What are Kingdom values?
I read an article interviewing Derek Webb this week and I wanted to narrow the discussion to something I alluded to in last weeks comments, and to which Webb hits on in this article.
From, Warning: Explicit Lyrics:
It's the last paragraph I want to focus on. What are the things that we American Christians value in our culture? How is that different, and often 'upside down', from true Kingdom values? Where does a theology of the Cross fit into the way we look at art or business and, let's not forget, all of life?"Switchfoot, P.O.D., Sixpence, Jars of Clay - we know who they are," Webb ticks them off on his fingers. "These are the bands that are making good art and are therefore invited into that big discussion. I can't stand it when my own heart, or my friends, or people I know who are Christian artists say, 'Man, we have a mission to cross over and to get into that discussion but they don't want to hear what we have to say. It's 'cause we're Christians.' They talk like they are martyrs. It is not because we are Christians that the world won't listen to us. It is because we make bad art. The church at this point in history champions bad art. We hold our artists to a ridiculous standard by saying, 'Your art is only useful in the church if it is explicit.' But that is not true. We have to learn to define what is beautiful, what is good."
“What are the things that we American Christians value in our culture," Webb asks. "And how is that different, and often ‘upside down’ from true Kingdom values? I’ve found that often success looks more like failure, riches more like poverty, and have found that real life often feels more like death, as the Christian life is very literally the process by which we are killed.”
posted by The Dude at 1:21 PM
3 Comments:
I think as American Christians we put so much value into family that it can kill our service and our commitment to the Kingdom. Don't get me wrong, I think there's a large importance in family (and things are different if your family is largely unbelievers), but I think in America family becomes too large of a comfort and an excuse.
Money and work can be poor values for some, but I think in most cases money and work are drawn from that unhealthy value on their family.
You can look at how many times Jesus walked away from his mother and siblings because there was a greater work to be done. I can see many times in my own life where I could have been elsewhere serving the Kingdom, but I instead retreated to the family because it is calm, familiar and won't challenge me. Those times were fun, but were they the right choice? If we truly understood the results we could achieve for the Kingdom based on our decisions regarding time, what would our life look like? Let's put it another way...how many unbelievers in your neighborhood do you know? How many have you eaten dinner with?
i feel the only reason that one is at all creative is because we are made in the image of Him who created the universe. i strive to make uplifting beauty. for goodness sakes some of the most inspiring and greatest masters in painting were illustrators of the Bible ( i.e. DaVinci, Michelangelo). as far as music goes, i feel that there will soon be an movement of worthy Christian music in the industry. lets not forget Mutemath and Sufjan Stevens too. praise the Lord for them.
I LOVE that line: "...success looks more like failure, riches more like poverty, and have found that real life oten feels more like death..." Well, perhaps it's hard to live this counter-intuitive lifestyle because worldly success feels good, money is really nice, and we all like being alive (as opposed to being dead). Maybe that's simplistic.
I believe the soul that seeks Christ continues to overturn paradoxes (what's the plural of paradox?) like these. The last shall be first, pick up your cross and follow me, etc. But this is so hard in American culture. All around us we are tempted to value stuff. We've all heard that line. We know Americans are materialistic. However, I like to think of myself as one who is maturing in Christ and not tied to those type of persuasions anymore. But, maybe the most true thing about me is that although I don't own a home (or rent one), I drive a pretty simple car, and my clothes look basically like crap, well I feel the pressure to conform to the status quo in all of these areas, all the time.
I think that maybe it's hard to focus on what is beautiful, unique, and creative when in the depths of my soul, I am hell-bent on conforming to what is ordinary.
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