The other night I watched the American Music Awards. Let me just say that I do not profess to be an
authority on the subject of today’s music. Overall, this so-called awards show was a joke, hosted by a family who needs a new vocabulary and
attended by far too many under-dressed females.
Part of my interest in today’s music comes from our son Jeremiah who is part of a band called Life Interrupted (See
www.underbrush.net ). Also, long ago, in a place far, far away, I was quite the concert chick. Hey, I dated band guys; but let’s not
go there. At present, I like almost all styles of music, although I don’t like most of the song lyrics. Being a songwriter myself, I believe
that lyrics are the meat of the song. It doesn’t really matter to me what kind of music the lyrics are wrapped in; it’s the lyrics that
count.
The lyrics of the pop/rockers have a message, even if that message deals mostly with dysfunctional families, rejection, and the darker side
of life. There are a couple of exceptions -- Creed and POD both write great lyrics. I have a serious admiration for Christians who perform
in bands who have the guts to put themselves out there singing lyrics that totally swim upstream from the mainstream, with the hope of
influencing their world in a positive way. It’s like being thrown to the lions, but God is awesome at stopping the lions’ mouths. Just ask
Daniel!
During the show there was a female presenter who felt the need to make a political statement. Her shirt read, “War is not the answer.” I
hate war as much as the next person does. I especially hate to think about our son being drafted. Personally, I believe if we go to war with
Iraq, it’s going to be a “quick work.” And, because I know our President is a man of prayer (I’ve actually met him), I know he’s not going
to war hastily. My question to this woman is, “If war is not the answer, then what is?” Why don’t you offer a solution to compliment your
griping?
I admit that I don’t understand the mission of Hip Hop/R&B/Rap singers, except to make boatloads of money and have lots of women. Most of
what they seem to be singing and graphically portraying in the videos is illicit sex (in Biblical terms: fornication), having the most
expensive of everything and anything, and violence. This puzzles me because most of these performers are of the African American persuasion
and I understand that the pregnancy rate of unmarried black women is high. As well, many lives in the black community are lost due to
violent acts. So, if they are representing or singing to this community, why aren’t they singing about what love really is? Why don’t the
lyrics convey the message that love is not a short-term physical thrill and that forgiveness, not vengeance, is the way to really live? Why
aren’t they singing about the fact that they are precious and don’t need to give away their virginity just to feel accepted or to shoot
someone to feel powerful? (Gee, maybe they should talk to the anti-war lady.) Why aren’t they saying that having expensive things doesn’t
promise happiness?
During the month of January, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday and during the month of February, the word love gets tossed
around a lot. Because of this, I thought it would be a good time, especially in light of my AMA observations, to talk about some of what Dr.
King really believed.
When most people think of Dr. King, they think of segregation versus integration, race riots, “I have a dream,” and, inevitably, his
assassination. Our family is Caucasian – so you might question what I even know about it all. But, what I’ve learned recently should make
certain organizations and various and sundry “reverends” think about their actions. I’m fairly certain that Dr. King would not be giving his
stamp of approval to much of what they do, because Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a man that believed that love was the answer. For
example, he said, “We must never let up in our determination to remove every vestige of segregation and discrimination from this country,
but we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege to love.”
“Words to Die For” is an awesome book written by Lawrence Kimbrough which is filled with accounts of various Christians of all races who
throughout the centuries have put their lives on the line for their faith and who have accomplished great things, changing the world in
which they live. In the section on Dr. King, here is what he is quoted as saying:
“Love at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.”
And again, he said: “Our aim must not be to defeat or humiliate the white man, but to win his friendship and understanding. We should never
become bitter, nor should we succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle, for if this happens, unborn generations will be
the recipients of a long desolate night of bitterness, and our chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.”
He wrote that the guiding principle of the early movement that had mistakenly been referred to by some as “nonviolent resistance,
noncooperation, and passive resistance” had been called simply “Christian love” in its earliest days. He said:
“It was the Sermon on the Mount, rather than a doctrine of passive resistance, that initially inspired the Negroes of Montgomery to
dignified social action. It was Jesus of Nazareth that stirred the Negroes to protest with the creative weapon of love.”
Like Creed and POD, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., lived his faith in a way that motivated him to actions designed to change our world for the
better. He didn’t just stand back and protest without offering solutions. He didn’t tell his community to lash out, to give up, to live
immorally, or to follow after greed and the love of money. I believe this precious brother in Christ preached and lived the love of God.
And, regardless of our race, we would all do well to remember him for who he really was and follow his example.
And THAT, my friends, is the answer…