Almost Grounded
I ended the last post in this series with the observation that there are two groups that think that music is value neutral: atheists and Christians. (Keep in mind that in this series I’m using music as a focal point for the arts at large.) For atheists, they think that music is value neutral because...
Sha-la-la-la-la-la…
I like to sing. I mean seriously. I sing a lot of places, but when I’m working at home I like to really let it go. So, I was doing laundry the other day, and a song I haven’t heard in years popped in my head. Before I knew it, I was belting out: Sha-la-la-la-la-la,...
Consequences
Consequences: Part One of Two (Exodus 33:1-11) Consequences – a concept that keeps smacking us in the face. Take the United States for example. When I started college, America was involved in no major wars. Today we are engaged in three. When I started college, the Democratic President and Republican Congress negotiated the country into...
Wilderness Worship (Exodus 32)
How many times have I heard the story of Aaron making the Golden calf? Not sure, but I bet over a hundred. Growing up in church you hear the story a lot, it’s one of those classic narratives reminding believers how we get off track fast. Despite the story’s familiarity, I cannot recall anybody stressing...
Ground Again
In the last post entitled “On What Grounds,” I made the case that personal preference isn’t enough to justify whether or not music is good. (Keep in mind I’m using music as a miniature for the arts, and, when referring to music, I’m not talking about the lyrics). The main thrust of that post is...
On What Grounds?
In a previous post entitled “Ground,” I suggested that if anything meaningful is to be said about the arts or music, then it needs to be grounded. The main point of that post was to establish that we need grounds for substantive dialogue. Before suggesting a possible ground for art, let me define what I...
some thoughts on Westboro Baptist Church
Uhg. Where do you start? Let me first say, I promise I won’t repeat all the things you’ve heard. Secondly, I refuse to cast pearls before swine by using strong speech to counter this cult. After 30 minutes of searching, I was unable to find anyone who actually agrees with the message of the activist...
Ground
I intend to dedicate a portion of this blog to issues pertaining to art and music as well as broad cultural concerns. If I’m to succeed in addressing some of these issues, then I’d better take a quick look at my feet to look at the ground I’m standing on. There are many differing opinions...
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