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LETTERS June 30, 2008 The family went
to look at some of the flood-drenched plains about 10 minutes from
our home in St. Louis. It was amazing how on one side of a road
it all looks normal, yet on the other side you see acres and acres
of water standing as high as roof tops. A levy broke on the Missouri
River and, while no lives were lost and few if any families were
forced out, it was still a sobering sight. There was a
certain irony that a nearby billboard has been proclaiming for years,
“There are two types of levies--those that break and those that
will.” Last week, another one broke. It feels unreal, yet
so will the biblical prophecies when that day arrives. When Jesus
returns, will some understand what happened yet still deny it? Reality
can be surreal. Thanks to everyone
who submits letters and articles. We rely on you to keep this ministry
thriving. Don't hesitate to write something soon. Re: “The
Ugly” I understand
the point the writer is making, but I don't understand why she would
consider a tree ugly no matter what season; with or without leaves
trees are beautiful. Trees are beautiful with the new leaves
just beginning to appear and flowers that may come on some in the
spring, the beautiful full leaves giving shade in the summer, the
brilliant colors in the fall and yes, even in the winter when completely
bare. If you think
not in winter, you need to take some time and really look at the
structure of the tree, how beautiful the branches are in their various
twists and turns they made as they grew. I suppose as the saying
goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think of the
poem Trees by Joyce Kilmer and agree that only God can make
a tree. Imogene Trombley,
Indiana Re: “The
State of Apostolic Music...How Bad Is It?” Why must we
resort to apologetics? God is my judge, not man. For
example, if I feel called and decide to “risk it all” in “mainstream”
music, it is more important to follow God's calling. It's
a whole lot more convenient to hide behind our banners and clichés
and church auditorium pianos than it is to step up to the public
microphone. They tried to shut Jesus up and He rose again.
“And of the increase of his government there shall be no end”
(Isaiah 9:7). His government! Not ours.
It's not our job to say who is more saved or less saved because
of what record label they signed with or whether or not they are
featured with the Gaithers or the Winans or Kurt Carr!
God didn't appoint us as judges, He is God all by Himself.
The problem
is that if God inspires an Apostolic to paint in a postmodern style
or sculpt using surrealism, for example, or rap after the choir
sang something totally awesome, people think they are jumping off
the deep end. Hello--where is your faith in God? Yes
things get weird sometimes, but we need to stop boxing things up
and tying them with neat little bows. Jesus wants to minister
to this generation and He knows how they need to hear it.
He sent us to the world after He called us out
of the world. “Keeping ourselves from idols” (III John) is
much more than just monitoring how we look, what we eat or what
we watch/listen to. What about how we think about ourselves,
non Christians, non Apostolics who sincerely believe in Christ
and Spirit-filled artists/musicians/Christians? Are we loving or
judgmental? Are people afraid
to try something new because of the potential backlash? Are
we just a bunch of chickens pecking each other to death? There
are dedicated, sensitive Apostolic artists who need: 1. a
venue for their unique expression; and 2. spiritual/emotional support
for their efforts. So the result of Apostolics saying, “Not
in my church!” is a missed opportunity to meet unique needs
in unique ways. Jesus, please help us! Danielle Bielby,
Michigan Re: “Reading
List” I really enjoy
each year's Summer Reading List. It's great to see what others are
picking up and taking in, and I often take a copy of the list to
the bookstore so I'll have it as a reference as I peruse the stacks.
Thanks, 90&9, for providing this fun resource. I was really
surprised, though, to see The Shack on this list this year.
A friend of mine recommended the book to me, and I took a look at
it, read a bit, then scanned the rest of the book. Not only was
I unimpressed, I was pretty angry that anyone would write even a
fictional book like that presuming to represent my God. I'm a pretty
open-minded, progressive individual, but I don't consider it to
be a “religious stereotype” that the real Jesus said, “I am the
way, the truth, and the life; No man cometh unto the Father but
by me,” even if the “Jesus” of The Shack proclaims that
Jesus is just one of many routes to access God. Nor do I believe
that “my theology” should never be challenged, but when biblical
accounts of the character of God are being reinvented to fit a populist
philosophy, I think it's time to challenge the one responsible for
such a misrepresentative “theology.” This is not
about being a stick in the mud who's afraid of a little challenge
to her theological worldview. We're living in a time when little
bits of truth are being cocktailed with massive amounts of deception,
and it's our responsibility as Christians to “know the truth” that
makes us free, separate it from the facade of truth being sold by
the world, and help others find the real truth rather than
recommending the false truth. The god portrayed
by The Shack doesn't stand up to any sort of biblically-based
analysis, and while I know it's a fictional book, can you really
assume that God is made more “personal” by a book that attempts
to redefine both fundamental truths of His character and foundational
doctrine? To anyone who
wants to read The Shack, be my guest. This letter is just
meant to provide another opinion on the subject. Melissa Fross,
Illinois Re: “The
State of Apostolic Music--How Bad Is it?” While I am not
UPC, I am Pentecostal, and in the past have been a regular attendee
of NMMC and various Apostolic music conferences. It took a while
for me to figure out why I was electrified (spiritually and in the
natural) by the tremendous talent and anointing among the Apostolics
yet so disappointed by the CDs that they put out (a notable exception
being Vicki Yohe, who never disappointed). I can be patient
with sub par production to an extent, so I knew there was another
factor at work. The point of
the article is one of quality, not marketability; and this is the
problem--for all the talented singers and musicians in Apostolic
circles, there are comparatively few good songwriters. I can
name a huge list of great singers, musicians, and choir directors
in UPC; but when it comes to great writers I can think of maybe
five consistently good writers, and three of those are in one group
(PCD). I remember hearing John Ragsdale tear it up at JCM and waiting
impatiently for him to do some solo work only to get a mere three
good songs (and no great ones) out of his first three releases,
and two of those were on the “Shine” cassette. It all starts
with the song and until more Apostolics work to refine their songwriting
gifts, recorded Apostolic music will continue to dominate the list
of least played CDs. Bryon Burns,
Oklahoma © 2008, ninetyandnine.com --------- |
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