What Would John Lennon Do?
Apparently, the Beatles were the first Christian rock band.
Very, very interesting for a lot of reasons—mainly because of the general disdain between the Beatles and the church, despite both claiming to be “Christ’s biggest fans.”
Today, I look at bands like Creed and Guster—both of whom use religious symbolism in their songs—and wonder how many closet Jesus bands there are out there. And I’m not trying to say that this is purely the fault of the Christian community at large. Many people outside of the Christian camp form their opinions of Christianity on the outbursts of a forceful, vocal minority. Disgusted or no, you have to be pretty calloused or blind to miss all the good that religion is actually doing in the world. (And yes, I believe that it has historically been one of the most destructive forces in the world. That’s another discussion altogether, but I think the tides are turning.)
And on the flip side, I wonder how many Christians would embrace modernity (or, more specifically, Postmodernity) if they understood how much it defined what they already believed (and how in line it is with the Bible). In the book Finding Common Ground, Tim Downs verbally attacks Postmodernism in one chapter, and then spends the rest of the chapter talking about how art is the new instrument of truth and how we need to appeal not only to people’s intellects, but also to their emotional imaginations—extremely Postmodern concepts.
An interesting fact: John Lennon was actually the original choice to play Jesus in Jesus Christ, Superstar, but turned down the role. Just saying.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:07 am
Well, what you have to remember is that while Lennon was raised Anglican, his beliefs were also influenced by his travels in India, where he and his bandmates studied both Hinduism and transcendental meditation (based on the Vedic scriptures). So while Lennon certainly believed in God, and maybe in Jesus, his views would unlikely be compatible with anything resembling traditional Christianity, with its various theological and doctrinal trappings (postmodern or otherwise).
Also, you realize Guster isn’t a closet Jesus band, right? Ryan, Adam, and Brian are still (somewhat) practicing Jews, and virtually none of their religious symbolism is positive. Take “Two at a Time”–”So a few have died to bring us back to where we started, two at a time … do what you’re told.” When they reference God or Jesus at all, it’s in a manner that implies a callous, distant, or downright mean-spirited deity, except in “Jesus on the Radio,” which is more random than anything else. Quiet Jesus-loving musicians, like Sufjan Stevens, are out there, but I don’t think the Gusters are in that category. And I have trouble taking Scott Stapp’s religious path seriously since it hasn’t prevented him from falling down, too drunk to sing, in the middle of concerts.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Very true on both counts. I’d actually discount Stapp on account of him being a dick, but the symbolism is there, and I think he’s said it’s a big part of his past, if not his present life. And let’s not forget when Guster closed one of their concerts with “Shout to the Lord.” (Actually, that never happened, but wouldn’t it be funny?)
The people who usually stand against the Beatles stand against Christian rock bands as well, or even normal rock bands that aren’t excessively evil. I’m reminded of the passage in which Jesus says, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” (I know, I know, he said in Luke 11:23, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters,” but I think he was speaking of discerning spiritual forces there, not people.) That’s not to say that the Beatles would have done Christian ministry had we let them, but the church never would have given them a chance to either. There’s still the question of who struck first, but the fact is that both were pushing each other away. And seriously, who doesn’t like the Beatles?