American Idol does Hillsong
I think I should be happy about this but instead it just gives me the creeps. Can anyone offer a diagnosis as to why?
Monday, April 28, 2008
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Author
- Matt Wilson
- Manchester (Salford), United Kingdom
- The first Christians were known as followers of The Way. I use poetry to help me work out what that Way might look like in the 21st century.
Get my book
16 comments:
I got half way through before I had to turn it off.
it gives u the creeps because a worship song or a song of praise to God is being exploited for media purposes and fame. it is also extremely cheesey!
Assuming not all 8 finalists of American Idol are Christian, I think Isaiah 1 verse 12 to 14 points to why:
12 When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.
God is very keen that any worship of Him be true worship, and not just some nice sounding song that everyone can gently sway to.
Matt you need to repent from your compromising ways, this is Gods Message to you, unless you rid your self if ecumenism and Interfaith,
this dose effect your relationship with God.
"Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him],
being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." (Titus 1:15 - 16)
Hey anonymous number 3, if you're going to rebuke me:
a) have the guts to leave your name
b) learn to spell
Matt your the Blind leading the Blind , this is typical of the Hypocrite, and the immature always has to go to the lowest of the low, Matt face it your cant take criticism, you have to resort to name calling, are you going to do that to anyone who dose not approve of what you do? As a leader this shows you to be you weak.
It would not take me by surprise if a published a book about it.
I applaud the last person who wrote that, Matt face it, it takes guts to stand up to you.
Especially for the last post.
Remember a lot of eyes are watching what you do.
I personally am in support of the last post.
Keep running along the sewer!!!!
Matt this is the first time I have read a post made by you.
Thank God I am out of the Institutionalisation of the church and out of the churches.
Matt your comment puts people like me off.
Et tu anon 4
It does seem a little ironic the level at which a nation can consider itself 'Christian' doesn't it.
When you think about the political and sociological implications of saying 'My Jesus, My Saviour' in the Early Church, the fact that it becomes simply part of an over-hyped fasion parade does make me slightly uneasy.
Missing the point I think.
Great blog
Yech. I really hate things like this. And they even brought out a robed gospel choir at the end. Great. Exploitation of my faith AND my culture, not to mention offense of my artistic sensibilities, all in one fell swoop.
Wonder if this is AI's last season?
I don't normally respond to things like this as I don't tend to have much to say but I can't ignore my response to anon 3&4 and their response to matt.
I am astounded and shocked at the seeming need to make a personal attack on matt and his integrity as a Christian and as a leader (and using scripture to do it!) purely for sharing an honest response to something he has seen. Surely in asking the question he is inviting both criticism and support of his response/view.
In response to the question (and did either of those posts actually make a comment on the question posed? - I don't think so!). I don't necessarily find it creepy but do wonder why choose to sing a worship song in that context - I wonder if the writer in responding to God's spirit in him/her when he/she wrote that song expected to see a bunch of fame seekers singing it on national telly. And what might God think? About people using a song written in worship to him used by people to gain fame and fortune...?? He might not care, in that context it might just be another song - it just happens to be about him. Surely worship is about offering our lives sacrificially in service to God in who we are and what we do not about what we sing.
HanJB
Weird, bazar inappropriate, emabarrassing,silly,cheesy etc. Why is a good question? Lovely Gospel choir. Do you think they are after the Christian vote or what?
Mal
PS: I checked for typos
wow, anonymous is really lacking in love it seems here.
Which is strange, as we are supposed to be known for our love for each other.
It's a great song, who can blame them for using it?
The main concern I had watching it initially was whether they were in some way making a mockery of the original purpose of the song, and this did make me feel uneasy. But as I watched it my spirit reacted in such a way that I concluded that God was very present there and will have used that performance, whether sincere or not, to touch many viewers.
Also, who are we to judge the contestants for their ambitions? So some of them do just seek fame and fortune; but there are many possible reasons why this could be so, and not all of them are reprehensible.
Surely it's more important that we monitor and judge our own behaviour and attitudes than using easy targets to make ourselves feel superior?
Matt, I think this gives you the creeps for the same reason it made me vomit down the front of my shirt; as a branding-savvy individual, you've spotted that this is Jesus being appropriated as a brand with which to sell a prime-time show. Is nothing more or less than Fox's advertisers targeting the US's large (and increasingly wealthy and politically influential) "gospel-aware" demographic. Is as simple, and venal, as that.
Diamondwhiter, I'm really glad if God touched you through that performance, but I'd suggest that your "spirit" was reacting to an emotionally manipulative peformance of a song which, if you've been to a charismatic church regualrly in the last ten years, has any number of God-centred memories for you; don't mistake that nostalgia for any actual spiritual intent behind this performance. I really don;t think Matt is judging this performance to "make himself feel superior"; I just think that his spirit reacted to the "spirit" behind this and made him feel " bit pukey"...
Daniel, don't you think it was the comments posted in response to Matt's that were in the most danger of being judgemental with a self-serving motive? You can't fail to notice two in particular that don't even mention the clip of the show.
Clearly Matt does appreciate how detrimental the Us/Them - superior/inferior way of thinking is judging by his latest post 'Wayside Pulpit'.
The reaction of my spirit to watching the video simply arose from the fact that I moved past my own natural cynicism and looked with eyes of faith. I believe that God can and will use the most unlikely of tools to touch people's hearts; He is not limited in that way.
Yes the show was catering to the tastes of a specific and sizeable portion of their viewers, and undoubtedly hoping to attract more of the same from this demographc; they are a business after all.
But Jesus said in Mark 9v40; "For whoever is not against us is for us." I wonder could this also apply to what is at least an outwardly sincere presentation of an unashamedly Christian witness and worship song?
Hmm. I wonder how "You shall not make for yourself an idol" fits in with that.
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