"MODERN
CHURCH MUSIC HAS TRANSFORMED CHRISTENDOM INTO A SACRAL BORDELLO?"
Steve
Van Nattan
.
.
.
I
CANNOT EXPRESS MY JOY IN RECEIVING THE FOLLOWING HATE MAIL-- We
are right on target :-)
Please
notice that on my pages I show hate for the vile music and I use derision, like
God, with the performers. This fellow has only one feeling for us-- hate. That
sets the battle in array just right for me.
He
says, "I am a Christian,
and a rapper."
I
say that is bitter water and sweet. Can't be done. ______________
Hi,
Just wanted
to drop a line real quick. Quickly, because this really isn't worth spending a
whole lot of time on.
I
am a Christian, eagerly awaiting our Lord's return, steeped in Scripture every
day. I read your articles on modern music, and I can't wait to see your ideas
and standards implemented in hell. That is the only place for them. I am a Christian,
and a rapper.
I
write for God, His Glory and His Son, as well as from His Spirit. It will never
be stopped unless Christ is finished with the work it can and will do to bring
the lost to Him. You and your hatred cannot stop it.
You
will fail in your quest. I hope I will see you in line at the Judgement Seat so
I can give you a copy of the old-time hymns I have set to rap beats, not to mention
the scripture verses I have rhymed. Enjoy your small, sad world.
I
hope to see you in heaven with the rest of the body, but I also hope you see your
hatred and your little empire of legalism burn to the ground in holy fire before
you get there.
FRANK
GARLOCK ON MUSIC THAT HONORS GOD, AND THE ALTERNATIVES
I
have heard Frank Garlock give a one session version of this. This is one of the
best presentations I know of. I must disclaim all music composed by his son-in-law
and the Patch the Pirate concept, but that does not detract from this presentation.
UNSAVED
JEW AND BUDDY OF THE DALAI LAMA LONG FOR THE OLD CHRISTIAN HYMNS!!!
This
letter came from a reader on March 8, 2013:
Concerning
conversations I have with people, I have to tell you about an incident a few months
back that illustrate the irony of the situation in this country. I have a friend
at work who is originally from England.
He
was raised Roman catholic, but became a hippie with Buddhist-style beliefs. He
is also a close friend of the Dalai Lama. I have had many in depth conversations
with him about God's Word and Jesus Christ, probably more so than anyone else
at work. He and I eat lunch together frequently.
Occassionally
we meet an elderly gentlemen in the community for lunch who is Jewish. This fellow
has played the organ for various local churches, even though he and his family
are Jewish. He has several old organs at his house. He also plays a calliope in
the summer festival parade. Anyway, we somehow got to talking about hymns over
lunch one day. Both of these fellows mentioned how the hymns touched their hearts
and at times still move them to tears.
They
both also said it was a shame that churches have thrown out the hymns in favor
of CCM and rock bands. In fact, the Jewish gentlemen mentioned that recently the
pastor of a local Methodist church, where he played the organ on occasion, was
throwing out the organ to make room for a drum set. He pleaded with the pastor
to keep the organ in the church along with its inspirational sound and the hymns.
The pastor told him he had one week to get the organ out of there if he wanted
to preserve it, or it was going to the dump.
Sieg
Heil, Herr Jackboot!
It
is surely an upside-down situation when Jesus Christ, His pure Word (KJV), and
the old hymns of the faith get more respect from liberals and pagans than from
people at the church house who call themselves "Christian" With situations like
this, our Lord's appearing is most certainly near. True believers seem to be as
rare as a hen's tooth.
.
POWERFUL
LETTER FROM A REAL AUTHORITY WHO WAS A VICTIM:
From:
doug c_________ To: steve@balaams-ass.com Subject: Gospel Music Date:
Tue, 2 Jul 2002
Subj:
Gospel Music
Sir,
I came
upon your site about 2 years ago when I was doing a study on Bill Gothard and
his theology. I have been to your site on a monthly basis and now am responding
to your question about the lack of response to S. gospel music.
I am a believer in Jesus Christ and Him raised. Authorized (King James) Bible
only. Attending a home based church with my family. I have been a Christian since
Christmas Day '87. My entire family has made professions for Christ with my oldest
son having made 2 mission trips to Central America. My daughters, all 3 older
than 18, live with us until they, or if they, marry. Currently I am retiring from
the Marines after 22 years of service. My entire military career was spent as
a musician, so the observations about S. gospel are made from a life spent in
music.
Southern
gospel music? A sickening blend of mammon and music.
My first concert was a C__________ concert in Fredericksburg Va. Having never
heard of the C____________, I attended because the preacher strongly encouraged
everyone to attend and arrive early because the church would be standing room
only. He was right.
Loud music, jokes, hawking of the Southern gospel music magazine from the stage/pulpit,
more loud music, more jokes, more hawking of wares from the stage. A staged and
probably rehearsed call for testimonies (I say this with a fair amount of confidence
because the testimonies were the same the following year. EXACTLY the same with
only the people giving testimonies being different) and a alter call.
After the concert my son wanted to meet the Bass singer because he wanted to meet
the voice behind the Laughing Song. So I took my son to the stage and tried to
introduce him. Tried. For twenty solid minutes this guy signed autographs on pictures
bought in the lobby and flirted with every female that came up to him. My son
was ignored the whole time. Not so much as a hello. We left with my son deeply
saddened and his father angered at so blatant a message. "No picture, no interest"
I attended the next year as an observer. Not paying attention in the least to
the music (it was all canned and polished with no difference in the sequence or
jokes any way) I watched and learned.
Southern Gospel is about showmanship. The harmony and rhythm, coupled with an
excellent stage show and feel good religion are a sure fire moneymaker. The flashy
musical endings are on par with any popular music today. I once told a Marine
who was arguing that God could use anything to his purpose that tattooing your
back with the Ten Commandants in neon orange doesn't make it right or holy. I
believe the same holds true for S. gospel music. Mentioning God a few times and
singing popular music with appealing stage presence does not make it right.
However, it is what I saw afterward that sickened me the most. This group was
using the church as their place of business. With quite literally fists of money,
this group was selling their wares in the lobby of the church. Tapes, CD's, T-shirts,
magazines, pictures, all were being sold in the church. I say fistfuls of money
because the money was being held in their hands for all to see. I was sickened.
In all my years as a musician I had never seen such a display. And I remembered
that at least 3 times during the show this group had reminded their fans about
the merchandise in the lobby. It was all about money. And business was booming
To this
day, I cannot look at the Southern Gospel tapes in the stores without feeling
sick to my stomach. People buy it hook, line, and sinker. Refusing to see the
gross appeal for their money, people buy this feel good trash. 40sh people buying
gospel are no different than today's youth buying Christian rock (I know, I know,
I am just using the popular title, not endorsing it). And both groups of buyers
use the same flawed theology. God can hallow anything. The singers are godly.
This is how Jesus would reach the lost, blah, blah, blah, ad nauseaum.
So, questions for these deceived ones. Would Jesus charge Admission? Would Jesus
ask people to pay for His CD's? And if he would, would He charge more than the
current market price for his recordings. (Check out your Christian bookstore,
tapes and CD's are 2-5 dollars more than other recordings.) Would Jesus put on
a show to appeal to non-believers? Would Jesus use canned music, lights, and a
stage show costing mid 5 figures and more to tell of His fathers love for them?
Would
Jesus use a church to sell his wares? And if you say yes, would Jesus require
that all things must be sold, and not given away to those in need but unable to
pay? (I know of Brothers and Sisters who have been blessed by singers with free
items because the singer relies on God for his needs and not the profit of his
recordings.) If these believers say yes and attempt to justify the performers
action then they follow a different god than I. End of discussion. Jesus never
charged for the loaves and fishes so why should these performers charge for their
musical "blessing"? Jesus never charged for healing the sick and lame so why do
these performers require an admission charges for their comforting words and music?
Money, money, money. And lack of faith in what God can do with the gifts he bestows
upon us.
I was trained to never bring up a problem without a solution. So here goes. Fathers,
buy a guitar or keyboard and sing with your family. Record your children and wife's
voices and gain inspiration from that. Use the money usually spent on the musical
moneychangers to support a missionary. Or buy tracts and become Gods own missionary
where you live. Listen to Gods music, you know, birds, wind, sounds of the seashore.
Fellowship with other believers and sing with them. Encourage men to sing with
you. Learn how to read music. Learn how to play music. Can't sing well? Who cares!
I don't. And since we are told to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, do your best
and be joyful. I would rather hear 100 joyful discordant singers than a choir
full of perfectly harmonized, self righteous prima donnas singing for their own
or their churches glory and personal, incorrect theology. And I believe God would
as well.
Well, I got off track and ranted for a while. I believed it necessary to communicate
my beliefs along with my opinions about music. Thank you for you time in reading
this. And thank you for your time spent in boldly and fearlessly proclaiming Gods
word.
In Christ,
Doug C
FROM
ANOTHER READER:
"I'm
sure you did hit a sour note among fornicators by exposing the lustful nature
of their gospel music. I wasn't raised around it, but when I saw it on TV,
I thought it was just another way to get high without getting to Heaven."
HE WAS
ALL THE WAY IN AND GOT ALL THE WAY OUT-- LET HIM TELL YOU WHY AND HOW:
By
Ted Monsour II
Brother
Steve,
I write in support of your reproof to those whom think that CCM is acceptable.
I have
been redeemed by the precious blood of The Lord Jesus Christ, for a little under
a year now and I come from a worldly music background. In fact, I moved to New
York City to become a "rock star" - you can't get much more worldly than that!
I have been playing the bass guitar for 15 years and the upright bass for 10.
I have played the gamut of worldly music - from Dixieland jazz to death metal
and I hope that this testimony may be of a help to you.
I was saved while still in a rock band, and thought that it could be a good opportunity
to witness - we weren't signed to a record label, but I thought that if that happened,
I could use my celebrity to serve God (yeah, I know it sounds absurd, but I hope
you understand that I now know far better - praise God!). One prayer was specifically
asking God if my service involved being a professional musician - I was sincere,
because I thought that I should still pursue music.
I especially enjoyed jazz music - specifically bebop. I knew that I would eventually
move to that medium full-time, because it lent itself to the bass more than the
other genres I had played - plus, the older the musician, the more prestige -
unlike rock. There's a skill level to jazz that, usually, surpasses that of rock
and it also seems to hearken to a "more innocent" time. (I do suppose that compared
to the level of depravity of today's rock music, it would come across as such.)
Jazz, to many people tends to be a more "legitimate" genre.
Now to the meat!
I started discipleship, three months into my "new life". One of the first conversations
with my pastor was about jazz. He, flat out, said to me, "You know what jazz is
don't you? It's the expression of human depravity." Needless to say, it was a
hard statement to take! I mean, how could he say that about jazz? Most of the
stuff I liked was instrumental - so how could you know it was depraved. It makes
you feel happy, it talks of the heart, it's America's classical music! Where was
he getting this crazy idea from? We didn't get to go that far into the conversation
that night, but it stuck in my brain like a rusty knife. As discipleship progressed,
and I read the Bible, I was becoming transformed by the renewing of my mind (Rom
12:2), and the Holy Spirit was revealing to me God's Will for my life. I quit
the rock band, knowing that I could no longer play in clubs and bars, because
of the poor testimony that it would present. At this point, I was still struggling
with music, but I understood that the vast majority of people, who were going
to a rock concert, weren't going to learn about The Lord!
I went online and started trying to find more resources on music and why jazz
was so bad. I wanted to do right - but I wanted to make sure that it was because
it was God's Will and not my pastor's will! I found a site that covers this issue
and one of the things that it suggested was to have a fast from worldly music.
So, for a time, I kept the dial set to talk radio. Another very important aspect,
of this time, was prayer and reading of God's Word. At this time, I also removed
the TV from my apartment. What a difference! When I would go to visit my parents
I would channel surf - and I couldn't believe how the trash I saw on TV could
pass for entertainment. The lyrics from the pop songs on the radio would also
jump out at me. I started to see the depravity behind these things.
I now knew that the subject matter of the song lyrics, was the blatant (revealed)
content, but I still needed to realize that the latent (underlying) content was
the more important factor. I still didn't understand why instrumental jazz was
"bad".
I came to a full understanding, by learning about the roots of the rhythm/pulse
of the music. The meters of blues, jazz, rock, reggae, etc, are all rooted in
tribal rhythms used to worship pagan gods. Music's original function was for worship.
People, at one point, weren't ever-seeking to be entertained (surprise!). To understand
the original intention of these rhythms, is the hardest, but most important concept
to grasp. Rock exploded into popular culture with the rebellious Elvis (Lucifer
was the original rebel!). The Beatles "aided" in the regression, by incorporating
Eastern religion into the mix - this move is a great factor in the New Age movement
of today.
The
seeds sewn in this genre, have yielded a pop culture fully vested in this wicked
world. Bands that may have "Christian" members, aren't listened to because of
any Gospel message that may (or may not) be hidden in their songs - they're listened
to because they are dressing and acting like every other worldly band out there.
It has
taken me a good amount of time to allow God to free me, but now that I am out
of the bondage of secular music, I see some other important factors as well. Music
was a snare, to me. It affected me like a narcotic. It had a power over my emotions.
It attached itself to memories and became just as important - if not more. I have
friends that are obsessed with music - spending thousands on equipment and media
to get their fix. There is no redeeming value to popular music whatsoever.
In contrast,
the old hymns are uplifting. Those old feelings of melancholic sentiment are gone.
A new song is in my heart indeed! The lyrics are God centered and the music supports
the message by keeping a rhythm that doesn't invoke a response by the flesh. I
find strength from singing these praise and worship songs - especially when I'm
feeling weak from the world. Now, if a former worldly musician can make this transition
- how much easier should it be for a mere listener? I have not abandoned the gift
of musicianship that The Lord has blessed me with, as I sing in the choir and
look forward to playing my upright bass during services.
God doesn't want the world's endorsement in any capacity. Christ was recognized
by legion - and Christ's immediate response was to stifle those demons. The same
holds with anything else belonging to Satan.
I wish to challenge those reading this, to fast from all contemporary music, pray
and read the Bible. I firmly believe that you will see the same difference that
I have seen.
To God be the glory!
Verily, Ted Monsour II
.
.
A
SPOKESMAN FOR THE GOD OF THIS WORLD: Here he describes his alien Jesus-- His
antichrist.
Michael
W. Smith--
"If
Jesus was here today physically, I'm not really sure He'd be in the churches,"
he says in soft, measured tones. "He'd be hanging out at the bars, with the desperate
and the lonely. And I don't think He'd be going in and preaching-- I think He'd
be going in and befriending people. ...
"For
so many years it was like [groaning in mock tones], 'Oh, a Smitty concert. Preaching.
Altar call. Fire and brimstone.' A lot of people put me in right-wing, blow-up-abortion-clinic
categories. They think all Christians think that way, and it's not true. So when
they see my show, they say, 'He's legit. I like that. He's not that right-wing
guy. But he's spiritual, and he's got something to say-- and he said something
that deeply affected me tonight.' That what you hope for" ("Michael W. Smith
Engages Culture, CCM Magazine, May 1988, p. 38).
I
ended with the last selections above on purpose. I believe the end of music is
near. What Satan will do to music is what he does to everything else he touches--
trash it. The Messianic Kingdom will restore music to the use God intended-- To exalt Messiah.
.
GOD
SHOULD SUE FOR DEFAMATION
DITTO
"HEY,
MOMMY, LOOK AT ME..... Watch the beautiful people try to outshine
each other for the camera..... BAH !!!
.
SEND
MAIL AND TELL ME HOW YOU GOT THE BOOGIE OUT OF YOUR LIFE :-)
SEND
MAIL AND TELL ME HOW YOU GOT THE BOOGIE OUT OF YOUR LIFE :-)
