Discussion Topic:
"People want to buy what they want to be told," Jars of Clay lead vocalist Dan Haseltine told the Argus Leader this week. "They want people to lie to them." And so, the Argus Leader reports, Haseltine obliges. "Haseltine says Jars of Clay can't release the war protest songs it has written — its fans probably aren't ready for them," the paper's Robert Morast writes. "It's also why Haseltine rarely shares his political opinions. 'If you rock the boat too much, your records won't appear in certain Christian record stores anymore,' Haseltine says … . 'There are just taboo subjects that make it hard to be a Christian artist.'"
~Christianity Today Weblog, 3/13/07 http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/marchweb-only/110-51.0.html
What do you think of this? I'm not really asking your opinion of the war; rather, should a Christian artist share his political opinions or not?
I've changed my comment setting so anyone can comment, not just blogger users.
9 comments:
I'm not sure that artists (be it actors or singers or bands...) ought to use their public platform to take political sides. It's outside their sphere. Not that they cannot hold their own opinions, but I'm not sure they should market it.
C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity says, "I think we must admit that the discussion of these disputed points has no tendency at all to bring an outsider into the Christian fold. So long as we write and talk about them we are much more likely to deter him from entering any Christian communion than to draw him into our own. Our divisions should never be discussed except in the presence of those who have already come to believe that there is one God and that Jesus Christ is His only Son."
My first thought is that the notoriety gained in one area should give them no credence in some other area--whether it be politics or whatever. But on reflection, are we not called to be integrated persons, not some sliced segment of humanity. And if integrated, isn't our very integration a witness of who we are in Christ? We think nothing of some football player making a declaration of his faith in God (well, some of us don't) yet other forms of integration we want to quickly reject. Maybe the caution is in the distortion which the media makes by emphasizing one aspect over another, essentially dis-integrating the person in the process.
So much for musing out loud.
What I think is interesting is that artists and others have few qualms about speaking out on "personal" sins (e.g. premarital sex, drugs/alcohol, etc.). But to ignore large-scale injustice and keep quiet about it to preserve record sales is just cowardly, in my opinion. "In the twentith century, evangelicals have become imbalanced in their stand against sin, expressing concern and moral outrage about individual sinful acts while ignoring, perhaps even participating in, evil social structures. But the Bible condemns both." (Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, Ronald J. Sider). And, I believe playing it safe makes our faith and our Gospel less relevant and attractive to seekers, not more.
Man, I just wanted to edit my comment, but then deleted it.
I was thinking today about this in the sense of what makes art art. Originally, people bought the music because they liked his art, but if you're just making what people want to buy, that's consumerism/capitalism, not art. Art is expressive, is allowed to be radical or offensive, and most importantly, must be authentic. And furthermore, as Christians we are called to excellence, and I can't help but feel that holding something back, especially in an artistic endeavor, is what makes excellence.
On the other side, Dan Haseltine and Jars of Clay are doing other cool things, like advocating for HIV/AIDS and Blood:Water Mission (www.bloodwatermission.com), so I respect him. And there are definitely times to be silent, where being soft-spoken can get you further than yelling.
Okay, I should read twice my comments before posting and I might not have this problem. I meant that holding part of yourself back does NOT make for excellence.
I don't think it's true that in order to be authentic I must voice all my opinions. (Believe it or not, I do hold back! LOL) Proverbs 29:11, "A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards."
Because someone has a platform in one artistic genre, does it make them unauthentic if they don't use that platform to press a political or controversial issue? Does it make their art less of an art? I don't feel so.
It doesn't make my life work of any less value to say, "As important as that particular issue is, that is not what I am called to do."
Remember, even Jesus told the woman who was pressing him, "I was not called except to the lost sheep of Israel."
A wise TMI leader (remember Jenn? *smile*) explained that passage as meaning that we are not to go outside of our calling except in response to a great act of faith.
btw, Jenn, I love your blog. It's so challenging!
Love,
Daja
PS Post more pictures!
But how do we know so clearly what our calling is? How can we be sure that we are not like Esther, who was brought in under a very different 'calling' but 'for such a time as this' to save Israel? I mean, did she as a beauty queen have the scope or authority to get involved in politics?
I think Christian artists should critique politics, not necessarily take a side. That critique should have biblical basis and interpretation. I think Christian artists ought to be able to speak truth into power.
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