Rethinking Safe Christianity

I've been reading some of Ross King's journal entries, and his last entry puts into words thoughts that I've had towards how Christianity is 'sold' to us. I thought his entry was worth posting here - I really like the way he thinks and engages with the things around him, as well as the unmistakable humourous touches he leaves on his writing trail for the reader to find.

When you have time, read on.

"I was driving the other day, and I saw a billboard. It was an advertisement for a Christian radio station. Along with the call letters and FM location numbers, it had a picture of some nice-looking people, and this slogan: "Music that's safe for the whole family." I take issue with that slogan, or at least with its implications, and I'll tell you why.

But first, let me say that I only know of two or three radio stations that have ever played my music. I'm not mad about that. I'm quite aware, after over a decade in this business, that I don't have what it takes to succeed at that level or in those markets. The truth can, at times, be quite a pride-killer. But this little essay isn't some pathetic attempt at revenge for being overlooked by that particular media. If you think that's what this is, then you don't know me very well, and I'd advise you to consider one of three choices.

Choice A: go ahead and write me off as a jealous, revved-up loon and continue browsing the internet, in search of happier, more positive reading. It's out there, I assure you, and some of it is quite good.

Choice B: go back and read a few of my other journals and find out what I write about, which is a fair, though certainly not exhaustive, indication of what I care about.

Choice C: email me and ask me anything you want to know.

None of those choices is sufficient to really know a person, but that's probably the best I can do. I figure if you've navigated through my site and gotten this far, you're probably willing to hear a little of what I think. Context is key, and tone is in the eye of the reader. Such are the risks and realities of writing in a public forum.

Having said all that, let me be clear that, as always, my desire here is to give God glory; to say truthful things that draw His people into truthful lives. I have no intention of hurting, slandering or discrediting any person or persons. I hope to be speaking (writing, rather) in love, and not in hate or malice. Hurting people to get a laugh or prove a point is not, as far as I can tell from scripture, Christ-like or Kingdom-building. If that's how I operate, then I am in sin.

So, inasmuch as I can discern the dark corners of my heart, I say with cautious certainty that I ain't doing any of that here.

I'm interested in exposing a lie, not indicting a liar. So, if you choose to read on, know that you are reading my thoughts on a slogan, not a human; on an idea, not an entity.

So, like I said, I saw this billboard. "Music that’s safe for the whole family." I think that was it. Something pretty close to that.

For some of you, my issues with that slogan are so obvious, you don't even need to keep reading. You have the same creepy, sleazy feeling that I have when you read such things written by Christians. For you, I'm stating the obvious here. Don't get a big head about it. You're not necessarily smarter than the rest of the folks out there. You're just maybe a little more suspicious. Like Thomas. From the Bible. Remember him? Poor Thomas gets a bad rap for wanting a little proof. People preach whole sermons about what a doofus he was. "Doubting Thomas." Gee whiz, give the guy a break. He wanted a little "hands-on." A couple of moments of doubt and he's labeled for life. You don't hear people referring to "Ear-Slicing Peter" do you? How about "Busybody Martha"? Nope, Thomas alone gets a negative verb for a moniker. But I digress.

For the rest of you, the ones who are thinking "what's the problem with the slogan," this might be a new perspective. Bear with me. It might sound a little weird.

Here's my issue with the slogan. In a nutshell, I'm not sure how "safe" Jesus is. I'm not sure we should use words like "safe" to advertise our way of thinking and living and loving. A "Christian" radio station, by definition, ought to be purporting things that are in line with Christ. A "Christian" radio station ought to be saying things that Jesus says. It ought to be expressing itself in the ways that Jesus would. Trite as this might sound, perhaps it ought to be thinking, "what would Jesus sing?"

To be totally fair, I'm not even sure they call these radio stations "Christian" anymore (perhaps they use words like "inspirational" or "family" or "sacred," but this kind of language only further illustrates the point that I'm trying to make). If that's the case, I'm not sure what to say. I can't go down that road, or I'll get distracted. So I'll move past that for now and assume that we're still supposed to use the term "Christian Radio Station" when referring to radio stations that play Contemporary Christian Music. Is that too much of a stretch?

Anyway, feel free to disagree with a big, vague statement like "Jesus isn't safe" (I'll be clearer about it in a bit). But before you do, read some of the things he said. (All verses are quoted from the NAS translation of the Bible)

"You will be hated by all because of Me, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved." Matthew 10:22

"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell." Matthew 10:28

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you." John 15:18-19

Being hated isn't very safe. A God who kills bodies and souls in Hell doesn't sound very safe (for that matter, it doesn't sound very "for the whole family" either). Swords definitely aren't safe. Ever seen a ninja movie?

Am I making sense yet? If not, consider that Jesus got pretty abrasive with the religious people of His day. In Matthew 23, he called them "hypocrites," "white-washed tombs," "snakes," and "blind guides." Most of his sentences had exclamation points on them. Like this: "You hypocrites!" See how that reads? Sound safe to you? Is name-calling safe for the whole family?

Now, a trusted friend of mine has been quick to point out the use of the word "safe," in this context, is probably meant to imply that the station will not feature any songs about overt sexuality or violence or crack-smoking. I think my friend is right, and I applaud any media entity that endeavors to take such a counter-cultural, moral stand. But my problem goes beyond that. The billboard that I saw didn't say a single thing about Jesus, Christianity, church, or even religion. Its only statement, aside from its name and location on the dial, was the one that I've been mentioning. Anyone who has studied marketing (even at the very remedial, "101" type level), knows that a tremendous amount of thought and planning and intentionality goes into the specific wording of any and all advertising. When something is said, or not said, in an advertisement, it is no accident.

In other words, we consumers read exactly (and only) what they (the product pusher) want us to know. We can be sure that the content of an ad is meant to boldly and clearly speak for the advertiser.

Quite simply, "Safe for the whole family" is what I was meant to know (when seeing the billboard) about the station. It is what I am meant to believe about the station. Nothing more. Nothing less. "Safe for the whole family" is the qualifying phrase. A Cliff's Notes version of their mission statement, if you will.

Why is that a problem? As my friend (a joyous, God-loving optimist) kindly pointed out, why can't I just be thankful that someone is playing music that is void of all those overt evils?

I don't know. But here's what I'm thinking. If "Safe for the whole family" is the parameter that all the music will fit into, will "Things that Jesus said and did" line up comfortably with those parameters? Doesn't the Bible say some overtly sexual things? Doesn't it contain some violence? Doesn't it speak, quite often, about Hell and demons and death and hardship and suffering?

If "Safe for the whole family" is the primary qualifier for all that is broadcast on that station, what will have to go? What won't make the cut? Is controversy safe? I'm fairly certain that the Gospel is controversial. After all, it states quite clearly that Jesus offers (nay, is) the one and only way to relationship with God. Do you see where I'm going with this?

If Jesus said anything that's not deemed "safe," would He be censored for the greater goal?

I read about a very popular preacher the other day. He has a television program and a best-selling book and a thriving ministry with tens of thousands of followers. He boldly proclaimed that he avoids controversy at all costs. He confidently declared that he desired to edit out any and all controversy from his messages, broadcasts, and other media. He made it quite clear that his main goal was to keep people from ever turning away.

Well, how does that fit with the way Jesus did it?

I'd go into all this in great detail, but I already have. You can read my journal from March 2003 if you're interested in my specific thoughts. But the fact is that Jesus turned a few folks away. I don't like it. You don't like it. None of us really understands it. But it's right there in black and white. In John Chapter 2, we're told that some people believed in Jesus, but that He would not entrust Himself to them. In Luke 9, He said that people who wanted to follow Him had to carry a cross around every day (this was back when crosses were big, heavy devices of torture, not substitutes for the letter "T" on Christian banners). In that same chapter, He warned three different people that they had better not follow Him unless they were serious. In John 6, He gave a sermon on flesh-eating that ran off a good chunk of His followers. How are we supposed to put that into a relevant, here-and-now context? How does that jibe with our evangelism efforts?

And is it safe?

These are the hard questions. These are the things that we don't like talking about. But don't we have to?

I'm certain that I don't know the answers, but I'm pretty sure that advertising our way of life as"safe" isn't the best option. I'm pretty sure that setting out to keep our music "safe" isn't the best way to keep it Kingdom-minded.

And what would Christians in other countries think of such a slogan? In Indonesia, China, Sudan, Vietnam, Afghanistan, India, and countless other places across the globe, Christians face persecution, injury, humiliation, even death on a daily basis. How would these people feel about a promise of safe Christianity? How would they respond to an assurance that songs about their God – the God who had called them to a life of suffering and pain for His glory – would be safe?

I'm just, quite honestly, disturbed by all this stuff. Not just the billboard and the mindsets that drive such things, but all this stuff. The Kingdom of God is messy and weird and dangerous. If it were up to me, I'd want everybody to get saved. I'd want the Gospel to be easier. I'd want the Narrow Road to be much wider. I'd want God to be okay with all of my little vices and failings and addictions and schemes. But it isn't up to me. He is Who He is.

There's a deeper, broader question arising, and it has to do with the potential effectiveness – or ineffectiveness – of our contemporary Christian music. Think about it. If radio stations are promising safety to their listeners – safety for all ages and, presumably, all people – then musicians and writers and producers are going to have to set out to make their music safe, as the stations define it. If they want to be played on these stations, then artists will have to produce art of the same antiseptic benignity that is espoused by these stations. If safety becomes a motivating factor for these artists, then are they really free to express themselves truthfully, boldly, vulnerably, and honestly?

I'd say no. Not if they want a paycheck.

That's the thing that we really ought to be talking about. But I think I've already written enough for now.

Let me close by saying this. For the lost, the hurting, the lonely, the needy; for all who long for relief, Jesus is very safe. He is safety for the soul. He is rescue for the drowning heart. And if that's genuinely the kind of "safety" that the billboard was proposing, then I wholeheartedly agree with their mission to proclaim it. Forgive me if I'm skeptical of that possibility.

Just think about it the next time you jump on somebody for not tuning in to the Christian radio station. I rarely listen to Christian radio, and it's because I'm not sure that I want my brain inoculated with a Christianity that is safe. You'll have to decide for yourself if I'm right, and if so, what to do about it."

My ears are currently seduced by: Ross King - And All The Decorations Too