Just bring it down from the mountain to me.
Andrew Osenga’s at it again. Seriously, I should just pack this site in and republish his blog entries, because he’s much better at articulating my own issues with the contemporary church (and its’ artistic expressions) than I am.
Anyway, this time he’s talking about fear and safety, and asking why, if we follow a God who commands us not to fear, must everything we’re involved with be “safe”? It’s a good question, and I think it has as much to do with the usual suspects (consumerism, hyper-individualism, the “packaging” of the Gospel, etc.) as it does with our own desire for rules imposed from the outside. In many ways, this makes me think of Derek Webb’s song A New Law:
don’t teach me about politics and government just tell me who to vote for don’t teach me about truth and beauty just label my music don’t teach me how to live like a free man just give me a new law
I think it’s fitting that Webb ends that song by repeating, multiple times, “Do not be afraid.” In its own way, the end of the song reminds me of Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting, hugging Matt Damon’s character and repeating “it’s not your fault.”
At first Damon reacts on a purely intellectual level, just brushing it off with “I know.” Then as Williams keeps repeating it, it begins to sink in, and Damon starts sobbing uncontrollably as he sheds his outer layers of cool indifference.
While I didn’t cry like a baby, the first time I heard this song, Webb’s “Do not be afraid” hit me in a similar way. At first, I heard something that made sense in my mind, so I assented, “Of course - we shouldn’t be afraid.” Then with each successive repetition, I began to think of his reasons for putting this at the end of the song, and it finally hit me.
If we were truly “not afraid,” we’d be able to trust the Spirit wherever he leads, even if it’s into places or situations that aren’t safe or “family friendly.”
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October 16th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Hey, just heard they are making a Bourne 3 movie. I loved the first 2. Anybody know when it might come out?
October 18th, 2006 at 12:53 am
I heard Robin Williams new flick Man of the Year isn’t doing so well at the box office? It looks like a great movie though. I love the guy, ever since I first saw him on Mork and Mindy.
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:58 pm
[...] next time I feel like ranting about the dangers of mixing art, faith, and commerce together, I think I’ll just post a link [...]