When liberalism took over after Darwin's theory, conservatives responded by forming fundamentalism. Fundamentalists believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible. It tended to believe in separation from worldly activities. Over time, the less rigid, but still Biblical, conservative branch popped up. They referred themselves as evangelical. Today fundamentalists are a small fraction who are separatists. They do not listen to contemporary Christian music and use the King James Version. Today the biggest conservative wing is the evangelicals. Have you ever wondered, what if the fundies are right?
Many have said that fundamentalists are legalists. They say they go too far. It is believed that they make rules that are not Biblical. Let's start with separatism. The Bible commands believers to be in the world and not of it.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15)
"To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Corinthians 2:16)
The Bible does teach separatism. Sometimes this even requires Christians to withdraw from other Christians. (Matthew 18:15-22; Revelation 2:2; Revelation 2:14-15) This should be done in a careful, thoughtful way. On the issue of separatism, what if the fundies are right?
The Bible stresses holiness. (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16) Being holy is to confirm to who God is. It is adopting the character of God. Fundamentalists does not like to listen to CCM because it is adopting the world. Should we be more like the world or like Christ? They believe that you should dress nice to show the importance of going to church. What if the fundies are right?
There is an argument that fundies are legalist. Could it not be argued that the Bible is legalist? There is no requirement to being saved. All that is required is to believe. The holiness is a requirement in sanctification. Should we not err on the side of legalism? So I ask again, what if the fundies are right?
Troubadour for the Lord: A Book Review
Troubadour for the Lord is a biography of John Michael Talbot. It was written by Dan O'Niel. Talbert was a rock star and early member of contemporary Christian music. He later became a Roman Catholic Franciscan monk. It is rare to have a Catholic in CCM. His entire story is very different from the usual.
He grew up with Christian roots but was not religious. He become famous with his group Mason Proffit. He toured with other groups, including the Grateful Dead. He was married at 17 but had a rocky marriage. He became unhappy with stardom. He was converted after his career was somewhat declining.
He had a very rocky early days with Christianity. He went through several different stages of Christianity. At first, old friends were happy with his direction. But when he became a strict fundamentalist, he angered several of those same friends. Even his wife was unhappy with his turn. He later mellowed out. He became more and more interested in a simple communal life. His view of Christianity was a lot different from his wife. He desired a total change from the world where she did not ant to give up the world totally. When he divorced, most in the music business still supported. A unnamed singer who died tragically in the early 1980's, probably Kieth Green, was very unsupportive and believed he might be going to hell. It was at this time that he was drawn to a Franciscan community.
He eventually became a Franciscan and set up a monastic village in Arkansas. His mentor advised him to stay in the music business and build bridges between protestantism and Catholicism. This has become a major theme in his life.
I started listening to CCM in the mid 1990's. I listened to a few of Talbot's hits but his career was winding down when I started listening. I had no idea that he was a Catholic or a monk. I was drawn to this book out of curiosity.
It is a very good read. It is interesting that his belief before conversion were comparable to his beliefs after. It was strange how he came to justify the use of Mary and the saints. He kind of just adopted what the Catholics believed and tried to justify it. He came to believe that the Roman Catholic church is the church that Jesus started.
While his career has declined, he does still perform. I've listened to his music and find it very pleasant. I did not like that he said when he was a fundamentalist that he got caught up in Biblolatry. There is nothing wrong with loving the Bible and making it your only rule for faith and practice. He seems to view the mystical encounter with Christ as more profitable than the Bible. He believes that contact with Christ is better than doctrine. This sounds good, but God has chosen to communicate through his word. This book does give an early glimpse into CCM. It also gives insight into John Michale Talbert's mindset.
He grew up with Christian roots but was not religious. He become famous with his group Mason Proffit. He toured with other groups, including the Grateful Dead. He was married at 17 but had a rocky marriage. He became unhappy with stardom. He was converted after his career was somewhat declining.
He had a very rocky early days with Christianity. He went through several different stages of Christianity. At first, old friends were happy with his direction. But when he became a strict fundamentalist, he angered several of those same friends. Even his wife was unhappy with his turn. He later mellowed out. He became more and more interested in a simple communal life. His view of Christianity was a lot different from his wife. He desired a total change from the world where she did not ant to give up the world totally. When he divorced, most in the music business still supported. A unnamed singer who died tragically in the early 1980's, probably Kieth Green, was very unsupportive and believed he might be going to hell. It was at this time that he was drawn to a Franciscan community.
He eventually became a Franciscan and set up a monastic village in Arkansas. His mentor advised him to stay in the music business and build bridges between protestantism and Catholicism. This has become a major theme in his life.
I started listening to CCM in the mid 1990's. I listened to a few of Talbot's hits but his career was winding down when I started listening. I had no idea that he was a Catholic or a monk. I was drawn to this book out of curiosity.
It is a very good read. It is interesting that his belief before conversion were comparable to his beliefs after. It was strange how he came to justify the use of Mary and the saints. He kind of just adopted what the Catholics believed and tried to justify it. He came to believe that the Roman Catholic church is the church that Jesus started.
While his career has declined, he does still perform. I've listened to his music and find it very pleasant. I did not like that he said when he was a fundamentalist that he got caught up in Biblolatry. There is nothing wrong with loving the Bible and making it your only rule for faith and practice. He seems to view the mystical encounter with Christ as more profitable than the Bible. He believes that contact with Christ is better than doctrine. This sounds good, but God has chosen to communicate through his word. This book does give an early glimpse into CCM. It also gives insight into John Michale Talbert's mindset.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
