I haven’t blogged since before Christmas. It’s the longest break from writing that I’ve taken in a long time. This unplugging has done a world of good.
It seems readers have not followed me to the new blog, and the visitor stats are abysmal. :( I would really appreciate it if you sent a few friends this way. I had been topping out at 900+. Yesterday I had 29. YES. Twenty-nine.
Now to the post:
I have a confession to make. I saw Mylon LeFevre and the Broken Heart Band on the Sheep in Wolves’ Clothing and the Crack the Sky tours. I was embarrassed about this, but now I’m just going to embrace it. Of course I was only 3 years old when it happened. Okay. I wasn’t.
Lefevre and his boys were Christian Rock and Roll in its 1980s heyday. Big hair, plus many an electric guitar solo. In that time period, you could not go to any rock concert and not endure a 15 minute drum solo either. I think the bands would change their leg warmers during those prolonged poundings; or maybe reapply hairspray.
In the 1980s, a lot of Christians contended that any music using drums or electric guitar was the Devil’s music. Seriously. So, yeah, listening to puffy-haired Mylon put me in the “rebel” category. But, not, in secular terms, of course. Yes, I was caught between two worlds…
What made Mylon “cool” (or whatever) was that he that he had toured with the likes of Eric Clapton, Elton John, Billy Joel, Duane Allman, Berry Oakley, Little Richard, & the Who, among others. But now he was touring with God. He could rock it out for real, regardless of his beliefs. He was a musician, not a Christian hoping to witness by trying to be a musician. And you could tell. He was just at a different level talent-wise.
His wiki is here if you are curious.
(If you like 80s rock at all, you might like to look this up. It’s a southern gospel rock style, and some of it is pretty good.)
The phrase a sheep in wolves’ clothing is a twist on “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” [Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.”] And really the phrase didn’t do it for me. It seemed phony, like a marketing guy made it up. It’s clever at first blush, but then one realizes….”Oh, it’s just trick. You’re all just… well, “dressed up”.”
Today I think there is a different situation with sheep in wolves’ clothing. Firstly, less hairspray is involved.
Too many sheep are pretending, but to other wolves they still stink like sheep, and to sheep they seem ridiculous.
Do any examples come to mind?
I’d like to hear from you.
Do you remember listening to Christian “Devil’s Music”?
Who did you like?
My wife has a favorite metaphor for Stealth Evangelism. She has this memory of a cartoon elephant who tries to hide behind a single twig clutched in his trunk, tiptoeing along as if to say, “I’m not an elephant, really. I’m a sapling.” I think, to paraphrase that great theologian David Allen Coe, that our wolfskins cannot cover up our sheep selves. I’m not trying to lay down rules about what are and are not “Christian” forms of worship (I listened to Hank Williams in the ’80’s so I’m hardly qualified to judge), just to say that I think, as Peter Steinke says, that a self, ANY self, is always more attractive than a non-self so we’re better off defining ourselves and standing pat.
Hi! I’ve seen your blog come up in the stats on mine a couple times, so thought I’d stop by. I love Trains Up In The Sky–great song! I was into all that 80s Christian rock: Petra, Stryper, Rez, Mylon, Barren Cross, etc. One of the ones that seemed really legit to me in sense you reference in your post was Leon Patillo. Remember him? Before being born again, he played drums for Santana! He was a musician’s musician. Only saw him once, but it was a fun show! Thanks for bringing back the memories today!
My wife has a metaphor for stealth-church. She recalls a cartoon elephant trying to hide behind a twig clutched in its trunk, tiptoeing ludicrously across the savannah. We wear our graphic T’s and sport our Jesus tats and call our congregations “The Gathering” and think nobody will see the big ol’ churchy pachyderm behind it all. Peter Steinke has correctly observed that a self (even one you don’t like) is always more attractive than a non-self and probably we should be up front about who we are. To paraphrase that great theologian David Allen Coe, our wolfskin doesn’t cover up our sheep-smell.
Lisa – Clearly having a little techno trouble w/ the new site. Odds are it’s my fault. Sorry about the double-post, anyway.
How about the long and high vocals of 1980s Rock. Petra replaced their lead singer with a guy who could hit those really high notes. Like a scream type of thing. It seemed cool at the time. lol
When I was a “baby Christian” I was fortunate to be befriended by someone who had been a DJ in college, and thus had a vast knowledge of music to draw on, to hook people up with the music that would speak to them. He recommended King’s X and The Seventy Sevens, bands that didn’t claim to be “safe,” but rather explored spirituality in thought-provoking and sometimes painful ways. Looking back now, I think they helped me grow closer to Christ because they did *not* push me relentlessly toward church culture.