Friday, August 14, 2015

Jesus Never Asked You to Vote

My name is Ray Hartsfield and I have an addiction. I shamefully admit that I'm a junkie when it comes to current events, NPR, and most of all, politics. I get a lot more enjoyment from a presidential debate than a Sunday night football game. It's a peculiar itch, I know, but I'm working on it. The election season, which keeps getting longer and more dramatic, isn't making this proclivity easier either.

As the political storm picks up speed, social media feeds have become a powder-keg of contradicting opinions and biting rhetoric. We argue, we debate, we practice our apologetics for this or that candidate and it often gets pretty heated. Here in America, though, it seems we've intermingled our faith with our civic beliefs to such a degree that both get bruised and battered in the process. Perhaps we ought to take a moment and reflect carefully upon how our faith guides our entire political outlook, instead of merely letting it guide us on the individual planks of the political platform.

Jesus never asked you to vote. There's no denying that. The Great Commission does not hinge on government approval. I say this as a person who enjoys politics and the public discourse regarding policy and legislation. Voting falls into a grey area, Biblically speaking, with many other parts of modern life. Does the absence of voting in scripture mean Christians shouldn't do it? Not necessarily. It does mean, however, that we should seek God's will and tread quite carefully when casting judgment on others and their political behaviors... or lack thereof.

We've gotten our Christianity tangled up with our nationalism, and that's a tragedy. Jesus doesn't need the senate to accomplish His will -- He desires His followers to do that instead. There was a time when Christianity first came into bloom, and in those moments (like the entire book of Acts), the Jesus movement was a grassroots event. It was not a top-down, authoritarian decree being doled out by a king or president. We must mobilize and stop waiting for our politicians to do it instead. We cannot entrust the Gospel to the federal government. We must dispense the good news ourselves.

Don't misunderstand me here. I'm no fool -- I realize that every voter is going to vote with their convictions in their front pocket. The question that must be answered is whether voting is all you do for the advancement of your beliefs. If you believe abortion is wrong, don't just cast a vote for a pro-life candidate and then walk away feeling satisfied with your efforts. Make a difference instead of asking Washington to make a difference for you.

Furthermore, we must carry ourselves in a conduct that follows Christ. If you proclaim Biblical beliefs but you're a jerk in the process, the gospel has not been advanced. Americans in general are hair-triggered when it comes to public discourse. The polite and thought-out dialogue of two people who disagree is beautiful. Too often, however, we tarnish our claims to divine grace by acting unloving in our conversations.

There's a scripture that often gets misapplied regarding America and Christianity, and it's 2 Chronicles 7:14. Check it out:

 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Often, zealous leaders and preachers will quote this as a rallying cry for America to repent for it's transgressions. This scripture says "My people", but who are God's people? In the New Testament context, of course, it's Christians. If Christians, not Americans, will repent and change their course, God's healing will transform our landscape. This means that step one in the healing process is for Christians to get on their knees and plead forgiveness over the sexual misconduct within the church, then perhaps we will see the nation at large changed as well. Do you want financial reform and corruption eradicated on Wall Street? Christians need to return to their prayer closets and repent for the widespread fraud and financial follies within the Church walls first.

Voting and political action is neither an imperative nor a prohibition to the Christian life. It's something we should approach with caution and care, knowing that our political behaviors have the capacity to bolster our Gospel proclamation or ruin our testimony, depending on how we carry ourselves. Most of all, we must embrace the notion that we are the bearers of the Gospel, not the government. Jesus doesn't need conservative voters, He needs devoted and mobilized followers. Let's walk in the light of our true, Christ-centered identity.

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Sunday, June 14, 2015

Fearmongering is Not God's Will

Hannah and I are avid myth-debunkers. We love to fact-check and think critically in regards to things we see or hear online, or in real life for that matter. Though we usually take urban legends and sensationalist internet tripe with a grain of salt, it's become a concern of mine that Christians have become associated with the rapid spread of misinformation. This simply should not be.

1 Corinthians 14 tells us that God is not the author of confusion -- he does not rejoice in disorder. Furthermore, we know that He desires for His people to have a spirit of courage, not fear and paranoia. Unfounded anxiety is not a fruit of the Spirit. The Great Commission is one that orders us to go forth and spread the good news, not to propagate the bad news. If you are a Christian, your calling in life is to be a beacon of hope, not a dispensary of fear. It's time that we check our hearts on this matter.

Perhaps some of this comes down to practicality. It's so easy to read an alarming news article and click the "share" button without vetting the source. This is a matter of discernment -- is it the Spirit inside of you that's alarmed or your flesh and it's tendency towards timidity? I believe that many of us, if we're honest, are motivated by our flesh when we partake in the rumor mill whether online or in-person. Let's embrace a higher way of thinking.

Politics can be a powder keg of controversy for our community, but if you feel passionate regarding our nation's governance, channel it into a positive form that is founded upon facts, not fear. Activism does not begin with reading the National Enquirer. The dangers of the present moment are clearly laid out before us. There's no need to cull the shadows and the muck to find something to be alarmed about.

So Christians, this is my challenge -- check your sources, think critically, and pause before sharing your latest rumor about Obama or the New World Order. In the Kingdom of God, there is much work to be done, and we must steward our time and our energy wisely.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

A Moral Analysis of "Take Me to Church" by Hozier

We're back with another set of moral insights on today's chart-toppers... and this week we're taking on a real whopper -- "Take Me to Church" By Hozier. Once again I'll repeat that our intentions here are not to simply slam popular songs, but instead to look through them like windows into today's culture, for better or for worse. We'll inventory the victories and downfalls, treasures and trash. I must admit that I'm surprised at this song's success considering it's subject matter and anti-religious angle, but maybe that's because most people haven't really listened to it at all. Let's investigate further.


My lover's got humor

She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshiped her sooner


Right from the onset, Hozier establishes the tone of this song by describing his irreverent lover and her attitude towards the faithful masses. He also mentions worshiping his lover, which will become a key component in the song's overall theme as we continue. Worship is a curious word to choose considering its religious connotations. Let's proceed.


If the heavens ever did speak

She's the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
"We were born sick," you heard them say it


In this stanza, Hozier describes the teaching of the church as poison, and addresses the fact that the Christian worldview presumes that people are born as sinners. In other words, we are facing a clash of perspectives. Are people essentially bad, with the hope of becoming better? Or, are people essentially good, and evil is the exception? Hozier seems to embrace the latter.


My Church offers no absolutes

She tells me, 'Worship in the bedroom.'
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you—

I was born sick,
But I love it
Command me to be well
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.


Now we are beginning to close in on the true meaning of the song. His lover tells him, point blank, that worship is sex. Sex is worship. Heaven is discovered in the arms of another person, and nowhere else. This is a message most pop music has been promoting, albeit covertly. Hozier instead chooses to say it loud and clear.   It's also worth noting that Hozier embraces his own "sick" nature.


Take me to church

I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life


Once again, Hozier dresses his relationship and sexual experiences in religious garments, with all of the ceremonial trimmings.  He compares sex to worship and offers himself as a sacrifice. He is essentially turning his lover into an idol, a newly emerging god that solely serves him. Hozier even ties a Christ reference into this, referring to sex as a "deathless death". I'm not here to tell you whether or not to avoid the song, but if blatant sacrilege is not your thing.... beware.


If I'm a pagan of the good times

My lover's the sunlight
To keep the Goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice

Drain the whole sea
Get something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That's a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful

That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work


This verse becomes admittedly unclear, although the listener can at least discern that Hozier is continuing to combine the carnal and the divine.  He admits that he is a pagan, in the traditional sense, serving his own desires. In doing so, he's turned a lover into a goddess. Now that's insight! The same thing could be said about so many people, living their lives for selfish satisfaction and indulgence.  He demands that this new goddess needs a sacrifice, both monetary (something shiny) and physical (something meaty).

Hozier also suggests that the religious and uptight masses are acceptable offerings to the appetite of this new deity. The faithful and the high-and-mighty are starving, and Hozier suggests that sexual gratification is the answer. In other words, he believes that he's discovered the true remedy for that which makes the masses sick.


No Masters or Kings
When the Ritual begins
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene
Only then I am Human
Only then I am Clean
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.


Here, Hozier ends the song by describing "the ritual" which is undeniably referring to sex. He claims that their sin is instead an act of innocence, and that it both humanizes him and cleanses him. For the person who claims a Christian worldview, this bridge is an absolute minefield of theological errors. Sin doesn't cleanse you, Jesus does. Lust doesn't grant you innocence. Humanity is not something granted by desire. Truth has been totally turned on it's head.

For all of its theological missteps, I can say one thing about Hozier -- I respect him, and here's why. He has the guts to admit his deification of sex, whereas others only act like it. Hozier has one song where he admits that sex is his religion, but how many other artists say the same thing implicitly through their whole discography? Heck, many Christians even live such a life, claiming Jesus as their savior but bowing to the altar of Aphrodite instead. We live in a culture that views sex as a divine power, an emerging religion of its own. Hozier just wrote the anthem for it.


Tuesday, January 6, 2015

A Moral Analysis of "Don't" by Ed Sheeran

We're back again with another moral perspective on a chart-topper of 2014-2015. This time, we'll be reviewing "Don't" by Ed Sheeran, a unique acoustic/hip-hop fusion song about the pitfalls of casual sex. Though a listener might feel like this song is an endorsement of such relationships, a deeper examination will reveal differently. Check it out:

[Verse 1:]
I met this girl late last year
She said, "Don't you worry if I disappear."
I told her I'm not really looking for another mistake
I called an old friend thinking that the trouble would wait
But then I jump right in
A week later returned
I reckon she was only looking for a lover to burn
But I gave her my time for two or three nights
Then I put it on pause 'til the moment was right


In this introduction, Ed meets an interesting lover who makes it clear that she's not the commitment type. He assumes that she is trying to hook up with him as an act of revenge (not healthy, FYI) and he just runs with it. Not a solid foundation for a relationship, to say the least.  He spends some time with her and then steps away for awhile.

I went away for months until our paths crossed again
She told me, "I was never looking for a friend."
Maybe you could swing by my room around 10:00
Baby, bring a lemon and a bottle of gin
We'll be in between the sheets 'til the late AM
Baby, if you wanted me then you should've just said


Once again, his female admirer makes it clear that she's not searching for a mature relationship. This song is yet another tune about hookup culture and the glory of "no strings attached", though we will see its dark implications by the end.  Casual sex is not so simple after all, it seems.

She's singing
Ah lahmlahlah
Don't f*** with my love
That heart is so cold
All over my home
I don't wanna know that babe
Ah lahmlahlah
Don't f*** with my love
I told her she knows
Take aim and reload
I don't wanna know that babe
Ah lahmlahlah


Although Sheeran is a quite adept lyricist, I must admit that this chorus is pretty unclear. Often, pop artists sacrifice lyrical clarity for the flow of a melody, and I think that's the case here. Regardless, the general vibe of this chorus is that she, the female subject, is standoffish towards relationships. She is wary of commitment and the attachments that follow. She thinks that attachment is dangerous, although we will soon find that it's not so easy to separate sex and affection.

For a couple weeks I
Only wanna see her
We drink away the days with a take-away pizza
Before a text message was the only way to reach her
Now she's staying at my place and loves the way I treat her
Singing out Aretha
All over the track like a feature
And never wants to sleep, I guess that I don't want to either


Well, well, well. Look what we have here. The two lovers who once insisted they only wanted sex, not friendship, have become close despite their efforts.  It's almost like friendship, affection, and sexuality are linked somehow. Imagine that!

But me and her we make money the same way
Four cities, two planes the same day
And those shows have never been what it's about
But maybe we'll go together and just figure it out
I'd rather put on a film with you and sit on the couch
But we should get on a plane
Or we'll be missing it now


We find out that the female subject leads a life like Ed's, with plenty of glamor and admiration. Maybe she's an actress or a singer. In any case, Ed pines for a simpler life where he can cuddle on the couch like most married couples do. It looks like casual sex leaves something to be desired, even in the hearts of men. Intimacy =/= sex.

Wish I'd have written it down
The way that things played out
When she was kissing him
How? I was confused about
She should figure it out while I'm sat here singing
Ah lahmlahlah


Sheeran feels betrayed when his flighty lover acts in her true nature. It should be no surprise. After all, she told him on multiple occasions that she wasn't looking for a friend. In the end, an ill-founded relationship built around sex ends up coming back to hurt the ones who agreed to it. Sheeran became emotionally invested in a physical relationship, and now he's paying the price.

[Knock knock knock] on my hotel door
I don't even know if she knows what for
She was crying on my shoulder
I already told ya
Trust and respect is what we do this for
I never intended to be next
But you didn't need to take him to bed that's all
And I never saw him as a threat
Until you disappeared with him to have sex of course




In this final verse, the drama and tension of this haphazard relationship reaches a fevered pitch. Sheeran's clandestine lover comes back crying, only to find him lobbing accusatory statements about her unfaithfulness. But wait, how can she be unfaithful when they never agreed to any commitment in the first place? This is the danger of undefined, vague relationships in general -- expectations are unclear.

It's not like we were both on tour
We were staying on the same f***** hotel floor
And I wasn't looking for a promise or commitment
But it was never just fun and I thought you were different
This is not the way you realize what you wanted
It's a bit too much, too late if I'm honest
All this time God knows I'm singing
Ah lahmlahlah


Sheeran is at odds with himself -- he didn't want commitment.. but actually, he kinda did in his heart. Free love is all fun and great until you get stung by it.  In the end, Ed realizes that his relationship has been poisoned by the very principles it was built upon -- no rules, anything goes, just satisfy yourself.

Overall, the song "Don't" by Ed Sheeran plays out like a cautionary tale on the dangers of today's hook up culture. Avoiding commitment may seem like the easy way out, but as we see in this song, there is always an emotional investment that takes place. Look at it in a grand historical perspective -- in the sixties, everybody was about "free love". Sleep with whoever you want, do whatever you want, satiate your urges. Then, the economy of free love came crashing down as STDS and HIV began to skyrocket. Furthermore, in the seventies we see a lot of music about dysfunctional relationships (Fleetwood Mac!) because love isn't really so free after all. Free love has both physical and emotional consequences.

Heck, we see the same thing arise in polygamous relationships via the Bible. The Bible depicts many polygamous relationships in the Old Testament, but they are almost always portrayed in a negative light... because they breed contempt, jealousy, and despair. Humankind has been refusing to learn this crucial lesson for ages.

A great deal of pop hits on the radio right now are about dysfunctional relationships (Sam Smith, anyone?) and it looks like the hookup culture is to blame for it. Ambiguity, unclear boundaries and commitment problems are bad for relationships, period. Although I don't endorse Sheeran's embrace of casual sex relationships, it's obvious that this song is not a glowing review of them either. In fact, I think that simple title of this composition summarizes it well-- when it comes to hookups, just.... don't.