Cynicism- troubling the modern Christian

By Chris Brantner

I can’t count the number of times that people have told me to “stop being so cynical!” My typical response involves eye rolling and something like “quit being so naïve.” However, now that I’m well into my 20’s, I find myself looking inward and reevaluating my character. Here are the questions I’m asking of myself:

1. What exactly does “being cynical” mean?
2. Am I really a cynical person?
3. Does being cynical make me miserable?
4. Do I think I am better than other people?
5. Can I truly be a Christian and a Cynic?

While the answers to these questions meant little to me a few years ago, I feel like they’re necessary to further my journey into full-fledged adulthood. If you’re still a teenager, don’t think this doesn’t apply to you. You’ll be where I stand in the blink of an eye.

Modern Cynicism- I Don’t Know You and I Don’t Trust You

First of all, we need to know what cynicism means. Not to be confused with the ancient philosophical movement, modern day cynicism is basically extreme skepticism of the human race. In other words, the modern cynic pretty much distrusts everything and everyone.

So in reference to my second question, yes I think it’s safe to say I’m a pretty cynical guy. When I meet someone new, I almost always mistrust them. When I see a politician on the television promising me things, my stomach hurts and I change the channel. As a matter of fact, I stopped going to church for almost 10 years because I had a hard time swallowing the words that came out of the preachers’ mouths.

Don’t get me wrong, my skepticism isn’t directed at any one type of person. It’s just people in general. I find that people tend to do bad things and are almost always out only for themselves. And don’t think I haven’t put this idea to the test. Nearly every time I’ve given someone the benefit of the doubt and trusted that they had genuine motives—well, they let me down.

Cynicism and Happiness- Can I Have Both?

If you ask me, I’d say I’m a pretty happy person. I know I’m blessed with lots of good things. A successful career, a loving family, fun friends… I’ve been given lots of things in my lifetime and I recognize they all came from God.

But how can I be happy and enjoy the company of friends and family when I’m so wrapped up in assuming the worst in people? Well, that’s a good question with a difficult answer. First of all, I’m not one of those people with a large friend group (I know you’re shocked by that). I generally hang out with my immediate family and a mere handful of people I’d call true friends. These are the only people in this world that I genuinely feel like I can trust.

Trust is something I don’t give lightly. Trust takes work. You have to build it over a long period of time. Everyone I call a friend (including my close relatives) has put in many years of earning my trust. And likewise, I’d like to think that I’ve worked really hard to gain theirs.

Outside of my small friend group I have acquaintances. These are people I know, converse with, and maybe even hang out with on occasion. For the most part I enjoy their company, but usually in small increments. Do I trust these people? Eh… not really. Underneath all the casual conversation and friendly smiles, my brain is spinning, wondering what motivates their behaviors. And frankly, nothing surprises me. When I find out an acquaintance is in jail for some crime or has betrayed me behind my back— am I shocked? Not at all. Because I believe people are motivated by self-interest.   

The nice thing about my extreme skepticism is that every now and then someone comes along who surprises me (e.g. my recent bride and random new friends).

So does that mean I am both happy and cynical? You bet. Since I don’t allow people’s negative behaviors to surprise me, I don’t let them get me down. And when someone like my wife comes along and offers me a pleasant surprise, well I think I actually appreciate it more than the average person. When you have low expectations and someone comes along who completely blows them out of the water, well it’s that much better.

Do Cynics Think They’re Better Than Everyone Else?

I can’t answer this question for other skeptics, because frankly I think I’m better than them… Okay, just kidding. But in all seriousness, I can only apply this to my own experiences. Does distrusting the motives of others force me to set myself up on a pedestal? Well, yes and no.

All my life I’ve tried to hold myself to a higher standard than others. I think I do a good job of analyzing actions and possible consequences. I also try my best to make good decisions. But do I always make the right choices? Of course not.

So if I sometimes make terrible, selfish decisions, does that make me a hypocrite? According to www.merriam-webster.com, a hypocrite is:

1. a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2. a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings

As for the first portion of the definition, I try really hard not to put on the appearance of anything to anyone. And for part 2, well if I subscribe to the idea that humans in general are self-serving, doesn’t that mean I would expect myself to be the same way? When I say I hold myself to a higher standard, I mean that I recognize the problem with the human condition. This in turns makes me handle others with suspicion. It also causes me to strive to be different.

Do I fail? All the time. I’m warring with my humanity.

Can I Be a Cynic and a Christian?

To me, a true Christian is someone who tries to be like Christ. That said, could you describe Jesus as cynical? Eh, I suppose you could try. But admittedly, Jesus wasn’t focused so much on human intentions. His main focus was on loving people. Let’s face it, if we truly believe Jesus died for our sins, then that includes everyone’s sins. Mine, yours, and the dirtiest, stinking liar you know.  In fact, Jesus frequently ministered to the dregs of society.

What does that say about me– does my cynicism keep me from being a Christian? Honestly, I’m not sure. I want to be like Christ, yet I fight with my skepticism on a daily basis. And when it comes down to it, I realize that someone could make the argument that my cynical beliefs actually backfire and turn me into what I can’t stand- a selfish jerk.

So now what? I don’t know… but I’m praying for the answers.

What are your thoughts on the issue?

By Chris Brantner

 Lots of people are predicting the end of the world in just two short years. Having survived a few apocalypse predictions myself, I can’t help but wonder how the modern day Christian should respond to this large-scale apocalyptic prophecy. While I’m generally skeptical of doomsday prophecies, the sheer magnitude of this one deserves a close examination.

How is the rest of society handling the “impending doom?” Well, as is the American way, people are cashing in on the trend. A mega-blockbuster film called “2012” came out recently, starring John Cusack. The film grossed over $750 million dollars, capitalizing on our fascination with the apocalypse. One company has even created a 2012 beer. Why am I not surprised?

Some people are responding in fear, stocking up supplies, ammunition, and whatever else could aid in survival. A man named James B. Birkhead recently got arrested for possessing bomb building materials in his home. His excuse? He was preparing for the end of the world in 2012, of course.  

Others respond in apathy or skepticism. Either they don’t really care or they think it’s all a big sham. Either way, they aren’t going to get worked up about it. As far as they’re concerned, after 2012 comes and goes, they’ll still be here on Earth doing whatever it is they were doing before.

Why all the hype?

Here’s the short answer. Many people think the world will either end or drastically change in the year 2012 due to a handful of sensationalized predictions. For the long answer, we’ll break it down by the sources of 2012 apocalyptic predictions:

1. The Mayans- If you know anything about the 2012 predictions, you’re probably aware that it’s connected to the ancient Mayan tribe. The Mayan’s calendar provides 2012 believers with their primary source. Plainly speaking, the Mayan calendar resets to zero after December  21, 2012. However, this did not signify the end of the world to Mayans, but rather the end of an age. That said, at some point the resetting of the Mayan calendar morphed into the end of the world. The question is- why?
2.  Winter Solstice- Since the beginning of time, humans have searched for answer in the heavens. It just so happens that the Winter Solstice occurs on the December 21, 2012; the same day the Mayan Calendar ends. On this particular Winter Solstice, the Sun will align perfectly with the center of our galaxy, supposedly producing energy altering effects.  What exactly does that mean? Who knows! 
3.  Nostradamus- Chances are you’ve heard this name before if you know anything about doomsday predictions. Nostradamus was a French prophet from the 1500’s. For whatever reason, his prophecies have gained resurgence in popularity in the last couple of decades. The funny thing is, none of them worth mentioning have ever come true. However, like anything dealing with the apocalypse, people love to dwell on it. So when Nostradamus predicted a giant comet would fall from the sky and destroy the Earth, the masses took notice. However, few seemed to notice that the year for the comet to hit was 1999. Strangely enough, 1999 came and went, and the comet prophecy got applied to 2012 instead. How convenient.
   
4. The Bible?- You may have heard people claiming that the Bible predicts the end of the world in 2012. But does it really? I think this answer deserves its own section…

What does the Bible really say in relation to the apocalypse?

Let’s be clear about this- the Bible never specifically mentions the year 2012. Some proponents of the Bible Code claim they’ve found lots of 2012 references hidden, but the actual Biblical text never mentions a date for the end.  However, the Bible does hold plenty of prophecies about the end of the Earth.

In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks specifically about the end times. He makes perfectly clear that people won’t see it coming. Comparing it to the Great Flood, Jesus says men and women will be eating and drinking and then BOOM! It will happen. Does this sound like 2012 to you?

What is going on in our world right now that could signify the end times?

Well, here’s where it actually starts getting scary. Looking back on the last 2 years, our world has seen disaster after disaster. While large natural disasters occur fairly often throughout history, the first half of 2010 has seen disasters affecting humans more than usual. Here’s a quick list that’s resulted in the loss of over a quarter million lives and massive interruption of human activity.

• Haiti Earthquake- This earthquake hit one of the poorest areas in the world, destroying the poorly built homes and causing a loss of approximately 250,000 lives.  Completely heart-breaking.
• Chili Earthquake- While this earthquake was 500 times stronger than Haiti’s, it only killed about 1000 people, since Chili is a more affluent country with stronger buildings.
• China Earthquake- This earthquake struck a sparsely populated area, killing at least 675 people.
• Iceland Volcano- While the death toll wasn’t huge, a massive cloud of steam and ash blanketed nearly an entire continent, resulting in hundreds of thousands of airplane passengers getting stranded for about a week. The giant plume of smoke also caused the already-reeling airline industry to lose millions of dollars.

The list is staggering, and after a close look, even a cynic such as myself has to at least consider the possibility that we are nearing the end.

What’s the bottom line?

When it comes to predicting the future, no one can prove anything. All you can do is what I’ve done- offer your thoughts, opinions, and hopefully some logic to back them up. But when it comes right down to it, you’re just speculating. So while the jury’s still out on whether or not 2012 will really bring along the apocalypse, how should we deal with it as Christians?

First of all, save yourself the time and respectfully decline to engage in arguments about 2012. Instead, consider engaging in meditation and conversation on the following question: what should your life look like if 2012 really was the end? Imagine the impact Christians would have on this planet if we all put aside our petty differences and treated life as if it really would end in 2 years.

I know what you’re thinking- the church is too far gone, too separated. There’s no way we can all learn to get along and put others before ourselves. And maybe you’re right.

But, what if it started with you?

By: Dave Fidlin

For two-and-a-half centuries, evangelicalism – a belief system marked by the concept of being “born again” – shaped many Protestant’s approaches to Christianity across the globe. But the world is changing now more than ever before, and an offshoot of this belief system has emerged as society is being transformed.

Several factors are attributed to post-evangelicalism, a movement that has started picking up steam in recent years. Christians subscribing to a post-evangelical ideology differ from traditional evangelicals for any number of reasons, including opposing views on culture, politics and theology.

Scholars generally trace evangelicalism’s roots to Great Britain in the middle of the 18th Century. In addition to the aforementioned concept of being converted – or “born again” – some of the other fundamental beliefs within evangelicalism have included a high emphasis on the Bible and the Gospels, as well as the death and resurrection of Christ.

Evangelicalism was long lumped into one category, but it began to splinter in the 1950s when such popular preachers as Billy Graham started packing arenas to share the joy one can find in walking with the Lord. A separate grouping, fundamentalists, began breaking away because of disagreements with some of these popular preachers’ tactics.

Within the past six decades, new societal issues have bubbled to the surface. More than ever before, people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds are talking amongst themselves. Because of this, the spectrums within evangelicalism have stretched even further.

On one far extreme are people who have that more fundamentalist view of their faith – meaning a continued strict adherence to traditional theology. On the other end are those who have tweaked traditional beliefs and conformed them to modern society. It could be argued evangelicalism is in the center. But the spectrums are growing increasingly complex, and attempts at simple categorization are difficult, if not futile.

Generally speaking, post-evangelical Christians take aim at mainline evangelicals’ narrow views on the thorny issue of homosexuality – evangelicals tend to view the lifestyle as a flat-out sin, while post-evangelicals tend to embrace people within this community. 

Followers of the post-evangelicalism movement also take aim at evangelicals for perceived narrow, partisan political views – many back the Republican Party in the United States, regardless of who the specific candidate is – and a seeming deaf ear toward the intellectual community. Additional criticism toward evangelicals has been linked to little or no emphasis on the arts and media.

Michael Spencer runs a Web site, the Internet Monk, devoted to post-evangelicalism. In his Blog posts, Spencer says this movement is still in the defining stages.

“I do not recognize the boundary lines of American evangelicalism as the boundary lines of true Christianity,” Spencer wrote in a 2006 post on his site. “I recognize that Christian belief emerges from a matrix of the text of Holy Scripture, the history of interpretation, cultural and sub-cultural presuppositions, the use of reason, the place of experience, the wisdom of the teachers of the larger church and the work of the Holy Spirit in revealing more light.”

Post-evangelicalism, as a movement, also has received ink in a book, “The Post Evangelical.” The British-based author, Dave Tomlinson, grew up in a Christian household, but says the constraints within evangelicalism smothered his quest to find where God was calling him in his life journey. Once he began looking outside the boundaries, Tomlinson says he began experiencing an authentic relationship with his Maker.

In his book, Tomlinson says evangelical churches in England have oftentimes failed when it comes to addressing social justice and poverty. Tomlinson in published reports says he hopes Christians desiring to live out their faith in a deeper, more socially-relevant manner, will begin to question some of the constraints mainline evangelical Christians have placed on ideology.

Graham came to prominence at a time when television began as a medium, and he quickly realized the public airwaves could be a powerful means of spreading Christianity. This led to the emergence of other so-called televangelists. There have been a plethora of them, at times with differing views amongst themselves, in the United States in the past six decades. Televised preachers have included Jim Baker, Jerry Falwell, Joel Osteen, Pat Robertson, Charles Stanley and Jimmy Swaggart.

But the very public sins of some of these televangelists has led some people in the post-evangelicalism movement to take a critical view of the hypocrisy and lack of authenticity that can sometimes crop up in mainline evangelical circles.

Traditional evangelicals, not surprisingly, have concerns linked to the post-evangelical movement. Criticisms include diluting or outright ignoring the Bible and faulty theology. Other people within the evangelicalism movement discredit the popularity of post-evangelicalism.

On the Blog site First Things, author Joe Carter says evangelicalism remains a vibrant, growing and effective movement.

“The idea that the collapse of evangelicalism is currently under way is more wishful thinking on the part of post-evangelicals that anything that can be backed up with evidence,” Carter wrote in a 2009 Blog post. “There are more people that attend a Willow Creek associated church than there are post-evangelicals in all of America.”

Nathan Martin, another writer on First Things, says evangelicalism is in a refining stage, but makes a case for its continued existence in a Blog post from 2009.

“As Christianity is moving out of the mainstream, it’s harder than ever to be a Christian in America,” Martin said. “There has been a shaking off of the chaff and wandering from the fold of many church-raised children. But this doesn’t indicate the failure of evangelicalism, as it does the failure of churches within the evangelical community.”

While Protestant ideology is going through a transformation – and countless strands are developing – one notion is certain: God remains a profound force in Christians’ lives. In a world with millions upon billions of people, He gave everyone a unique, custom story. Human beings are so different, yet so alike, and this mind-bending concept is evidenced through the debate between the evangelical and post-evangelical movements – and all other ideologies.

By Robert Ham

 This latest album has one of the most direct album titles I’ve heard in a long time from a Christian artist. What was your thinking when you decided to call it Church Music?

I like language a lot. I think language is fluid. You couldn’t have put a record out like this 10 years ago and have people get the slightly ironic satire or at least understanding that we were aware of the strangeness of these words attached to what we’re doing. At the same time, it is what you’re saying. It’s very direct and stating the obvious. We’re writing congregational music even though it doesn’t fit universally in congregations. Nonetheless for us these are songs that we’re singing on Sunday morning together. If you’re coming from a more progressive setting you might think, “Ah this isn’t church music. Church music is more stodgy: choir robes, organs, that kind of thing.” If you’re coming from a more traditional setting you would hear what we’re doing and go, “Absolutely not. This is not church music.” I think what is beautiful about that is that there is critique available to all of us. We tend to think of everybody else like ourselves. And yet when you think of the global church, there are a lot of people coming from a lot of different cultures and the art and the expression coming from these cultures looks a lot different than our own. We like that two little words could play with expectation and hopefully in a positive sense could help people think about music in the church in a bigger way, including ourselves. That the Crowder Band could fall under that little moniker is fantastic. It’s cool that a couple of words could say that much.

Because you play these songs on Sunday mornings at your church in Waco, is that where you are trying things out and honing new material?

Most of the time, these things take shape there. We have the great fortune of having people that we live life with there that are kind to us. We get to see where things want to go. There’s a few on [the new album] that have their life just with the record. You stumble into things and things take you places that you wouldn’t have suspected so some of those pieces are new entities for our people as well.

This record is interesting in that all the songs flow into one another so it is this cohesive piece of work. How did you hit on that idea?

We did this world tour with Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman – folks we’ve been connected to for a long time. Knowing we’re going to do this Church Music record, we thought, “Oh, this is gonna be great. Maybe we can travel the globe and collect these songs and expressions from a lot of other cultures and have this album be a global church expression kind of thing.” Well, obviously it didn’t go there at all because what we found was apparently we as Americans have exported more than McDonald’s, we’ve exported our worship music. Because that’s all they were singing were these American worship songs! So then we started looking at the music coming out of these cultures. So we thought, “What if the Crowder Band was transplanted to Tokyo. What would our expressions look like trying to find an common authentic voice for the age group of people that we are giving expression for here in the States?”

So, we collected a lot of j-pop in Tokyo and in Korea collected k-pop thinking, “What would the local church sound like if they were to follow our model which is to throw your arms around whatever is happening in pop culture to find the common voice of the people that you’re in front of?” And when we get to Europe, the club thing is way way bigger than it is over here. What we started hearing were a lot of influences that were happening for the producers of pop music around here in the States, pinpointing the things in Europe that were influential on the charts in America. And one of the things we decided initially is that when you hear a DJs work, when they hit play, it a takes you on a journey from start to finish. The logistics of pulling off what they’re pulling off isn’t that difficult ’cause you’re talking about 5 to 10 BPMs one way or the other and keys are sort of irrelevant I don’t think they’re aware of music theory as much as we are. For us, we’re talking massive jumps in BPM and massive jumps in keys, so the actual pulling it off incredibly tedious. But we’re kind into that thing; the harder it is the more joy we have.

Do you think that you have been successful in attracting people to the faith through embracing popular music and culture?

That’s a little disingenuous. We don’t view at all what we’re doing as proselytizing. What we feel like we’re doing is providing people the ability to express or articulate a response to God in the sense of a corporate worship experience. We’re using music to say things back to God with. I turn to hymn writers and people who have written about the struggle how you do that. It seems like to [Isaac] Watts or to [John] Newton, any time they’re talking about what your role is and what you’re trying to accomplish, it is so much easier when you find the common language of the people that you’re in front of. And for us pop music is a no brainer. How do I on behalf of the people that I’m in front of articulate faith through music and it’s mostly through collecting sounds and finding out where we are as people. It’s pretty natural for us because it’s the environment you exist in you’re around all this music that shapes your sensibilities. Being on a college campus like we are, most of it is college radio and straight up pop music so it’s really natural for our expression to be what’s common among us. [W]hat we’re trying to do is to provoke response or allow response to happen in a way that’s authentic and not forced. That’s what’s been successful or at least the successful moments of music in the church have seemed to be, in my opinion, when the writers were throwing their arms around what was happening in popular culture and were in conversation with what was going on in popular culture rather than being cloistered and oblivious. So, it’s not an attempt to proselytize but what we have seen is that people from outside of the church, mostly in the mainstream media or even in the club environment, go “Wow, this is not what I would expect coming from a group of musicians playing music in the church.” I think that’s what we’ve seen interesting and surprising.

Would you ever conceive of making an album strictly for yourself and not for a corporate setting and what that would sound like?

I can’t even think of what that would look like. I don’t have a drive to do that in me. I just think about what we’re doing in such utilitarian terms. What we’re doing is useful and it just fell in my lap to be the guy that says something on our behalf in our community in Waco and so yeah I don’t even know. The stuff we’re making and the sound that we’ve got makes me grin and pulls at me in an emotional way, so I don’t think it would sound too terribly different. Granted the stuff that we are doing is so varied that I think if I were doing something, it would have as many twists and turns as this stuff because I get bored and need to find different ways to express things. I would suspect it would be similar journey.

Most people that I talked to when I told them I was interviewing you wanted to know about you changing the lyric of John Mark McMillan song “How He Loves.” Were you shocked at all about the response that happened to you changing part of the song?

No not at all. Getting the feedback immediately was unexpected. There was this division of people that felt like these are the greatest words that they’ve ever heard in a song in their entire life and there are people who are equally emotive in saying that these are the worst words I’ve ever heard in a song. I found myself all these bizarre conversation about two little words. Then I started to do some checking and some research on the Web and sure enough there’s all kinds of stuff about these two words preventing it from being in a lot of corporate settings and it causing as much of a ruckus as it had with us. There were two arguments that I felt were absolutely legitimate and worth visiting with John Mark about. One is that the imagery just doesn’t work. Again, to point back to hymn writers, one of the things they struggled with was imagery. To read Newton and Watts talk about the songs that they’ve written which have a lot of imagery in them they struggled with it because what you’re trying to do is find something that’s common. You’re trying to give expression to a group of people that brings them together rather than divides. Something that is common in our experience that would let us understand God in a way that’s fuller and that has more depth to it. And these two words seem to fail in that light.

Granted, John Mark didn’t write this thing for that purpose. It’s just his personal expression. And as a writer he’s successful because he stumbled on to two words that are probably one of the more provocative lines that have been in a song in a long long time and as a songwriter that’s a great success. But as a person whose trying to say something on behalf on a corporate entity it fails because it is not uniting, it’s dividing.

The second thing was a guy came and said, “I did some research and found this guy doing this deal on YouTube where he tells the story of the song. It’s pretty emotional, but knowing where the song comes from, I think the anthropomorphic language that exists in that line is unhealthy for our theology.” He said that if this is coming out of an experience of tragedy where this guy is trying to figure out what’s God’s role in this thing, our anthropomorphic language ends up with something sloppy and I think that this is a danger in a corporate expression. So, in talking with John Mark, I offered up both of these things, both of which he’s probably already dealt with. After some time, he came back and said, “Let’s go somewhere different with it and try to maintain the initial intent.”

I mean this song is about the love of God, and it’s not like we haven’t as a church explored the love of God before. But to find something that lets you rediscover and feel it and experience it in a way that’s similar to where you first were with it is unique and special I was determined that two words weren’t going to keep people from having a similar rediscovery. Because there’s something really, really special about the song. The only people who were going to be upset are going to be those who have already fallen in love with the song. They’re welcome to stay with the “sloppy wet” if that’s what they’d like. We’ll take the heat and allow the song to get a lot of places that it hasn’t gone before.

Did you ever consider just leaving the song as is no matter what people’s issues were with it?

No, not at all. I think of music in a different way than that. Maybe it’s because I come from a congregational setting where you’ve got a hymn like “Amazing Grace” that took 50 years to find its melody and the verses. Knowing that hymns are so fluid, it’s always going to take some time to find the right language for it. For most people it existed in a form that it was and people got to experience it and I hope that by letting it change and evolve, more people will get to know it.

Have you come up against issues like this considering the music that you play is so varied and is not your typical worship music?

From record one, people have said, “Hey this is a great record but these aren’t songs that you’ll find useful in your corporate settings.” Well, for you these aren’t congregational songs but for us these are all congregational songs. There’s an awareness that these don’t fit in a lot of places which is awesome because to point back to our world tour experience, it’s a disappointment to me that there aren’t more organic expressions of unique communities happening. That there’s this tendency to co-opt whatever’s happening elsewhere and stick it in to your unique setting rather than allowing the creators and creative types among your community and try to make something that’s your own. I understand and appreciate that it doesn’t fit everywhere and I would hate to think that we would feel any sort of need to be something other than just providing a voice for the people we’re in front of on a weekly basis.

Looking at your YouTube channel and your Twitter account, you guys put out a very goofy image of yourselves. Do you make sure that that sort of material gets out to balance out the depth of the message in your music?

You’re exactly right. You’re on to us. Early on, we felt like there was a tendency to ask too much of music. Talking about the fluidity of language, if I was to say the word “worship”, what would come to mind for most people is a setting of a lot of folks staring at a screen with words on it, singing and I don’t think that was always the case. That’s a recent phenomenon that that word would evoke that thought process. So it felt like we’re asking too much of music in the sense that you’re setting up the segmentation of our spiritual experience. When I think what we’re trying to do is involve the human in more holistic way and humor is a really easy way. People put their guard down. It just lets the human be more human and in the process you get people to be more human rather than posturing. If you can provide something that takes the legs out from under the initial pretense or posturing then you get to a more authentic place with a person. There’s an attempt to add irreverence in a thoughtful reverent way.

The other thing that my friends wanted to know is whether you would ever shave off your goatee?

I have! It was in the year 2000, just before midnight, and I’m in this little bathroom in the house that we had and I’m about to be the spiritual cleansing moment. And at the time I had hair down to my shoulders. So I got the Bic out and I went for it. Midnight happens and I come out of our bathroom and my wife sees me and…I had neglected to run this by here because this was a personal cleansing moment. But apparently if you make any massive changes to your facial follicles and any thing on your hair, this is something you’re going to need to run past your significant other because she said, “You put that back” and started feeding me all kinds of vitamin E and horse mane and tail and stuff. That’s the one and only time that that beard’s gonna go anywhere. I got in a lot of trouble over that.

By Josh Gloer

Theory Hazit moved to Portland, Oregon, two years ago because he needed a change. Having never been on a real vacation, he wanted to drive his kids across the United States, and show them a cross section of our country. He wanted to hook up with fellow rappers, Omega Watts and Wildchild to name a few. He wanted something new.

Two years later, the emcee has something new to share. Coming together with producer Toni Shift, the pair has created a super duo – Modern Marvels.

“Modern Marvels is basically what we’re all trying to do,” Theory Hazit, the vocals of the duo, said. “We’re trying to be our own super heroes and save hip hop. At the same time, I feel like everything I do is marvelous. Everything we do for God is marvelous, because God is marvelous.”

Serving God through the gifts they’ve been given is a priority for the pair, and the two gelled after working on the very first track.

“We just basically wanted to make some really good music, classic sounding music, without trying to make classic music,” Theory said. “A lot of the stuff Toni composes bring creativity out of me, forces me to be creative. Sometimes he’ll just make bangers and the stuff just comes out naturally.”

But that’s not to say that the construction of Modern Marvels was easy. It’s been three years in the making. Theory thought it was completed in September of 2008, but decided not to release it.

“The more I held on to this record, the better it got.” Tracks were removed, and others added. Another year of work went into the album. Finally, late in 2009, Theory and Shift is ready to release what they call the “genesis” of Modern Marvels. “I’m in love with the album again,” Theory said. “It’s a banging album now. I’m proud of it.”

Some of his pride might come from the unusual depths he admits to going to.

“Its really personal, for me,” Theory said. “I always write personal stuff, but I’m really transparent on this album.”

Modern Marvels covers topics Theory says have been overlooked. The joys of marriage and raising kids, solving personal problems with love and being a grown man providing for a family to name a few.

“There’s not much talk about love. People are just out to get theirs,” Theory said. “Life has its ups and downs and there’s nothing perfect around it. Focusing on God, and relying on God… that helps you to endure the struggles and obstacles that come your way.”

Theory wants to teach people through his sucuesses and failures and he’s had no problem airing his shortcomings on the album. He said he hopes it will be a guide, a light to show others how situations can be handled.

“When people hear this album… I really want them to learn from it. I have a gang of mistakes on the record, basically teaching lessons on that. I want people to react and take it in and apply it. The message of the album is creativity. Creativity is not dead, especially doing it unto God. Doing it with God.”

While the powers that be are keeping the release date under wraps, expect Modern Marvels to hit the shelves sometime this winter. For now, check out the title track featuring Wildchild and Lightheaded at: http://bit.ly/2mbaTP.

———–

Josh Gloer is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He’s written six season of MSNBC’s Lockup: Extended stay. He has also written for MTV, TLC, TruTV, HGTV and Oxygen. Josh has been a journalist for over 12 years, doing celebrity interviews with actors such as Djimoun Hounsou, Dennis Farina and James Marsden; and bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Orgy and sax guru, Carl Grubbs. Josh’s work has appeared in Filter, Car Audio & Electronics, Zink!, Item and many other publications and websites. This fall, his fiction is scheduled to appear in an anthology of LA writers, including Charles Bukowski. www.joshgloer.com

By: Josh Gloer
 

Akron, Ohio. The former Rubber Capital of the world. It’s the home of the ice cream cone, hamburgers and caramel corn. Visitors here can see the world’s largest model train in the city that stakes claims on famous residents like Angie Everhart, Hugh Downs and Devo!

It’s no surprise that Akron, however, is not known for a budding young hip-hop scene.

“The hip hop scene is pretty dry in Akron.”

But its fitting that 24hits (Steve Bader) hails from the City of Invention. It might not yet be a household name, but its one that carries with it, a heavy message. October 20th marked the date that 24hits, along with DJ 2 Snaps, dropped his album The Grey Area – and his message was quickly downloaded to computers across the country.

“It’s basically like the elephant in the room,” Bader said of his album. “If you’ve met a Christian who really turned you off from Christ its kind of letting you know that that’s not what its about. It was something that, a topic that I felt didn’t have a representation as far as like the church and the kind of like messed up stuff that it does, and if there’s a representation that speaks out about that its not really a Christian perspective.”

His message may be controversial, but his intention was never to make waves. He’s clear about one thing – he’s trying to help.

“I didn’t want to piss anybody off and make diss records about the church,” Bader said, “but I think it covers the extremes that people get carried away with and kind of put in place of what’s really supposed to be the reason that we all get together and the reason we even congregate – just to share the love of Christ and to worship the savior.”

His goal is to reach out and grab those people who’ve been jaded, or turned off from the church.

“Anything that a non – Christian would look at the church and say this is what I don’t like about the church, I think it covers those things in a loving way. But also doesn’t shy away from the fact that we’re all sinners and we all need Christ.”

He’s constantly asking hard questions in his tracks.

“Why is it that we would get together and hurt each other?” He asked. “Why would we put laws on something that has nothing to do with what the scriptures are?”

Questions that may have no answer.

But Bader continues to ask. The producer has a unique approach when it comes to music. Raised in a home where all things secular were frowned upon, his exposure to music was very limited.

“I wasn’t allowed to listen to music,” Bader said. “It was pretty much hymnals, maybe a little Sandy Patti if I was lucky. But I ate that stuff up because I loved music.”

Bader remembers the first time he heard Hip Hop. It was during the credit sequence of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie, and he listened to it over and over until he wasn’t allowed to listen anymore. He was hooked.

“Maybe it was just the fact that I had to do without it for so long that made me love it so much.”

Bader was later nearly expelled from his Christian school for having a DC Talk tape in his locker. Now, music has become his life, his vehicle to explore the deep crevices of life. He invites you to do that with him, and experience The Grey Area.

“I don’t think this is an album that everyone is going to enjoy,” Bader said. “I think there’s a certain group of people and a scatter group of people that have been turned off by the church or hurt by the church and I think if they got their hands on it they’d kind of feel that somebody else knew what they were going through. It would kind of maybe give them hope.”

For a free download of The Grey Area, go to: http://www.moongardenrecordings.com/.

For more information on 24hits, check out: http://www.myspace.com/24hits

———–

Josh Gloer is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He’s written six season of MSNBC’s Lockup: Extended stay. He has also written for MTV, TLC, TruTV, HGTV and Oxygen. Josh has been a journalist for over 12 years, doing celebrity interviews with actors such as Djimoun Hounsou, Dennis Farina and James Marsden; and bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Orgy and sax guru, Carl Grubbs. Josh’s work has appeared in Filter, Car Audio & Electronics, Zink!, Item and many other publications and websites. This fall, his fiction is scheduled to appear in an anthology of LA writers, including Charles Bukowski. www.joshgloer.com

By: Dave Fidlin

Be in the world, not of the world. 

The popular saying, paraphrased and abridged from Scripture in John 17:14-16, has been uttered in churches and Christian circles for ages. Case in point: Avalon, a Contemporary Christian Music group, devoted a song, “In Not Of,” to the topic on their 1999 album, “In a Different Light.”

But for a Christian, the exact interpretation of how to live this philosophy out has been scrutinized and debated. Some members of the Christian community concede it is blasphemous to evangelize outside a traditional church setting or an event sanctioned by a Christian organization, while others take a far more liberal view, saying even bars or strip clubs can be used as venues to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

In general, evangelical Christians tend to embrace the “go out into the world” mentality, while more conservative-leaning Christians tread much more lightly on this philosophy.

During his time on earth, Jesus displayed an example of how to live a life of faith and effectively spread the Gospel. While He came down hard at times – as evidenced by his angry response toward occupants of a temple, who turned the venue into a market – He also was compassionate and associated Himself with people who were not walking in God’s footsteps. The fact Jesus gave the time of day to a prostitute like Mary Magdalene is proof that He did not associate solely with church-goers.

Perhaps one of the boldest modern examples of a Christian evangelizing in an unorthodox setting is Heather Veitch, founder of the Las Vegas-based ministry JC’s Girls. (JC stands for Jesus Christ.) Veitch, a former stripper, claims to have turned away from her past lifestyle and advocates against the sex industry. Members of JC’s Girls visit strip clubs across the country and offer invitations to the women to attend church. Veitch also serves on the staff of Central Christian Church in an area nicknamed “sin city.”

The ministry has even set up booths at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo – a venue where a Christian presence would seem most unlikely. Members of JC’s Girls have given out gift packages accompanied with messages saying God forgives all sins. In interviews, Veitch said the goal of the ministry is to reach out without coming across as judgemental. 

JC’s Girls have raised more than a few eyebrows in the Christian community. 

“Heather’s intentions may be good; I’m going to put the best construction on her intentions,” Ingrid Schlueter, a Milwaukee-based conservative Christian talk show host, wrote on her blog, Slice of Laodicea, last year. “But the lack of solid biblical teaching today is resulting in ‘ministries’ that are bringing only more shame on the name of Christ.”

Schlueter and other Christian leaders have been critical of several of Veitch’s tactics, including a critique that she continues to wear somewhat revealing clothing, which could lead to a stumbling block for men struggling with their own fleshy desires.

But there are some members of the Christian community who believe a fresh approach to evangelizing is necessary in a culture that is growing increasingly cynical toward the seemingly judgmental, narrow-minded attitudes of people in churches. 

“I’m always inspired by (Veitch’s) love for the girls (in the adult entertainment industry) and her passion; her ideas for reaching people are fresh, bold, crazy and innovative,” wrote a member of Ethur, an organization aimed at intertwining Christianity and culture, on the blog, A Polite Rebellion Against Mass Thought.

The Veitch scenario raises an interesting point of evangelizing outside the church. One aspect is certain: Christians should not expose themselves to situations that could cause them to stumble in their walk with the Lord. It would be hard to argue this would be crossing the line between being in the world and not of it. A recovering alcoholic who has come to Christ, for instance, might not be best suited to share the Gospel in a bar. Not initially, at least. However, a Christian’s previous sins, and God’s transformation of that person’s life, can become a powerful testimony to those who have yet to proclaim a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Perhaps one of the most effective means of straying from vulnerable situations is to pray for discernment each day – especially when going out into “the battle field” and sharing Christianity with nonbelievers. The book of 1 Thessalonians speaks to the topic of discernment, particularly in 5:21-22, where Christians are instructed to “examine everything carefully,” “hold fast to that which is true” and “abstain from every form of evil.”

Amid the debate of being in the world, not of it, is an important point: Whenever a Christian steps outside the church doors and wants to share the Gospel with the world, authenticity is a key ingredient to the witnessing efforts. 

The old adage, “People don’t care how much you know until they know you care,” is in danger of being deemed trite because it is tossed around so casually, but it holds true when any effort is made to bridge the gap between Christianity and pop culture. Memorizing Bible verses is only one step in sharing the Gospel with others.

Letting one’s guard down, and perhaps being somewhat vulnerable, is a second, and powerful, step believers can use when sharing the benefits of a walk with Christ. All too often, it can be tempting to come across with a polished, I’ve-got-it-all-together attitude. But a Christian giving their testimony – sharing how God has worked in his or her life – is a powerful means of witnessing to a world searching for answers to tough questions. 

Anyone can shout Bible verses into a megaphone and tell passers-by they are going to hell if they do not repent. Taking an active interest in someone’s life, on the other hand, can be demanding. It means investing in that person by sacrificing time and, at times, it can result in emotional fatigue.

But, borrowing another clichéd phrase, “What would Jesus do?” Based on his interactions with believers and nonbelievers alike, the answer appears fairly obvious.

By Esther Rathnam

Last time, we discussed about Our God being a jealous God, as one of the reasons behind this recession. Indeed, this recession is helping bring back many a wondering souls to its rightful place, at the feet of God.

Today, we are going to see that another finding from this recession is that Our God is Sovereign. Yes, I’d like to scream it from the hill tops that our God is indeed Sovereign at all times. He was Sovereign when the economy was doing well and HE is still Sovereign when our economy is rapidly failing. The Bible tells us in many places that apart from HIM we can do nothing. Matthew Chapter 6:25-34 is definitely worth the read. We are told not to worry for none of us have the power to change our current, past or present situation, only God can do that.

How does knowing HE is Sovereign help us? Romans 8:28 tells us And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. Yes my friends, this horrible, worrisome recession will also be worked for your good. Our God has the ability to turn something ugly into something beautiful. This recession is yet another means of His doing something good in you.

So stop worrying about the recession and seek ye first your God, turn to Him and look to Him to see you through this recession. Not convinced yet? Turn your thoughts back to the Israelites! What did God do for them? He rescued them from Pharaoh, parted the red sea, provided manna and quail, water from rocks etc. When the Israelites were convinced that there was nothing that could save them, God intervened and did the impossible but first He brought them to a state of nothing, a state of pleading, much like the recession.

How do you survive the recession? Trusting in His Sovereignty. God brings you to nothing to recognize that you have everything you need for survival. Like the Israelites, we are often tempted to put our trust in everything but the Lord. We depend on our own strength and steal God of his Sovereignty and Glory.

How is God glorified through a recession? The same way He was glorified when Gideon’s army won by just blowing the horn and hitting pots and pans against a strong Midianite army! The same way He was glorified when a young David with a sling conquered a mighty Goliath, the same way He was glorified when Pharaoh’s army was swept by the waters of the Red Sea. God is glorified when man is brought to nothing, when man is stripped of all confidence in self and relies only on the Grace of God which ultimately proves that HE is always Sovereign.

This recession God is calling us to acknowledge His power and authority. We are not to doubt God’s Sovereignty nor are we to steal His Glory.

By: Esther Rathnam

If there ever was a word to describe our current generation, the word would be “Selfish”. Indeed, we live in a horribly selfish world today. Everyone lives for himself and works for himself. The one thing that seems to be on everyone’s mind is Money. Money is definitely something that runs the world, sadly today; people are only absorbed in chasing after it. The word generosity has lost its meaning since it is almost non-existent. And in this time of recession, more than ever, each one is fending for them selves. Brotherhood is at its minimum today. In such a world as ours, we need to treasure organizations such as “Save the Children”.

Save the Children is a global organization that was founded in UK in 1919 and has been in existence since then. This organization has utilized monitory funds, human resources, time etc in helping build a better future for the most unfortunate kids around the globe. The organization has invested much in the welfare of little ones all over the world to ensure that these children have a brighter future. The organization aims to offer a better future by providing the children with better education, health care and economic opportunities. From its existence, Save the Children has been an organization that has challenged various individuals to dedicate themselves for the betterment of humanity. Today, Save the Children has its own national offices in over 28 countries. Indeed, they are growing widely.

Save the Children is an organization that really deserves our attention, time and other resources. Here is an organization striving for the betterment of little kids. It is encouraging to know that in a world like ours, there are still tons of people engaged in working for non-profit organizations. This organization has made a difference in the lives of many children around the world. While Save the Children is a famous organization, it has still managed to stay true to its aim. It has also stretched its hands to reach out to countries struck by major disasters when in need. Save the Children is definitely an organization that is worth our funds, help and time. It has invested much and deserves our investment.

If you have a heart or you want to do your part for humanity, feel free to visit the Save the Children site. This organization allows you to contribute in different ways. Go ahead and take a look at the different areas you can contribute to and be sure to do so. Let us work hand in hand with this organization to make our world a better place for innocent little ones. Folks, we are among the lucky ones, let us not enjoy it selfishly, we share this planet with billions of other people and a very high majority of them are unfortunate. It honestly is up to us to help the unfortunate. If not time, let us contribute our hard earned money to this organization as they work round the clock and round the globe for a better future for kids worldwide.

 
Most people all over the world battle with this question, what is life all about? If you are looking for the answer in anything but the Bible, you are going to be disappointed. Life has no meaning if Christ isn’t in it. You can spend all your life searching for something significant or meaningful but will never find it. The only thing significant or worth living for is Christ. The apostle Paul put it best when in Philippians 1:21, he said “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. The apostle Paul hit the nail on the head; life is significant as long as you are living it for Christ.

Why are the rates of suicides, self injurers, addicts etc going up? The reason is simple; these people find no sense in living, if everything is going to come to an end someday, why not end it today? Or still others are living for friends, loved ones, money, happiness etc and when all of this ends, they see no hope or value to life and decide to call it quits. If you are living for reasons that depend on earthly things, life is never worth it!

So why live for Christ? What significance does He give to life? In the Bible, there are a dozen reasons why living for Christ is worth it but the one I think most dear is the fact that this Perfect, Holy, Righteous Lamb died for your sins and my sins and paid our ransom in order that you and I might have everlasting life and this He has given freely! And I can’t think of a more fitting response than Isaac Watts’s in his hymn where he says, But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe, Here, Lord, I give myself away – “Tis all that I can do.

Another amazing reason to live for Christ is that He gives hope not only for this life but the next! So while living with Him in this life allows us to conquer sin and be content in any situation, we even have hope for a sinless life. For when we die in this world because of His death and resurrection, we too will rise to a new home, heaven in which there will be no sin, for we shall be like Him. We will have conquered both death and sin! How Blessed is that?!

Hence, every Christian who is living his or her life for Christ, is living a significant life, one that’s worth it and can voice the words of Apostle Paul, For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.