Metallica and God!
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This was given to me by a friend of mine who graduated from a Christian college. Honestly I was not a bit dumbfounded. Irritated yes, but to understand this is where people who call themselves young fundamentalist will go. Please understand that phrase young fundamentalist is not a blanket statement for all young fundamentalist. When did we throw in the “winning the world, by being like the world” into fundamentalism?
Anyways just food for thought! This just floored me I guess!
“Yesterday evening I went to a Metallica concert in Charlotte. They played a great show, with a very well chosen set list (notably, and rightly, absent were any songs from Load, Reload, or St. Anger…I’m not hating, but when you’ve only got a few hours these need to fall by the wayside). These guys are getting older, I think they’re all in their forties at this point (I know that’s not very old. But it is older). James Hetfield curses a lot less these days, and their stage show was better than ever. But that’s not why I’m writing. In addition to being thoroughly entertained by a band I’ve been listening to since I was eight or nine, I actually learned a fair amount about God, Christianity, and the church last night. So for the next few posts, I’m going to kind of tease out some of the insights I gained from the show.
After the two opening bands played, the scene was one of anticipation. Everyone was waiting. Perhaps they’d enjoyed the other two bands, but now they were ready for the main event. And Metallica took their time getting to the stage. I don’t know how long we waited, but we waited a while. At various points, people tried to “clap” them out of hiding and onto the stage. It didn’t work. They weren’t coming on our time table. They were coming when they were ready. As time crept on, my focus was narrowed to the barricaded section on the floor through which I new the band would be passing once the lights dimmed and “Ecstasy of Gold” started to play.
And as I waited, I realized that I was anticipating the band’s emergence in such a way that everything else going on around me was fading in importance. Sure, there was a lot going on. There were drunk people acting like fools. There was clapping. There were some rude guys a few rows ahead of me. But none of that was what was important. I was looking forward to something far more important. Something I wanted far more than these other things.
And here’s the thing. One day Jesus Christ will return to earth, set all things right, and judge the living and the dead (Acts 1.11; 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18; 2 Thessalonians 1.5-12). And the Christian life is lived in anticipation and hope of his return. While it’s very easy for people to get over excited and sensationalistic about the Return of Christ, for many of us our lives are lived as if he’s never coming back. We need to regain that perspective of hope and anticipation. We need to learn to look forward to and anticipate the Second Coming like I anticipated Metallica last night.
Because Jesus is far better than Metallica.
Gene Schlesinger”
Anyways just food for thought! This just floored me I guess!
“Yesterday evening I went to a Metallica concert in Charlotte. They played a great show, with a very well chosen set list (notably, and rightly, absent were any songs from Load, Reload, or St. Anger…I’m not hating, but when you’ve only got a few hours these need to fall by the wayside). These guys are getting older, I think they’re all in their forties at this point (I know that’s not very old. But it is older). James Hetfield curses a lot less these days, and their stage show was better than ever. But that’s not why I’m writing. In addition to being thoroughly entertained by a band I’ve been listening to since I was eight or nine, I actually learned a fair amount about God, Christianity, and the church last night. So for the next few posts, I’m going to kind of tease out some of the insights I gained from the show.
After the two opening bands played, the scene was one of anticipation. Everyone was waiting. Perhaps they’d enjoyed the other two bands, but now they were ready for the main event. And Metallica took their time getting to the stage. I don’t know how long we waited, but we waited a while. At various points, people tried to “clap” them out of hiding and onto the stage. It didn’t work. They weren’t coming on our time table. They were coming when they were ready. As time crept on, my focus was narrowed to the barricaded section on the floor through which I new the band would be passing once the lights dimmed and “Ecstasy of Gold” started to play.
And as I waited, I realized that I was anticipating the band’s emergence in such a way that everything else going on around me was fading in importance. Sure, there was a lot going on. There were drunk people acting like fools. There was clapping. There were some rude guys a few rows ahead of me. But none of that was what was important. I was looking forward to something far more important. Something I wanted far more than these other things.
And here’s the thing. One day Jesus Christ will return to earth, set all things right, and judge the living and the dead (Acts 1.11; 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18; 2 Thessalonians 1.5-12). And the Christian life is lived in anticipation and hope of his return. While it’s very easy for people to get over excited and sensationalistic about the Return of Christ, for many of us our lives are lived as if he’s never coming back. We need to regain that perspective of hope and anticipation. We need to learn to look forward to and anticipate the Second Coming like I anticipated Metallica last night.
Because Jesus is far better than Metallica.
Gene Schlesinger”
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[Christopher)When did we throw in the “winning the world, by being like the world” into fundamentalism?40-50 years ago. The movement was call “New Evangelicalism”. This was not *all* of it, but it was a part of it.
…you can take just about anything—no matter how corrupt, base, and rank—and baptize it by finding something spiritual.
[Rev Karl]More like 150-170 years ago, and it was called “Revivalism.” (Particularly that which was produced by an amalgamation of Methodism and New Haven theology.)
40-50 years ago. The movement was call “New Evangelicalism”. This was not *all* of it, but it was a part of it.
My Blog: http://dearreaderblog.com
Cor meum tibi offero Domine prompte et sincere. ~ John Calvin
I find this discussion strange on several levels. Yes, yes, I get that it seems weird to be thinking about Christ at the Metallica concert. But people are getting hung up on the fact that it was a Metallica concert. How could a person learn something about “God, Christianity, and the church” from that venue? Well, quite simply, the human mind works that way. We observe and experience, and our mind categorizes things and relates them to other observations and experiences. Sometimes, the connections made are obvious (the scent of this lunch reminds me of a nice little restaurant I ate it in San Clemente once). Sometimes, they are less so (waiting for my favorite band to come on stage and listening to the crowd becoming more stilled and focused as they anticipate reminds me of how the church should be waiting for Jesus).
The reason this man made that connection is not because he thinks Metallica is like Jesus (I trust), but because that’s the way the human mind makes connections sometimes. So, relax. The only negative comment that should be made here is that we hope this person is young in the faith and will soon arrive at a realization that there are things at a Metallica concert and in their lyrics that are definitely neither edifying to man or glorifying to God. Some of you may wish to comment on the beat being sinful too, if that’s your thing.
But don’t be shocked because a mind made connections between two disparate events or objects. That’s the way the mind works.
Example 1: “Recently, while waiting for one of my latest victims to die, I realized something profound about Christianity. Exsanguination and subsequent death is a process that takes time. Nothing I can do can speed the process by which a person bleeds to death from a wound. But the desired goal (death of yet another one of “them”) is worth the wait. The best thing to do is to enjoy the process. Similarly, the process of sanctification is a long-wait. We can try to hurry it along by various means, but as death is a natural process that happens at its own pace, so sanctification is a supernatural process that happens at God’s own pace. The best thing to do is to enjoy the process.”
This is a somewhat valid comparison, within the limits of the illustration. We conclude the person may know something of Christianity, but also badly needs to be caught and placed in some appropriate institution. Hope I grossed you out. Happy Halloween. ;)
Example 2: “Recently, while working on my car, I discovered the reason it would not start was a tiny relay that controls the fuel pump. Why a relay was put into that circuit I cannot imagine. But it was there. Here I thought I knew everything about cars, but I was wrong. I discovered this through carefully examining the owner’s manual. It occured to me that nobody knows us like our creator, who has given us “the owner’s manual” in the Bible. Careful examination of the Bible will help us understand why things are not working properly in our lives, and correct them.”
This is also a valid comparison. We do not conclude anything negative about the person’s faith and life.
Either way, don’t get hung up on the metaphor.
The reason this man made that connection is not because he thinks Metallica is like Jesus (I trust), but because that’s the way the human mind makes connections sometimes. So, relax. The only negative comment that should be made here is that we hope this person is young in the faith and will soon arrive at a realization that there are things at a Metallica concert and in their lyrics that are definitely neither edifying to man or glorifying to God. Some of you may wish to comment on the beat being sinful too, if that’s your thing.
But don’t be shocked because a mind made connections between two disparate events or objects. That’s the way the mind works.
Example 1: “Recently, while waiting for one of my latest victims to die, I realized something profound about Christianity. Exsanguination and subsequent death is a process that takes time. Nothing I can do can speed the process by which a person bleeds to death from a wound. But the desired goal (death of yet another one of “them”) is worth the wait. The best thing to do is to enjoy the process. Similarly, the process of sanctification is a long-wait. We can try to hurry it along by various means, but as death is a natural process that happens at its own pace, so sanctification is a supernatural process that happens at God’s own pace. The best thing to do is to enjoy the process.”
This is a somewhat valid comparison, within the limits of the illustration. We conclude the person may know something of Christianity, but also badly needs to be caught and placed in some appropriate institution. Hope I grossed you out. Happy Halloween. ;)
Example 2: “Recently, while working on my car, I discovered the reason it would not start was a tiny relay that controls the fuel pump. Why a relay was put into that circuit I cannot imagine. But it was there. Here I thought I knew everything about cars, but I was wrong. I discovered this through carefully examining the owner’s manual. It occured to me that nobody knows us like our creator, who has given us “the owner’s manual” in the Bible. Careful examination of the Bible will help us understand why things are not working properly in our lives, and correct them.”
This is also a valid comparison. We do not conclude anything negative about the person’s faith and life.
Either way, don’t get hung up on the metaphor.
For the record, the guy who made these connections was not apparently a young, immature Christian—someone who just got saved & was still carrying around the baggage & appetites of his pre-conversion days and just needed to grow a little. According to the OP, the concert-goer was a Christian college graduate. Let’s face it, a good number of our young people are immersing themselves in anything & everything in the culture, feeling (thinking?) that if they like it, it’s gotta be OK. Then they’ll make incredible “spiritual” stretches to justify it or baptize it.
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