What Hendrix Learnt from Dylan

I was reading this eCommentary tdy...from this brilliant Christian writer from KL. Very insightful observations on Christianity tdy...thought I just dump the entire article here, cos its really worth the read.

I think he really issues an impt challenge to worship leaders out there! *winkz*

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GRACE@WORK MAIL 42/05
[October 21st 2005 Edition]


eCOMMENTARY: What Hendrix Learnt from Dylan

I was rereading Electric Gypsy, Shapiro and Glebeeks' biography of
Jimi Hendrix, when this part hit me.

"On a number of levels, (Bob) Dylan had a profound effect on Jimmy
(Hendrix). At the most superficial level, and contrary to what Jimmy
had been told by record companies, Dylan showed there was a market
among young people for 'serious' songs which actually made you think.
This came as a revelation to Jimmy so used to laying down music almost
exclusively in support of love songs whose vocabulary ranged from
sentimental to crude."

I thought, "ditto the church" or at least parts of it.

We have been told that young people today do not have the capacity for
songs that are too theological. We have been told that to attract the
young we must have a liturgy consisting of a brew of fast celebratory
music and slow intimate songs because the young today need to taste
the joy of Christianity in forms that they understand. And the
loneliness of modern society means the young need songs that help them
to emotionally connect with God.

In other words today's young want to celebrate and emotionally connect
but they do not want to think too much. And if you want to attract
young people to your church you must shape your worship services along
those lines.

I suspect many churches have bought into this belief. I sometimes do
wonder if this conviction came from the young themselves or from
market driven entrepreneurial adult church leaders who want the church
to grow numerically as fast as possible . In any case many must
believe this to be true since you find this incredible boring sameness
when you walk into many church services today.

First there will be the loud fast paced celebration songs. After
awhile the mood changes and its time for the slow intimate songs as
you draw near to God.
(Hey reminds me of the parties we used to go to in secondary school.
Fast dancing tunes followed by slow smooching tunes. And you want to
make sure you were with the right partner when the second half of the
evening begins.)

But is it true?
Is it true that our young want to feel but do not want to think?
Maybe, like Hendrix learnt from Dylan, there is "a market among young
people for serious songs that make you think."

This is NOT another hymns verses choruses piece. We should all know by
now that there is both good and bad music in both genres.
Neither am I arguing for a return to Elizabethan English.
But I am arguing for appropriate content in the songs we offer to God.
And I am definitely arguing for music that makes us think.

I do believe that we need to celebrate in our worship. But what are we
celebrating about?
If we have clarity about who God is, what he has done, is doing,and
will do, then celebration will be our natural response.
But clarity about who God is and what He does demand clear thinking.

Otherwise our celebration is fluffy, feelings of celebration which are
music driven, but based on narrow, hazy convictions. What happens when
the music stops and we return to the world outside the church?
Are we still clear as to who God is and what He is up to to keep on
celebrating Monday to Saturday? In good and bad circumstances?
Do we celebrate because we know this God?

"Come, you Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing your grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise."

Let our celebration be loud indeed but let it be loud because we know
that our God is the fount of every blessing.

And what about intimacy? True intimacy is based on accurate knowledge
of the one with whom you have a relationship. False intimacy is based
primarily on feelings.
Now feelings are powerful things. Like crushes you have on people you
admire from afar or crushes you have on people you know superficially.
True intimacy however, is based on an accurate understanding of the
person with whom you are relating.

So a certain type of music can evoke feelings of intimacy and
closeness, like a love song. But such feelings of intimacy are just
that, feelings, unless they are responses that arise from accurate
knowledge of the person you are close with.

So who is this God you draw close to every Sunday?
Do you know what He is really like?
To answer that question, well, you have to think.

It's cool to sing:

"I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus."

I agree.

But what is this Jesus like?
Here is the answer:

"Beautiful Saviour! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honour, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine."

I think we betray our young when we encourage feelings which are
divorced from careful thought.
They get that in the world already.
They are looking for celebration and intimacy but they want the real
thing.
Deep down I believe they are hungry for a God who is the Other,
totally different from what they have encountered in the world.

As Marva Dawn reminds us:

"The postmodern world that surrounds us yearns for stability,
morality, security, fidelity, faith, hope and love. These deep needs
can only be met through the One who meets our deepest need for Truth.
Let us make sure the worship services we plan and conduct present the
Truth in all its clarity and beauty and goodness."

This Sunday, let us hear Paul's call to "sing psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs to God" (Colossians 3:16b).
But remember that he first calls us to "Let the word of God dwell in
(us) richly" (Colossians 3:16a).



Your brother,
Soo-Inn Tan