Cultural reality check: Sara Bareilles

The churches I attended growing up regularly engaged with pop culture  – in a condemning way. Pastors often read rock-and-roll lyrics from the pulpit as evidence of the  “satanic” influence of the world.  Back then we still thought we were in charge.

As an adult I’ve enjoyed engaging with culture from the perspective of a missionary. That is, borrowing from the anthropologist, I enjoy trying to understanding this strange culture into which I’ve been called. When I quote here from pop songs, films, and literature, that is the perspective I tend to represent. Most of you know this already, but one thing is painfully obvious:

We’re no longer in charge (and it’s a good thing, too).

Case in point: Sarah Bareilles’ recent song King of Anything. Using thinly veiled evangelical catch-words and images, the lyrics portray the response of a woman who is triumphantly bitter about being evangelized. That kind of expression simply wouldn’t be tolerated in Christendom.

If you haven’t heard it already, I’ve embedded the lyrics and video below. Listen for yourself. Then, post your thoughts. What can we learn from Sarah’s song? How should we respond?

Keep drinking coffee, stare me down across the table
While I look outside
So many things I’d say if only I were able
But I just keep quiet and count the cars that pass by

You’ve got opinions, man
We’re all entitled to ‘em, but I never asked
So let me thank you for your time, and try not to waste anymore of mine
And get out of here fast

I hate to break it to you babe, but I’m not drowning
There’s no one here to save

Who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?

You sound so innocent, all full of good intent
Swear you know best
But you expect me to jump up on board with you
And ride off into your delusional sunset

I’m not the one who’s lost with no direction
But you’ll never see

You’re so busy making maps with my name on them in all caps
You got the talking down, just not the listening

And who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?

All my life I’ve tried to make everybody happy
While I just hurt and hide
Waiting for someone to tell me it’s my turn to decide

Who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?

Who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?

Let me hold your crown, babe

Technorati Tags: Culture, Evangelism, Missiology, Music, Pop Culture, Sarah Bareilles

8 Hours of Sonic Silence for Research and Writing

As a nearly full-time student, frequent blogger, contract writer, and church planter, I do quite a bit of research and writing. I also have a family: a wife, three girls, two parakeets, a fish and a dog running around the house. That can make concentration challenging at times – to say the least.

My coping mechanism? Headphones.

In my iTunes there is a play-list simply titled “Study.” It contains over 8 hours of the sort of music that creates an ambient, atmospheric bubble. I typically lower this sonic cone of silence whenever I need an extended period of uninterrupted focus (I expect to listen to it twice before tomorrow morning).

• Brian Eno & Harold Budd – Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror
• Brian Eno – Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks
• Passengers – Original Soundtracks 1
• The MDH Band – The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack
• Finding Forrester – Music From The Motion Picture
• Thelonius Monk – The Measure of Monk
• Esperanza Spalding – Esperanza
• The Roy Hargrove Quintet – Earfood

(My buddy Roy turned me on to Esperanza Spalding. If you like Jazz Fusion I highly recommend her.)

What are your strategies for finding solitude?

Technorati Tags: Music, Studying, Writing

Mumford and Sons on Letterman

So, last week I met a new friend in Houston named James. He gave me a bit of hell in the Q&A portion of my panel for “unfairly picking on Martin Luther” in my paper concerning the development of the autonomous self through the theological validation of usury, and wanted to know if I didn’t think Luther’s contributions in that way couldn’t be seen as part of the Hegelian notion of progress. I said “no” – I think Luther just caved to pressure from his new patrons, the emerging German princes.

Anyway, I came to know James a bit better later on and found out that not only is he brighter than me, he’s incredibly talented as well (he’s currently writing a screenplay) and he’s royalty. Sort of. His mum and dad (John and Eleanor Mumford) are legends in the Vineyard and the heads of the Vineyard Association in the U.K.

Well, apparently, they’re an unbelievably talented family, because his brother Marcus heads up a band – Mumford and Sons – that made their American network debut last night on Letterman. Check em out:

Technorati Tags: Letterman, Mumford and Sons, Mumfords, Music