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Todd Agnew: Repulsed? Better Questions Integrity Media, 2007 Reviewed by Chris Anderson
Christianity Has Grown Sick of Itself Nowhere is this message of self-rejection more apparent than in today’s music. Instead of praising God, contemporary Christian lyricists often find themselves focusing on flaws, specifically in our youth groups. This critical method thrust Casting Crowns into the spotlight. On Todd Agnew’s latest album, Better Questions, only four of his sixteen tracks focus on God’s magnificence. The other twelve songs delve into the weaknesses that potentially make us poor witnesses for Christ.
Originally Todd Agnew planned on a live worship release to follow up his 2006 Christmas album, Do You See What I See. But Agnew told his label that he first needed to get Better Questions off of his chest. The result: brutal honesty and self-searing reflection with a prophetic ring of truth.
Return to Puberty A growing flock of Christians—while touting themselves as the “next generation”—have become like pubescent teenagers. As they look in the Christian mirror, spiritual acne becomes their repulsive obsession. In their eyes, God is indeed magnificent, but the church on the whole is a monumental failure, . . . at least until they come of age. They simply can’t take their eyes off the blemishes. Meanwhile, many of these critics are doing little to enact the changes that they feel are so vital to Christ’s mission.
Why Do We Have a Restless Generation? During the mega-church era of the 80s and 90s, Christians buried their heads to the church’s shortcomings. It was considered poor “marketing” to admit fault. But this mega-method of evangelization failed to reap the “promised” harvest. Sure, congregations grew to multiple thousands, and method-marketing evangelists did indeed become wealthy. But, in cities of millions, was the church really reaching to those who needed God most? Decades later, Christians who bought into the hype still don’t have internal rest. Something is still missing!?! Enter Todd Agnew and the like.
The O.T. Renewed Musical prophets, like Todd Agnew, are simply putting a modern twist to Ezekiel and Jeremiah’s messages. Before Christ, these Old Testament sages warned a once-faithful religious culture that God’s covenant did not guarantee their protection. God used these men to caution Judaism. Jews had come to put more faith in the Temple than in God Himself.
Today, perhaps too much emphasis has been placed on the church and not on the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. Do today’s churches need to be torn down so that God can rebuild them in three days? We must be careful not to reject the prophets sent to our generation!
Agnew’s Approach Contrary to the mega-church façade, instead of trying to corral sinners into the church, Agnew pokes at his own spiritual acne, hoping to make all those who hear better disciples. So what are these blemishes that keep Todd Agnew’s eyes focused on the mirror?
ZIT 1: Scientific Christianity Agnew starts his album by trading confidence for uncertainty. The first track, “Better Questions,” sings, I’ve got better questions than I have answers, Better dreams than I have plans. I’ve got better thoughts than I have actions. So I built my house on what I thought was solid ground, But I know it could be sand.
Many Christians feel that every Biblical issue must have resolution. Unfortunately, God left some gray areas. Sometimes, amidst the humbling uncertainty, God can do His greatest work. How many unanswerable questions did God challenge Job with before blessing him (See Job 38-41)? This springboard of brokenness launches Agnew’s introspection.
ZIT 2: Spiritless Christianity On “Still Has a Hold,” Agnew compares spiritual maturity to a child learning to walk. During the first steps, a child relies fully on the Father’s hand for support. But as the infant becomes a toddler, they let go of His hand and try to walk on their own. During this phase, the child thinks that they’re doing it by themselves, but, when they trip and almost fall, they find out quickly that Daddy’s hand “still has a hold.”
Agnew revisits this concept of Jesus as our loving Father in “Martyr’s Song.” This beautiful melody captures Jesus’ song to His children. He’s been waiting in Heaven to dance with us. He’s been waiting to show us the beauty of His love. He’s been “waiting for the day when at last I get to say, ‘My child, you are finally home.’” Once Jesus’ affections are poured out, a choir of children sings joyful praises unto the Lord.
ZIT 3: Uncharitable Christianity Why does the church look scornfully upon sinners? “Least of These” revisits Matthew 25:40, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” With this red-letter teaching in mind, Agnew speaks on behalf of all drug abusers, whores, and sundry sinners, “Why can’t you see me as one of the ‘least of these.’”
How hard it is to see the “least of these” through the eyes of grace! Weren’t we all once the “least of these” not so long ago?
ZIT 4: Stumbling Christianity Agnew concludes “If You Wanted Me” with the question, “If You wanted me to be like You, why’d You make me like me?” Agnew admits that if he were a Biblical character, his weaknesses would certainly betray God. Wouldn’t God be happier if He just made us more perfect from the start? But He didn’t . . . so why?
Failure is revisited in “Funny.” Agnew finds it “funny” that so many Biblical miracles occur simply because creation—e.g. Jonah’s fish and Gideon’s sun—heeded God’s voice. In contrast, You speak to me all the time, And I can’t obey you to save my life.
ZIT 5: Judgmental Christianity “Lovers in Our Head” confronts the shame felt by Mary after her husband leaves for another woman. All she needs is the love of God, but instead she’s embarrassed to go to church because people will treat her disgracefully. The chorus sings, Are we more concerned with the fruit of another, Never noticing our own barren branches? And are we more consumed with casting stones at each other, While ignoring the lovers in our beds?
If we truly have His heart, what’s keeping us from being His hands? The song, “Family,” reminds us that, since the world is united under one Father, we should approach everyone as our brother and sister. When tragedy strikes one of our siblings, how should we react? But our siblings are starving and dying all around the world. So how do we react?
ZIT 6: Self-obsessed Christianity The American church has become so obsessed with maintaining the blessings given it by God that we have lost focus on His return. This concept is explored in “Peace On Earth,” where Agnew sings, As long as we pray for our children, but not for others, There won’t be . . . (Peace on the Earth). As long as we take offering to appease our guilt over our greed, There won’t be . . . (Peace on the Earth).”
These two criticisms challenge the Christian to pray for more than themselves. If we can become intercessors, while giving freely of our time and resources, that’s when God will restore “peace on earth.”
ZIT 7: Backbiting Christianity “Don’t
Say a Word” considers the power of the tongue. Language was created to
glorify God, with the Word becoming flesh to give us something to talk about.
But instead, our mouths are often used for profanity and abuses. Our churches
have become filled with bitterness and complaining. During conversations, we
often forget that Someone is always listening and wishing that our tongues could
be used for better purposes. The Sting of Oxypads In the end, Agnew is not deserting the church; he is just applying spiritual Oxy pads. Agnew challenges himself first, to live faithfully and honestly, hoping that others might benefit from this introspection. Reading between the blemishes, Agnew seems to have succumbed to some pressures while being a rockstar, and wasn’t ready to venture further into stardom until he had taken some correctional measures.
As a result of his Better Questions, the church is encouraged to return to its first love, with padded pews being replaced by the hard rocks of Memphis’s Beal Street. Perhaps now, Agnew can tackle the road victoriously and release that live worship album.
For more about Todd Agnew’s upcoming tour, see www.betterquestionstour.com.
ninetyandnine.com
© 2007, Chris Anderson
--------- Before his conversion in 1999, Chris Anderson served as Program Director and deejay for several Central Illinois radio stations, including the Classic Rock, Modern Rock, Country, and Top 40 formats. During this time BC, he also managed several rock, folk, and death metal bands, while also performing in a heathen rock act called Joyhammer. Chris is also a recent graduate of Urshan Graduate School of Theology. |
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