"A traveler is far away from home..."

[hermionesviolin]

As I may have mentioned, I've been listening to a bunch of Christian rock/pop recently, and one that played tonight caused me to sit up and take notice.  It opens, "It's crowded in worship today," and I was like, "Really?  What church do you go to?" As it progressed, I was like, "Really?  Do conservative evangelicals listen to this group?  'Cause I wish more would."  Okay, okay, it's not super liberal progressive inclusive, but I really like:

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?

***

If We Are The Body
-Casting Crowns

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in trying to fade into the faces
The girls teasing laughter is
carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

Chorus:
But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances
Tells him that his chances are better out on the road

Chorus

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

Chorus

Jesus is the way

Comments

[sk8eeyore.livejournal.com]

My immediate gut response is to grump, "Of *course* we listen to that stuff. Any evangelical worth her salt should affirm that song full stop," but I do take your point. I really do.

Actually, even with my relatively narrow exposure to contemporary Christian stuff (I avoided it for the longest time), I've noted that it's an interesting place to look for internal critique of evangelicalism in its various expressions. The example that's coming to mind at the moment is Daniel Amos' "Faithful Street". But I've heard several of the kind.

Actually, not that you asked for recs or anything :), but I'd suggest that you check out DA. Also Sara Groves; I adore her lyrics. Kevin also likes Brave Saint Saturn and Switchfoot; I'm less familiar but find them cool and (always important) theologically solid based on what I've heard.

[theatre-pixie.livejournal.com]

Sara Groves used to teach in Rosemount, MN. I have a friend who had her for a teacher just before she went into music full-time.

Another very thoughtful and thought-provoking singer/songwriter in Christian contemporary music is Chris Rice (I adore his music).
Lately he's been pushing a song about politics (not political in nature, but a song about how we practice politics in America) called "You Don't Have to Yell."

[theatre-pixie.livejournal.com]

I love this song. Actually, this one and "Letters from War" by Mark Shultz tend to make me tear up when I hear them.

"If We Are the Body" makes me think of this story I once heard about a very traditional church. Everybody showed up in their nicest clothes and sat in their regular seats for worship. Well, one Sunday the church was packed full and a young man in cutoff jeans and a t-shirt with long hair and wearing sandals shows up for church. There's nowhere for him to sit and nobody wants to move over to let him sit by them. Undeterred, the young man strides down the aisle and sits on the floor right in front of the first pew. Of course all of the really "proper" people are shocked and tell the head usher (or perhaps elder, I can't recall) to do something. The head usher (or elder) sits down right next to the young man on the floor, just as eager to hear what the pastor had to say. :)

People like their lines and boxes and comfort zones. Jesus crossed such boundaries with his ministry every day.

I don't know if they've gotten much beyond Willmar, MN, but there's a musical group called Lunch Box who performs original songs. One of them is kind of like "If We Are the Body". I don't remember the name of it, but it goes something like this:

If Jesus had a car it'd be a pinto
He'd be wearin' Birkenstocks
Hangin' out in coffee shops
Listenin' to the [can't remember]
And the kids with real black hair
Reachin' out for hungry souls and tell them that He cares
Well He's here

He's here, He's there, He's everywhere
He's there, He's here, and He cares

If Jesus had a sport it would be golfin'
He would go out to the tee and say
"Hey! Come sup with me.
We ain't eatin' at the club I can't write off eternity."
[another line I can't remember]
Well He's here

He's here, He's there, He's everywhere
He's there, He's here and He cares

If Jesus had a church it'd be right downtown
He would take out all the trash and let them hang around
[yeah, it goes on for just a little bit, but I can't remember the rest. It's been YEARS]

[sangerin.livejournal.com]

It's easier to sing than do.

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know.

[mjules.livejournal.com]

Can I just say that evangelical Christians (like most people) listen to things through their own filters? I'm very familiar with that song from my own stint in the church and I know how I heard and interpreted that song, anyway, and it wasn't anything like how I hear and interpret it now.

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was definitely thinking that -- that my instinct is to interpret it one way, but as I was reading the words I was thinking about how evangelicals might well interpret it and how that wouldn't always match up with how liberals would like it to be interpreted.