Am I, As a Christian, Allowed to have a Sense of Humour

Hi to all who amble by on the off chance that I might have added something new. I'm not the world's best Blogger and it seems I have other faults besides. Seems I have a sense of humour. Most of the folks who don't like me having a sense of humour don't put a 'u' in the word. Seems too that these folks are Christians. A least they patronise the "Learn Worship Guitar" clips on Youtube.

One of these clips in particular was entitled "Christian Guitar Chords" I couldn't help myself! I post a comment - "how are Christian Guitar Chords different from non-Christian Guitar Chords". One guy responded (and politely too) by saying my question was funny but then really seriously explained to me that "there is no difference - chords are chords". I guess I need to pull my tongue out of my cheek. I also said that I didn't love the singer's voice (I didn't slag him for having a bad voice) in response to someone else commenting that they loved the guy's voice. Was that being rude. I think not!!

Then for I laugh I responded with: "Yeah! I ask funny questions a lot - my tongue is ever in my cheek. Such is my sense of humour. Does sound though like there maybe chords a christian shouldn't use. Minor keys are demonic you know. Stay out of hell - write in the major keys only. If only!!" Some young guitar player who has posted videos of himself shredding his way through some Nickelback tunes on an electric guitar decided I needed to be called a 'douche-bag' for suggesting minor keys are demonic. Nice of him!! I didn't return the complement. After all, he didn't seem to be a Christian and I didn't want give him just cause for calling all the rest of us 'douche-bags'. . Other folks who seemed to be saying that they were Christ-followers displayed rudeness enough, saying to me "shut-up your stupid mouth" and calling me an 'ugly' and that I should stop trying to be funny and mind my own business.

When I commented that certain folks should be ashamed for their rudeness I got this comment: "we're not being rude we're fighting for our God..." Yeah right!! Then he said: "please do give proof that minor keys are demonic...we'll all be waiting for it.." This after I had commented: "I really was joking about minor keys being demonic but that's what the Pentecostals I grew up with in the 50s and 60s seemed to truly believe (I don't)" Some of my favourite hymns are in a minor key.

Why am I telling you all this. I just needed to express my gobsmackedness somewhere, preferably where humourless, graceless cretins weren't going to hack at me with their mis-spelt, misdirected and ill considered missives. I know its not nice to talk about one's fellow-Christians in this manner but quite frankly they seem hellbent on advancing the Christian faith backward through a bramble hedge into a bog. And that's saying it nicely!!

There is some ghetto mentality in some branches of our Christian faith that believes that any artistic endeavor that attempts to speak of, witness to or praise God and Jesus is above and beyond critique. Some how it is so holy that even to make a gentle good humoured joke about it or anything remotely connected or tangential to it, is somehow to declare yourself the enemy of the Christian faith and a speaker of dirty blasphemies. We are all meant (or so we seem to think the Bible tells us) to be nice to one another and in that context are expected to tolerate the artistically intolerable rather than hurt the feelings of the 'artist'.

There is, of course, a right and loving way of telling a brother or sister that they don't have what it takes to be a singer or a songwriter, a poet or an artist. The context has to be right - a context of genuine love and community - a context you will never find under a You tube posting. You have to know that the person being critiqued can take the criticism. The dear souls who believe they have a gift when it is patently clear to the rest of us that they do not, are often the ones that can't take criticism however loving and tactful and are devastated by it.

I've met some of these souls in a number of varieties. Some have sung their songs at me with great enthusiasm, but so tunelessly, so I couldn't be sure of the melody or whether the accompanying guitar chords were the most appropriate at the given moment. There was no sense in the lyric of a theological or doctrinal idea being developed, just a lot of religious phrases being rehashed; no poetry, poor grammar. It is hoped that I can help them to get published or recorded or just sung in my church. What am I supposed to say? The truth would be best, but the truth can sound so harsh. And why should it be me delivering it? Some of these folks have been pushed into approaching me by people who should, for one thing, have better developed sense of aesthetics and for another, given that they have the closer relationship with the person, should be the ones trying to let them down gently. But no!

I'll not linger on the other 'varieties' except to say in passing that I have been approached by folks who insist that the Holy Spirit 'gave' them a song. I've tried to be nice. I've sat with them and tried to add guitar chords to their meandering or monotonous melodies and it becomes quite apparent that the creative Spirit of God had little, if anything, to do with this offering. The poor should bringing it is convinced it contains some vital message from God that the local congregation, if not the world, needs to hear.

And then there are the gallahs logging onto Youtube looking for Christian heroes to teach their bumbling fingers to navigate the intricacies of the popular Worship Song, who gush with admiration at their heroes' mundane voices and the ordinary guitar-playing, and would crucify you or me for daring to say how ordinary their heroes abilities are, or for daring to say just how devoid of artistic merit their latest song, their latest Youtube-posted performance is. And they may think you the Devil Incarnate if you dare to be humorous while you do so. Some want to be the heroes but they don't appreciate how public a forum Youtube is and that you can and will get hurt there.

At least I didn't mention SEX or offer an alternative doctrine of THE RAPTURE!! Now that really would be asking for trouble. Plenty of time to do that later.

'Til next time,

Richard

Not so rapt in the Rapture

Not so rapt in the Rapture? You are not alone - neither am I, and nor is Tom Wright. The whole Premillenial dispensationalist position which spawned the 'Left Behind ' series of novels is an anathema to me. Its God is a scary bastard that you wouldn't want to call Abba and Jesus a chip of the old block.

This End Times stuff is like one of those 'join the dots' pictures except the dots aren't numbered so you choose a dot, join it to another, and another, and when you have joined all the dots you have a picture of what the End will look like. And Pastor Joe Bloggs from the Calathumpian Sainted Chosen to be Blessed church down the street will start from a different dot and get another picture entirely. And it's rumoured, though it may be a lie, that choose a particular starting dot and go a particular way around the rest and the picture reveals that God is the Antichrist. Don't laugh, I'm serious! And Lucifer turns out to be the uncle you never had.

It looks like Jenkins and La Haye are milking their Left Behind series for all they are worth. Or they are milking their readership with the story so thin it's required 9 titles to get any plot development happening. I wonder how they spend the money?

I like Tom Wright's questions:

What view of the world is sustained, even legitimized by, the Left Behind ideology? How might it be confronted and subverted by genuine biblical thinking? For a start, is not the Left Behind mentality in thrall to a dualistic view of reality that allows people to pollute God's world on the grounds that it is all going to be destroyed soon? Wouldn't this be overturned if we recaptured Paul's wholistic vision of Gods whole creation?
(see http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_BR_Farewell_Rapture.htm)

If you want fantasy read Tolkien. Or Harry Potter. That series can't be any more evil that the twisted view of reality that Jenkins and La Haye propose. What was it Jesus said about even the very elect being deceived? Does that include those who have merely elected themselves?

Oo, you are awful, Richard!

Bon Nuit, mes amis!