| Edit: There is a theology of music. Genesis: Adam and Eve never spoke, he sang to her. Revelations: the people never speak, they sing new songs. What if talking is what fallen men do? What if singing was the intended design of creation and will be restored as it so yearns? - Eugene Peterson
(paraphrased) Maybe we'll be singing in heaven instead of speaking.
Picking the mind of 2 rockstars.
Jon Foreman from Switchfoot explains his calling, most
likely in response to criticism for going mainstream:
In true Socratic
form, let me ask you a few questions: Does Lewis or Tolkien mention
Christ in any of their fictional series? Are Bach's sonata's Christian?
What is more Christ-like, feeding the poor, making furniture, cleaning
bathrooms, or painting a sunset? There is a schism between the sacred
and the secular in all of our modern minds. The view that a pastor is
more Christian than a girls volleyball coach is flawed and heretical.
The stance that a worship leader is more spiritual than a janitor is
condescending and flawed. These different callings and purposes further
demonstrate Gods sovereignty. Many songs are worthy of being written.
Switchfoot will write some, Keith Green, Bach, and perhaps yourself
have written others. Some of these songs are about redemption, others
about the sunrise, others about nothing in particular: written for the
simple joy of music. None of these songs has been born again, and to
that end there is no such thing as Christian music. No. Christ didnt
come and die for my songs, he came for me. Yes. My songs are a part of
my life. But judging from scripture I can only conclude that our God is
much more interested in how I treat the poor and the broken and the
hungry than the personal pronouns I use when I sing. I am a believer.
Many of these songs talk about this belief. An obligation to say this
or do that does not sound like the glorious freedom that Christ died to
afford me. I do have an obligation, however, a debt that cannot be
settled by my lyrical decisions. My life will be judged by my obedience
not my ability to confine my lyrics to this box or that. We all have a
different calling; Switchfoot is trying to be obedient to who we are
called to be. Were not trying to be Audio A or U2 or POD or Bach: were
trying to be Switchfoot. You see, a song that has the words: Jesus
Christ is no more or less Christian than an instrumental piece. (I've
heard lot's of people say jesus christ and they weren't talking about
their redeemer.) You see, Jesus didnt die for any of my tunes. So there
is no hierarchy of life or songs or occupation, only obedience. We have
a call to take up our cross and follow. We can be sure that these roads
will be different for all of us. Just as you have one body and every
part has a different function, so in Christ we who are many form one
body and each of us belongs to all the others. Please be slow to judge
brothers who have a different calling and thank you for reading. Oh, to
be so young, yet so wise. May God bless Switchfoot."
Bono's interview. What a man. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8091949/bono
How does it make sense?
As an artist, I see the poetry of it. It's so brilliant. That
this scale of creation, and the unfathomable universe, should
describe itself in such vulnerability, as a child. That is
mind-blowing to me. I guess that would make me a Christian.
Although I don't use the label, because it is so very hard to live
up to. I feel like I'm the worst example of it, so I just kinda
keep my mouth shut.
How big an influence is the Bible on your songwriting?
How much do you draw on its imagery, its ideas?
It sustains me.
As a belief, or as a literary thing?
As a belief. These are hard subjects to talk about because you
can sound like such a d*&%head. I'm the sort of character who's got
to have an anchor. I want to be around immovable objects. I want to
build my house on a rock, because even if the waters are not high
around the house, I'm going to bring back a storm. I have that in
me. So it's sort of underpinning for me.
I don't read it as a historical book. I don't read it as, "Well,
that's good advice." I let it speak to me in other ways. They call
it the rhema. It's a hard word to translate from Greek,
but it sort of means it changes in the moment you're in. It seems
to do that for me.
You're saying it's a living thing?
It's a plumb line for me. In the Scriptures, it is
self-described as a clear pool that you can see yourself in, to see
where you're at, if you're still enough. I'm writing a poem at the
moment called "The Pilgrim and His Lack of Progress." I'm not sure
I'm the best advertisement for this stuff.
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