Stryper’s new album, Murder By Pride, has hit the torrent websites for download. I’ve been buying a new song from the album every week, so I don’t feel guilty for downloading the four songs I haven’t heard. I will be purchasing them the minute they are available.
This album is phenomenal. Even is you are not a Stryper fan but love hard rock in the vein of Boston and Journey, you will love this album. I thought it might be fun to break the album down a song or two at a time and share my thoughts about them.
The first song up is entitled Mercy Over Blame. Click the play button below to listen.
Love saves the soul
Hate kills the heart
Fear robs the goal
Hope gives a start
Forgiveness is a gift
Bitterness a chain
The ugliness we sift
His beauty still remains
When we all reach Heaven
There will be no shame
‘Cause when we stand before Him
It’s Mercy Over Blame
Faith heals the scars
That pride has brought upon
Grace will be ours
When all we have is gone
When we all reach Heaven
There will be no shame
‘Cause when we stand before Him
He will know each name
He will know each name
Some of us believe Him
?
When we all reach Heaven
It’s Mercy Over Blame
When we all reach Heaven
There will be no shame
‘Cause when we stand before Him
He will know each name
When we all reach Heaven
There will be no shame
‘Cause when we stand before Him
He will know each name
He will know each name
Mercy Over Blame
I’m glad to see Stryper getting back to their roots, both musically and lyrically.
Musically, this song takes me back to the days of To Hell With The Devil and In God We Trust. The moment they harmonize on the chorus, singing “mercy over blame” is just awesome!! The bass is aggressive and very well mixed into the song. Michael Sweet hits his famous high notes and Oz Fox shreds on the guitar. Classic Stryper! Everything about this song is beautiful!
Stryper was the first Christian metal band to make it big. They have always been up front about their faith in their lyrics. This song, Mercy Over Blame, is no different. They sing of God’s grace and that He can wipe away all of our shame. We’ll stand before Him and He’ll know our name. It was easy to grasp lyrics like this that helped me to become a Christ Follower at the tender age of 16.
[Note to the Reader: This post is a little long, but keep reading as it takes some time to set up my premise!]
I was browsing FoxNews.com today and ran across this story headline:
Did Miss California’s Answer Really Cost Her the Crown?
Now, I don’t follow the Miss California pageant or the Miss America pageant or the Miss Universe pageant or any other pageant. I think these things are shallow and bad examples for our daughters, but that is another post for another day….
I wasn’t quite sure what the story was about, but it had piqued my interest. One can sum up the article with the following quote:
So did her answer to Perez Hilton’s gay marriage question cost Prejean the coveted crown?
This was the last place I would expect to see the Culture War erupt! Another article on the subject is posted at the Dailymail.com. It says:
Prejean, a blonde student was one of the favourites to win the Miss USA title at the pageant held on Sunday at the Planet Hollywood hotel and casino in Las Vegas and shown live on TV.
Having negotiated earlier rounds of modelling in a swimsuit and evening gown, she was down to the final 15 and had to answer a single question from one of the panel of five judges.
Prejean picked celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who is openly gay and calls himself ‘queen of all media’.
Hilton asked her: ‘Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalise same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?’
Prejean paused for a moment before replying: ‘Well, I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage.’
She continued: ‘And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman.
‘No offence to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be – between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.’
Gay Marriage and Abortion are the two biggest issues on the Culture War front between Evangelical Christians and the culture at large. But when Christians and the culture talk about gay marriage, I don’t think the questions being asked are in the same categories for both sides.
When someone like Perez Hilton (again, who? I just don’t keep up with media enough!) is talking about gay marriage, or gay rights in general, he is doing so thinking that these “rights” are just as absolute and redeeming as the slave’s right to freedom and the woman’s right to vote. So it is in this context he asks the Miss Universe contestant if she thinks gay marriage should be allowed. To him, it is tantamount to asking, “Do you think Hitler was evil?” Of course the answer should be yes.
Miss Prejean hears the question and automatically filters it through her Christian worldview. She comes to the question of gay marriage with an entirely different context. Being gay is a lifestyle to be chosen. The importance and magnitude of the question isn’t nearly so close to her (and many Christians in general). When she hears “should gay marriage be allowed?” she is hearing a question of morality, a question of right or wrong. It doesn’t really affect her personally.
I never could understand why gay people reacted so critically when disagreed with. This is America right? Aren’t we allowed a dissenting opinion? Aren’t all viewpoints and world views allowed at the table? Do their rights cancel out my rights?
If the question of gay marriage is elevated to the status of questions of racism and prejudice, then yeah, they are correct in getting so ticked off.
This post isn’t an answer to the question. It is me just writing down my thoughts as I ponder this issue. It definitely isn’t as black and white as I used to think!
The Christian Science Monitor had a great opinion piece on their website today, written by Michael Spencer. The article puts words to feelings I’ve had for quite a while now. I want to read through it and bring my thoughts to the table.
We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West.
I’m not sure I like the wording. I would clarify that “evangelical Christianity” is not the same as “authentic Christianity“. I would substitute “evangelical Christianity” for American, western churchianity. This is what will collapse – the overblown, bubble world in which Christians only interact with themselves and not the real world. I pray this folds, and folds soon!!
Spencer gives seven reason for his thesis.
1. Evangelicals have identified their movement with the culture war and with political conservatism. This will prove to be a very costly mistake. Evangelicals will increasingly be seen as a threat to cultural progress. Public leaders will consider us bad for America, bad for education, bad for children, and bad for society.
I’m in absolute total agreement with him on this one. In America, one Christian = one Republican vote. Or so it was in the past. While I am concerned with the ramifications of same-sex marriage and abortion, those two topics are not the only two we have to be concerned with.
2. We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Ironically, the billions of dollars we’ve spent on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it.
Ouch. This one really, really hurts. I’m a parent of a teen ager, an almost teen ager, and not quite a teen. I feel the sting of this reprimand. Do I expect the local Christian school and local youth group to do my job and disciple my children for me? If I sequester my children from everything that isn’t “christian“, won’t that turn them into more devoted followers of Jesus? Do I really have to make my kid watch Bible Man (follow the link if you think I’m joking) instead of Spider Man? Ugh….I am not advocating that we stop parenting responsibly. I need to live my faith in a real world way which my children can see so they can emulate it and make that same faith their own. And no offense to Youth Pastors! You all know who you are! I admire the work and time you give to my kids!!
3. There are three kinds of evangelical churches today: consumer-driven megachurches, dying churches, and new churches whose future is fragile.
I don’t believe there is anything more to say about this point! I do have to point out that there is a flourishing movement that tries its best to be an authentic gathering place for Christians and non-Christians alike. Be it home churches, churches in parking lots, churches in coffe shops, churches just about anywhere. Many Christians are finally waking up and realizing that they ARE the Church and can be that Church anywhere they go. (Check out The God Journey website and podcast! Brad Cummings and Wayne Jacobsen will make you think deeply as you laugh your head off!)
4. Despite some very successful developments in the past 25 years, Christian education has not produced a product that can withstand the rising tide of secularism.
We had our children in a Christian school for about 3 years and were shocked to find they were behind academically when we moved them to a public school! Points 2 and 4 are tied directly to parental involvement. We can not drop our children off at a Christian youth group or a Christian school and expect them to become Christian. Our faith has to permeate everything we do and everything we are for it to rub off on our kids!
5. The confrontation between cultural secularism and the faith at the core of evangelical efforts to “do good” is rapidly approaching. We will soon see that the good Evangelicals want to do will be viewed as bad by so many, and much of that work will not be done. Look for ministries to take on a less and less distinctively Christian face in order to survive.
Should we care how the world views us? Isn’t the Truth offensive? Is taking on a “less and less distinctively Christian face in order to survive” compromising the faith? Good questions to ask, but the answers I hear from fellow believers (even in my own congregation!) scare me! Jesus wasn’t offensive to anybody but the religious establishment. The poor and oppressed and drunkards and whores loved Him and wanted to be with Him. What do those people look like today? The poor and oppresed and trans-gendered and abortion-promoting and evolutionist? Why do we pick fights along this line? Do we water down Jesus warnings about the power and consequences of sin? Absolutley not. Can I love a trans-gendered abortion-promoting evolutionist and have dinner with ‘em and be part of their life? Absolutely! That’s what Jesus would do.
6. Even in areas where Evangelicals imagine themselves strong (like the Bible Belt), we will find a great inability to pass on to our children a vital evangelical confidence in the Bible and the importance of the faith.
This is a restatement of number 2, so see my comments there.
7. The money will dry up.
Again, ouch. Talk about being hit where it hurts. Here is where I insert my tirade against ministry monetary mis-managment. What does happen if the money dries up? I have be careful here, as I do have close friends who do earn a living from ministry work. I believe in what they do with my whole heart.
Imagine with me though, if, the money people gave to their local congregation was spent entirely on helping the poor and down-trodden. How would the pastor get paid? What about the secretary and youth pastor and janitor? Obviously these titles would have to be redefined. The entire organizational structure of “church” would need to be redfined. I don’t want to talk about that here; I’ll save that for another blog post.
This post is getting rather long, so I’ll wrap it up. Please leave comments and tell me what you think!!
Stop what you are doing and take a minute to listen to the song below. As you listen, scroll down and read the lyrics that go with the music. Even if you don’t like metal, listen to the song!
Metallica - Broken, Beat & Scarred lyrics
You rise, you fall, you're down then you rise again
What don't kill ya make ya more strong
You rise, you fall, you're down then you rise again
What don't kill ya make ya more strong
Rise, fall, down, rise again
What don't kill ya make ya more strong
Rise, fall, down, rise again
What don't kill ya make ya more strong
Through black days, through black nights
Through pitch black insides
Breaking your teeth on the hard life coming
(Show your scars)
Cutting your feet on the hard earth running
(Show your scars)
Breaking your life, broken, beat and scarred
But we die hard
The dawn, the death, the fight to the final breath
What don't kill ya make ya more strong
The dawn, the death, the fight to the final breath
What don't kill ya make ya more strong
Dawn, death, fight, final breath
What don't kill ya make ya more strong
Dawn, death, fight, final breath
What don't kill ya make ya more strong
They scratch me, they scrape me
They cut and rape me
Breaking your teeth on the hard life coming
(Show your scars)
Cutting your feet on the hard earth running
(Show your scars)
Breaking your life, broken, beat and scarred
But we die hard
Breaking your teeth on the hard life coming
(Show your scars)
Cutting your feet on the hard earth running
(Show your scars)
Bleeding your soul in a hard luck story
(Show your scars)
Spilling your blood in the hot sun's glory
(Show your scars)
Breaking your life, broken, beat and scarred
We die hard
We die hard
We die hard
Lyrics | Metallica - Broken, Beat & Scarred lyrics
If nothing else, you have to give James Hetfield credit for the poetic force of his lyrics. This is one strong song and the music that is delivered behind the lyrics pushes the song into metal legend. It energizes the listener and makes him just want to lift something heavy or do some feat of greatness!
But beyond that, believe it or not, this song actually reminds me of some words written by the Apostle Paul, the guy that wrote two thirds of the New Testament (bet you weren’t expecting that, eh?)
In the book of Second Corinthians, chapter 6 Paul says this:
3 We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. 4 In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5 We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. 7 We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. 8 We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. 9 We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.
One might wonder how in all that is good and holy could I connect a Metallica song with the Sacred Scripture? Well, I have come to finally understand that all truth is God’s truth and I can take the poetic lyric of Metallica and yes, it can help me ruminate and meditate on what God has done for me! Crazy, eh?
Even though we might go some through some crazy stuff in this life, it makes us stronger and
can actually bring us into a closer relationship with our Creator.
Is there a bigger point to this blog? Not really. Just a very cool secular song reminded of
some very cool sacred writings!
If I had to nail down the most bestest metal band in the world, I’d have to give the title to Iron Maiden. They’ve sold over a 100 million records, have the best vocalist and bassist ever, and just generally kick major butt.
As I posted in a previous blog entry, I never listened to Iron Maiden as a teen. What I did listen to as a young Christian was the clean, “non-satanic” alternative, Barren Cross.
I do have a very special place for Barren Cross in my heart. My very first metal concert ever was in Fresno, CA, and headlining was BC!! Well, headlining is a slight misnomer, as they were the only ones playing, and it was in a small church. But they rocked my face off! (I still cringe with embarrassment as I remember my mom talking to the lead singer after the show. She told him to cut his hair!)
Remember, I didn’t listen to Iron Maiden, but my friends kept saying that BC sure sounded a lot like them. Years later, I was listening to the local rock radio station and I heard a song that I swore was Barren Cross. I thought to myself, how cool, playing some old Christian metal! The DJ then announced they had played an Iron Maiden song. I couldn’t believe at how similar they sounded!
That was the day I went and got the entire Iron Maiden discography and Iron Maiden became my favorite metal band ever!
Is it really possible to duplicate Bruce Dickinson’s soaring vocals and Steve Harris’ galloping bass lines? Mike Lee and Jim LaVerde come as close as your going to get. You take a listen below.
Powerslave was Iron Maiden’s fifth studio album and it was released in 1984. The two most notable songs that are always garner airtime are Aces High and 2 Minutes to Midnight.
A few months ago I wrote a blog post telling of my love for music and how that love was started. I got started on the Christian Metal scene quite early, all the while ignoring the mainstream metal movement for the most part.
When I came to my senses years later, I realized how much the Christian metallers (is that a word?) ripped off the original artists such as Queensryche, Ratt, Metallica and AC/DC. Maybe ripped off is too strong of words, but the Christian metal bands definitely borrowed similar sounds and styles. That was quite alright with me back in the day. As a young Christian, I was taught that Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were devil worshippers and that I should not listen to them. But bands like Saint and Barren Cross, which sounded almost exactly as the aforementioned bands, were ok to listen to.
Anyways, I thought it might be fun to spend a few blog posts comparing some of the mainstream metal acts to their Christian counterparts.
First up is Queensryche versus Sacred Warrior versus Recon.
[audio=https://dl-web.getdropbox.com/get/Music/Child%20of%20Fire.mp3?w=4a88a5ec]
Queensryche – Child of Fire. Released in 1984
I would have to say that Queensryche is one of those bands whose entire discography is kept on my iPod at all times. They are premiere musicians and I love every one of their albums. They were pretty popular in the mid 80′s, so of course their sound would be “borrowed” by other bands.
[audio=https://dl-web.getdropbox.com/get/Music/02%20Children%20of%20the%20Light.mp3?w=60e627c0]
Sacred Warrior – Children of Light. Released in 1988
One such band that was heavily influenced by Queensryche was the band Sacred Warrior. They released four studio albums, all of which were very good. Click here to read a good review of each album.
Recon only has the one album to their name, but what an album! One can very quickly see the influence of Queensryche in almost every note. Click here for more information.
[polldaddy poll=999170]
This is a new addition to the WordPress.com blogs. Thought it would be fun to add a poll just because I can!
13 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. 14 In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
17 Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” Chapter 2 of John’s Gospel
The picture of Jesus frolicking in the flowers with a lamb over his shoulder is smashed after reading these verses. Jesus-whip-angry-throwing tables-chasing people; those words are not normally found in the same chapter, let alone in the same paragraph.
He was outraged at the commercialism of Judiasm. These money changers charged exorbitant prices for their services. They were making huge profits at the expense of the very heart of Judiasm. Jesus was ticked, and rightly so!
So, how do I make the transition from Jesus whipping and chasing out the money changers in the Temple to one of the biggest events for Christian Bookstores in America? Unfortunately, it is very easy.
The world around us is changing rapidly…from the way we communicate to the way we work and so much more. The world of retail is no different. Consider the technology challenges and increased competition seeming to come from everywhere. However, there is hope! We serve a big God, and we have a mission that is not of this world. You need to attend the International Christian Retail Show to work on how to achieve your mission and reach the fullest potential of what God has planned for your store in this New Day for Christian Retail.
Blogger and author Ed Stetzer is there and reporting on all of the ridiculous items that are peddled. He has posted some pictures at his twitterpic site.
I’ve been wanting to write on this crass church commercialism for a while now. Watch the video below to see some of the crap that is being sold in the name of Christ.
So, we just slap a Jesus sticker on anything and that makes it Christian, eh? I couldn’t believe the “Christian Poker Chips”! But sure enough, they are a real product for sale! That is just unbelievable! And the “Christian” tape measure and “Christian” flip-flops? wow…
All In for Jesus! Sure Bet Jesus! Don’t Gamble With Eternity! OY!!
And if “Christian” Poker Chips aren’t your thing, how about a Jesus action figure that is a bull rider or rides a Harley? Honestly, you have to click on that link to check it out! I personally want to order the Jesus in camo fatigues holding a dove or the Jesus Rock Climber.
There is so much Jesus Junk out there that I could fill up way too many blogs writing about it.
Could you see Jesus with a whip at one of these conventions? I think I could.
What would happen if all of the Christians who bought this junk actually gave that money away to help people who really needed it?
Please don’t get the impression that I am some sort of monastic stuff hater. I sure have accumulated my share of junk. And I’m not against poker playing or art. I’m just saying, if you need some poker chips, then buy some poker chips! Let’s just not justify our love of junk by emblazoning Christ’s name on it!
Leave some comments and let me know what you think.
Wow! It has been a while since I’ve posted anything! Life gets crazy and time just flies away!
I came across an article the other day and thought it’d be a good way to get back in the blogging mentality. You can read the story here or just read below.
Christianity ‘could die out within a century’
By Laura Clout
Last Updated: 2:40PM BST 20/06/2008
More than half of Britons think Christianity is likely to have disappeared from the country within a century, according to a survey.
Research by the Orthodox Jewish organisation Aish found that just over a third of people thought religions like Christianity and Judaism would still be practiced in Britain in 100 years’ time.
Although four in 10 people said they would choose to be a member of the Christian religion, almost the same number said they would rather practice no religion at all.
Buddhism however, proved more attractive than both Islam and Judaism, and was chosen by nine per cent of those questioned.
Aish UK’s executive director Rabbi Naftali Schiff said the results of the YouGov poll of 2,000 people were alarming.
“It clearly demonstrates that religion, including Judaism, is becoming unattractive to the British public.
“At Aish we know that Judaism provides real meaning and enrichment to one’s life. Whilst we have attracted many disinterested Jews back to Jewish identity it is clear there is much work to be done.”
Research published earlier this year suggested that church attendance is declining so fast that the number of regular churchgoers will be fewer than those attending mosques within a generation.
According to Religious Trends, an analysis of religious practice in Britain, the huge drop off in attendance means that the Church of England, Catholicism and other denominations will become financially unviable.
In contrast, the number of actively religious Muslims is predicted to increase from about one million today to 1.96 million in 2035.
Articles like this always have to be read with a little skepticism. After 2000+ years, is Christianity really in danger of extinction? Here’s an answer you might not expect from me….yeah, I think so.
Christianity dead in a 100 years? Could it be true?
This hodgepodge-pick-and-choose-which-scripture-you-like-God-bless-me-with-money-and-health-and-make-sure-no-evil-touches-me-good-ol-boys-club-genie-in-a-bottle caricature of what Christianity has become (mostly in America and the West) will hopefully be dead much sooner than that. But the true Christianity of the New Testament, the Gospel of Peace and Salvation through a God-Become-Human, no, that will never go away.
This would be the usual spot where I’d bring out all the apologetic guns and review all the historical, archaeological, and manuscriptural (is that even a word) evidence that is overwhelming in favor of Christianity. I’m not gonna do that today. I looked at the evidence for and against Christianity and the evidence speaks for itself; thus I’ve become a Christian.
I honestly think people are tired of fakeness regardless of which religion it is. There are some fantastic people and organizations working hard to bring authenticity back to western Churchianity.
Dan Kimball of Vintage Faith fame has written an excellent book entitled, “They Like Jesus But Not The Church“. Kimball gives an “overview of the six most common objections emerging generations have with church and Christianity along with the biblical answers to these objections and examples of how churches are facing this challenge”. Again, the main point is being an authentic person of faith.
I just recently ran across this website about a movie called “Lord, Save Us From Your Followers“. It looks really good! It is in the same vein as Kimball’s book mentioned above. I hope to order the DVD soon.
I know there are many, many good folks across America and the world who love Jesus and are serving Him passionately and authentically. That kind of Christianity will never go away.
One of my friends on Last.fm (gotta give a shout out to an invaluable resource on new hard rock/metal, Hardrockhideout.com!!) was listening to Believer yesterday. I’ve been listening to so much new heavy metal and hard rock that I realized it had been a very, very long time since I listened to some Classic Christian Metal.
Some might know my story, some might not. Hope you don’t mind if I take some time to tell it again.
I started cutting my teeth on music in general in 6th or 7th grade. I never quite found my niche though. In 8th grade a friend of mine let me listen to “5150″ by Van Halen and I was absolutely hooked! What was this stuff of melodic goodness and why does it stir my soul so profoundly? I knew I needed more music like Van Halen and I needed it quick. So started my journey into the wonderful musical world of 1980′s heavy metal, also known as hair metal, glam metal, speed metal, thrash metal or any of the other 100 monikers it is now known by.
I delved into bands such as Ratt and Kiss and Cinderella and White Lion. I couldn’t go long without listening to Metallica or Tesla or Dokken or Savatage or AC/DC or Def Leppard. This new music infused itself into my soul in such a way that is very hard to describe. I guess it is the same for every young teen; the music helps define who you are and creates some kind of stability at time when every thing is chaotic. I don’t know, but all I can say is that life without music would’ve been the complete worst scenario for me! My friends and I would hang out and just listen to music; sometimes we’d talk about stuff, but mostly we’d just listen and read our Metal Edge magazines.
The years of high school started and of course, my hair got longer! Man, to this day I still wish I had my long hair! I yearn for it in a very weird way I still don’t understand…
Anyways, I digress! Time passed and I finally heard about this band named Stryper. Ok, please insert your bumble bee jokes here and be done with them! Stryper had all the metal qualifications I needed: awesome guitar solos and big hair. But what was that under their name on the album cover? Isaiah 53:5? A Bible verse? Wait, these guys don’t sing the typical metal anthem of party ’til you puke, let’s all just have a good time! You are telling me that Jesus loves me in a way that I can understand? Wait another minute here…
Yes Stryper was flamboyant in their yellow and black spandex. They had big hair and earings. But I could relate to that. This metal music touched my soul in a new way…..made me think about bigger things than just having a good time. God wants to know me in a personally? He actually came to earth in Jesus to show how much He was willing to sacrifice for that relationship with me? He loves my no matter what I’ve done?
Even though I was 15 or 16, these questions started to really get into my head. I wanted to know more about this Jesus and why He wanted to die on a cross for me. Eventually I did meet Him in a very real way and became a Christ follower.
Things changed a bit, but my love for metal music could not be set aside. You know, if you are a metalhead, the music is part of who you are and will never be removed! I’ll be 100 years old still listening to heavy metal!!
Instead of listening to music that was all about partying, I found the fledgling music scene of Christian heavy metal! The late 80′s found bands like the above mentioned Believer, Deliverance, Bloodgood, Vengeance Rising, X-Sinner,One Bad Pig and many, many more releasing great albums to give kids alternatives to listening to “secular” music.
I latched onto this music scene like a man needing oxygen. These Christian bands became my very life blood. (just now as I’m typing this Stryper’s song, Soldiers Under Command started on my iPod and I knew what song it was the very first milli-second it started!). The metal music was phenomenal and the lyrics helped me grow closer to Jesus.
I still had my hair long and still wore the standard rocker uniform of blue jeans and concert shirts, but I started attending a church to help me learn more about God. I was involved with their youth group and right away I was told heavy metal was of the devil and blah blah blah! All the anti-metal rhetoric was played to the fullest! We even watched videos that played the records backwards and it “proved” that these rock bands were trying to get us to do drugs. Iron Maiden’s Number of Beast was lambasted as pure satan worship. AC/DC was an acronym for “Anti-Christ/Devil Children” and that Kiss was an acronym for “Kids In Satan’s Service”.
Oy! I still have to shake my head these many years later! I’m sad to say that I did give up almost all my “secular” music and listened to strictly “Christian” music for many, many moons.
Fast forward to years later. I’m older, wiser, fatter. Things have changed, and changed for the better. I still love Jesus and He is more precious to me than 20 years ago. I think I’ve woken up to the counterfeit Christian culture that abounds in America though. Society has their “thing” and then Christians make a poor copy of it, slap the name “Christian” on it and sell it to sucker believers. (Testamints, anyone?)
I haven’t listened to Christian music in about two years now. Nothing new, nothing original. But when I saw Believer being listened to, it brought back a lot of memories.
I made a playlist on my iPod today and named it “Classic Christian Metal”. I included bands like Barren Cross, Vengeance Rising, Xalt, Deliverance, Haven, Sacrament, Whitecross, One Bad Pig, Sacred Warrior, Recon and X-sinner. It has been fun reminiscing about the “good ‘ol days”!
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
delicious
Digg
Last.fm
Youtube
Stryper’s new album, Murder By Pride, has hit the torrent websites for download. I’ve been buying a new song from the album every week, so I don’t feel guilty for downloading the four songs I haven’t heard. I will be purchasing them the minute they are available.
[
Deliverance, Bloodgood, Vengeance Rising, X-Sinner,One Bad Pig and many, many more releasing great albums to give kids alternatives to listening to “secular” music.
I was involved with their youth group and right away I was told heavy metal was of the devil and blah blah blah! All the anti-metal rhetoric was played to the fullest! We even watched videos that played the records backwards and it “proved” that these rock bands were trying to get us to do drugs. Iron Maiden’s Number of Beast was lambasted as pure satan worship. AC/DC was an acronym for “Anti-Christ/Devil Children” and that Kiss was an acronym for “Kids In Satan’s Service”.
![Why California Won't Legalize Pot [GRAPH]](http://cdn3.diggstatic.com/story/why_california_won_t_legalize_pot_graph/t.png)
![Navigating The Worst Type of Workplace Conversation [COMIC]](http://cdn2.diggstatic.com/story/navigating_the_worst_type_of_workplace_conversation_comic/t.png)
![Navigating The Worst Type of Workplace Conversation [COMIC]](http://cdn3.diggstatic.com/story/navigating_the_worst_type_of_workplace_conversation_comic_2/t.png)
![The Evolution of Fictional Characters by Medium [COMIC]](http://cdn2.diggstatic.com/story/the_evolution_of_fictional_characters_by_medium_comic/t.png)
![Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week [CHART]](http://cdn1.diggstatic.com/story/top_10_twitter_trends_this_week_chart_13/t.png)
User
