us who have been at this for any length of time would say that these guys are not allowing the fruits of their faith to see the light of day. Or at least if they are, we all kind of wish they would bury those fruits somewhere to never been seen again. Beyond just cursing (which, truth be told, I'm ok with Christians dropping the occasional cuss word. What else are you going to say when you stub your toe or get popped with a paintball pellet in a tender area?) they sing about subject matter that is thoroughly inappropriate, and even seem to think that it's funny (see the article). Again, I can't judge the workings of a person's heart, but Jesus did say a couple of things about letting our light shine that to me just doesn't seem to add up here.
Now, the reason the ICP gives for singing about what they do is quite interesting, particularly for those of us who are youth leaders. Their claim is that they do these things to attract kids to their music, and through that eventually (and for them it's been a long LONG time) lead them to Christ. Now most of us would characterize this as just downright insane (pun intended), but ask yourself a couple of questions: what kind of marketing have you done to promote your youth group? What kinds of video games do you make available to make kids comfortable being around your youth room? Have you ever preached an edgy sermon just to be edgy? And probably most importantly to ponder, are these things a slippery slope that could lead us to an ugly place we never intended to go?
I'm curious on your thoughts. Does the ICP's announcement that they were all along Christian have any impact on your life or ministry? Or is it just another news story? Comment below!
Godspeed,
J
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