♫♪♫ Jocelyn's Notes

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (NIV).  Johns Mayer’s song “Daughters,” from his album titled Heavier Things fits this verse perfectly.  Although it is a secular song, it gives a very biblical and profound message of both encouragement and warning for parents.  In his subtle and easy way, John Mayer describes the importance of good fathers and mothers.  He says that parents have a huge impact on a girl’s life, so it is necessary that they take responsibility in raising her.  This song is profound; the message is clear.

He starts the song by talking about a girl who has his heart.  This girl has some deep-rooted troubles.  Mayer says that he finally realized that these problems started in her home.  Then he goes into the chorus, singing, “Fathers, be good to your daughters; daughters will love like you do.  Girls become lovers who turn into mothers, so mothers, be good to your daughters too.”  The second verse describes a girl whose father left when she was young.  He says that this is the kind of thing that stays with a girl forever, and then he repeats the chorus.  In the bridge, he admits that boys make mistakes too.  But then Mayer asks, “on behalf of every man looking out for every girl,” that fathers be good to their daughters, because girls really look up to them.

John Mayer is not the only one who has something to say about this subject.  The Bible puts a great deal of weight on raising children.  “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged,” warns Colossians 3:21.  Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (NIV).  Not only are fathers commanded to love their children, but they are also responsible for teaching them about God.  John Mayer’s “Daughters” presents truth.  The compassion and love you show your children is the same as they have to give to the world.

Alice in Wonderland is a whimsical tale filled with talking animals, crazed queens, magic elixirs, and silly sayings.  In the beginning, Alice, 19 years old, is in the midst of a perfectly awful party, where a repulsive lord asks for her hand in marriage.  Just as he gets down on one knee, Alice spots the well-dressed rabbit that she has been searching for all day long, and she realizes now is the time to find out what the rabbit is up to.  Down, down, down the rabbit hole she falls, and when she stops, she is amazed to find that she has been transported to a whole new world.  Alice must help the oppressed people/creatures of Underland to overthrow the evil red queen and restore happiness.  With the help of the mad hatter, a friendly rabbit, a tiny mouse, and the white queen, Alice overcomes her fears and slays the Jabberwocky on the frabjous day.  Although Alice’s new friends beg her to stay in Underland, Alice decides to return home, ditch her suitor, and become a businesswoman.

This movie has many positive messages, despite the dark, strange, vibe, characteristic of most of Tim Burton‘s movies.  Alice is a very gentle character who treats everyone with kindness.  Throughout the story, she gains courage and self-assurance, which eventually leads to her saving the residents of Underland.  The mad hatter also displays vast amounts or bravery.  Several times, he risks his life to protect Alice and his people.  The white queen is another good influence.  Though very odd, she does not harm living creature and pleads with her sister, the red queen, to settle their disagreement calmly before it turns to violence.  The white queen is a good ruler and cares for her people.

Alice in Wonderland  also includes a bit of sexual content, violence, and other negative elements.  The evil knight makes a move on Alice, saying he likes “largeness.”  When she rejects him, he lies to the queen of hearts, telling her that Alice had tried to seduce him.  Alice is arrested and charged with “unlawful seduction.”  There are several violent scenes in the movie, as many of the creatures in Underland are frightening.  Alice is chased and injured by the Bandersnatch, which the mouse defeats by stabbing it in the eye.  Another violent scene comes at the end of the movie, when Alice finally encounters the feared, fire-breathing Jabberwocky.  In the end, Alice kills the creature by cutting out its tongue and chopping off its head with the vorpal blade.  Also, the red queen frequently commands the beheading of offenders, crying, “Off with their head!”  There is virtually no bad language in Alice in Wonderland, except for one reference to the “bloody queen” and one instance of abusing God’s name.  As far as substance abuse goes, many perceive that Lewis Carroll was high when he wrote the original book.  They say that the magic cakes and elixirs the Alice drinks to make her grow and shrink are a reference to drugs.  Whether or not those assumptions are correct, the fact remains that the caterpillar is constantly enveloped in a cloud of smoke from his pipe.

In conclusion, Alice in Wonderland is a clever, yet clean, movie.  The violent creatures may cause younger children nightmares, but in general, the movie is great for families!

“My Dear Country,” by jazz singer/songwriter Norah Jones, has a straightforward message.  While many of today’s songs present a more subtle or disguised implication, this Norah song is extremely clear and to the point.  Norah uses an interesting melody line to express her annoyance with the way that this country has been going.  The song was written after the 2004 presidential vote, when George W. Bush was re-elected.  “My Dear Country” was not actually published until 2007, on Norah Jones’s album titled “Not Too Late.”  There is an obvious political statement being made in this song, which is not Jones’s usual style.  Some reviews praise Jones for speaking out against the government, while others criticize her for jumping on the anti-Bush bandwagon.  Norah Jones certainly isn’t the first person to make music like this.  Is it right for artists to produce this kind of music?  Although I do not agree with Norah’s message in this song, I do believe that musicians have the right to make music that expresses their views.  The listener can then make his own decision to agree with or oppose the viewpoint that the artist presents.  Many people complain about songs with an agenda like this one, especially ones that they disagree with.  I do not particularly enjoy political music.  My advice is, if you don’t want to hear propaganda, don’t listen to this genre!

Now, let’s take a look at the song itself.  In “My Dear Country,” Norah sings (very beautifully!) about the dreaded election day.  “Nothing is as scary as election day,” Jones says in the beginning of the piece.  She is referring to the 2004 re-election of George W. Bush, of course.  She calls Bush “deranged” and “the one we hate.”  Throughout the song, she uses words like “we” and “our,” giving the feeling that she is including you, the listener, as one of the Americans against Bush.  Worse than election day, she says, is the day after.  Apparently, this is because her candidate lost.  She calls the election outcome a nightmare; she wants to wake up and scream.  Near the end of the song, Jones says that she loves this country, but she just doesn’t understand why they voted for W.  She closes by saying that although she is unhappy with the outcome of the election, she is still thankful for the freedoms she has here.

This song has a certain rebellious theme to it.  It promotes a particular political agenda, which the listener can either accept or reject.  As Americans, we have the right to speak out on our opinions and ideas.  However, we should be careful not to take this freedom too far. We must take care not to disrespect those in authority over us.  The important thing is to maintain a balance.

“Live Like We’re Dying,” is the latest hit from Kris Allen, winner of last year’s American Idol season.  In this song, Kris sings about the importance of making the best of the little time we have on earth.  The chorus states, “Yeah, we gotta start looking at the hands of the time we’ve been given.  If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking.  If every second counts on a clock that’s ticking, gotta live like we’re dying.”  He encourages his listeners to love the people around them, and to make sure that they don’t take the time they have with loved ones for granted.  Kris says that everyone has the choice to  either live a life with meaning, or to waste it away.  He warns strongly against “throw[ing] it all away.”

Throughout the song, an emphasis on the brevity of life is prevalent.  One line blatantly states this, saying, “We’re all staring down the barrel of a gun.”  Obviously, life is something to be taken seriously, according to Allen.  Another line questions, “And if your plane fell out of the skies, who would you call with your last goodbye?”  This is a song of self-examination.  It also encourages listeners to examine priorities.  Kris Allen’s message is for everyone; live your life to the fullest and love as much as possible.

Kris Allen’s “Live Like We’re Dying” is not “Christian music,” but it does support the Christian worldview.  Believers understand that life is short, and that we are here to love God and to love other people.  Our lives are in God’s hands, and he can take them whenever he pleases.  Since we don’t know when we will die, we should live like we’re dying, always giving our best.  As Christians, we should fix our eyes on the things of above.  Setting our priorities straight and focusing on loving others is an important part of this.  This song ties in with these values perfectly  While God is not mentioned by name in “Live Like We’re Dying,” he is still apparent.

– Kris Allen Lyrics

Taylor Swift is a phenomenon in both country and pop music.  Most of her tracks are romantic, wholesome, and sweet.  At the same time, a few of her songs seem pretty desperate and depressing; Taylor focuses her attention on numerous heartbreaks and trying to get boys who are already taken.  Take one of her newer hits, titled “You Belong With Me.”  Taylor laments the fact that she cannot have the boy of her dreams, even though she is perfect for him.  The main problem is:  said boy has a girlfriend.  Apparently, the pesky girlfriend is a mean cheerleader who wears skimpy clothing.  Taylor, the fun-loving country girl in a t-shirt, spends the song pointing out how much better she would get along with the nameless boy.  It gets a little creepy when Taylor mentions that she is always there waiting by his back door.  The chorus goes like this:

If you could see that I’m the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can’t you see?
You belong with me
You belong with me.

Is Taylor promoting boy-stealing?  Cheating?  The boy dilemma is never actually solved; we don’t know whether Taylor will live in her terrible agony or if she will snatch the boy away from his current girlfriend.  She certainly believes she is a better match for him than the other girl.  It seems that she tries to convince the boy of this as well: “You belong with me, you belong with me!”  Everyone thinks of T. Swift as the innocent sweetheart, but is she really sending the right message with some of her music?  The logic in this tune seems a little skewed.  In addition, the song is a downer.  While Taylor does not use profanity or sexual references, her message is not exactly flawless.  The conflict is not resolved, and there is really no deep meaning.

I understand that some songs are just a song, nothing more than three minutes of entertainment.  However, we still need to examine songs and ask ourselves what they are saying.   We must be aware of what thoughts we pour into our minds.  Good thoughts, bad thoughts, meaningless thoughts—pay attention!  It always goes back to Philippians 4:8—if the art does not match up with that standard, is it actually good art?

Dear John, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, is overall a sweet love story that teaches about forgiveness.  John, a selfless army soldier, meets gentle Savannah on the beaches of South Carolina while they are on vacation.  After two weeks, the couple falls in love.  They promise to write each other, to tell each other everything while they are apart.  Their romance remains strong for the first year, but after a while, Savannah’s letter’s become less and less descriptive until one day, they stop coming all together.  Savannah’s last letter to John states that she has become engaged to someone else.  John is completely torn apart by this, but he has to make a choice:  will he loathe this woman or continue to care for her, even sacrifice for her?

There were both positive and negative aspects to this movie, but on the whole, the movie has a good message.  The way that John pushes resent aside to forgive Savannah is inspiring.  Nobly, John donates a large sum for the treatment of Savannah’s new husband, who is dying of cancer.  John could have remained bitter, but he chose to give Savannah a second chance.  Dear John also testifies to the dangers of making another human being the absolute focus of one’s life.  Savannah says that without John, her life does not have meaning.  But the two find that one person cannot absolutely fulfill the other’s needs.  Also, the movie puts soldiers in a positive light.

Of course, Dear John is not without faults.  As far as sexual content goes, the couple has sex out of wedlock when John comes to visit for one night.  The camera shows them undressing and zooms in on his bare chest and her bra and underwear, but that is the extent of what is shown.  Another time, John sees Savannah changing her shirt, but only her bare back and upper chest are visible.  The movie includes violent scenes of military combat and soldiers being shot.  There is also a small brawl between John and some men on the beach.  Bad language in the movie is fairly minimal; the s-word is used a couple of times and God’s name is misused a few times.  Another negative element in the movie is Savannah’s disloyalty to John; she forgets about him while he is gone and marries another man.  She selfishly wants John back when he returns to South Carolina later in the movie.

This movie was a tear-jerker, but it had a happy ending.  While a bit predictable, it was an engaging movie nonetheless.  For the most part, the movie has a positive outlook of the world.

Whether or not Christians should be involved in the arts is a topic that has been debated for centuries.  In earlier blogs, I have discussed the use of art in the Bible, as well as some of the arguments that support the arts, but today I would like to look at some of the arguments that have been made against the arts.  Again, many of the arguments against art have been around for hundreds of years.  It is important to look an issue from both sides, in order to make an informed decision.  After considering each viewpoint carefully, I believe that God does not forbid Christians from participation in the arts.  However, we must use discernment as Christians in what we put into our minds and hearts through art.  We must continue to follow the standard God gave us in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (NIV).  Following are three brief arguments against Christian involvement in the arts.

During the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, some misunderstandings were formed within the Christian community.  A popular belief was that spirituality was separate from other parts of life.  This meant that things like the arts, creativity, and the enjoyment of God’s beauty were pushed aside, because they were not considered “spiritual.”  Of course, this belief was incorrect in that the Christian faith is not meant to be divided into separate parts.  God is either in control of all life, or he is lord of none of it.  If God has control over the whole of a Christian’s existence, then the arts, as part of human life, have a place in the Christian life.  Christianity involves the whole man, including intellect and creativity.

Another idea that influenced the way the world viewed the arts was Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.  The evolutionary theory caused people to overlook the beauty and art in nature and to instead measure creation by its usefulness.  Eventually, that secular idea crept into the church; everything had to be useful in some way to the church.  For the Christian, usefulness was measured by where the activity ranked in the “spiritual” compartment of life.  Arts, when evaluated by these standards, were considered unspiritual.  If they did not make a useful contribution to church, they were shoved aside.

Some Christians argue that the Ten Commandments forbid Christians to participate in the arts.  Exodus 20:4-5 states, “‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me’” (English Standard Version).  These Christians interpret this verse to mean that an artist commits a sin when he forms a sculpture of a man or produces a painting of a meadow because he has made the likeness of something that God created.  However, Leviticus 26:1 clarifies that artistic representations of creation are not wrong; God only forbids the worship of these images.  Worshipping art is wrong, while making it is not.

You know my opinion, now it’s time for you to make yours.

Sources: Addicted to Mediocrity, by Franky Schaeffer; Art and the Bible, by Francis Schaeffer

There can be no doubt that Scott Brown’s election to the Senate has made a huge impact on the nation.  Who would have guessed that ultra-liberal Ted Kennedy’s seat would be filled with a Republican?  Of course, the election was not just about Scott Brown and his opponent.  No, there were many underlying issues woven into this race.  I like the analogy that Ashley Home, a policy analyst for Focus on the Family Action, gave in a Christianity Today article in response to the recent vote.  To describe the Democratic Party’s push to pass its agenda, Home said, “It’s like that guy who keeps asking you for a date.  You keep turning him down politely, until you finally have to just play your mean card and slap him so he’ll stop asking. The Massachusetts election result was that slap.”

The real issues in this election concern the universal healthcare plan, the major taxing and overspending in Congress, the growing government, and the anti-life agenda.  Everyone is fed up, even liberal Massachusetts.  Citizens are rejecting all these changes by the Obama administration.  The election of Brown to the seat held by a long-time liberal shows that people are ready to stop the shenanigans in the White House.  The Liberty Council statement predicts that if liberals in Congress don’t heed this revolution, they will lose badly in the 2010 general elections.  Who knows what will come next?  One thing is clear: we need a change.

Of course, Scott Brown is not exactly the perfect Christian conservative.  His views on abortion and marriage are moderate.  In most cases, he has answered pro-choice on abortion questions.  However, Brown did gain support from many pro-life advocacy groups. While the groups did not agree with him on every issue, they recognized that he would not promote federal funding for abortions.  The only danger is that many will hold up Brown’s election as proof that Republicans need a moderate platform on life and marriage in order to win in 2010 elections.  Our country needs men and women with strong moral values.  Nevertheless, Scott Brown’s election was a great victory for the right.

Read more on this subject:  “He’s No Ted Kennedy,” Christianity Today

The relationship between the arts and Christianity continues to interest me as I continue reading on the subject.  While some Christians argue that the arts have no place in the faith, I believe that art is not evil in itself.  Of course, it is used wrongly at times, but all human activities can be abused.  Philippians 4:8 really sums it up by saying,

Jesus displayed artistry in his teachings

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”  Art that fits into these categories is not detrimental; it is the complete opposite!  God looks favorably on our offerings.  Therefore if he has gifted us with art, we should offer it to him and give him the glory!

Recently, I have been exploring art in the Bible.  Scripture itself is a work of art, but it also contains tons of references to art, in both the Old and New Testaments.  In Exodus 25, God commanded beautiful architecture for his tabernacle and temple.  This gives evidence that he wanted humans to use their talent in art for his glory.  Another example of artistry in the Old Testament, as I mentioned in my last blog, is the poetic wording used in books like Psalms and Job.  In addition, music and dance can be found in Scripture.  Music was used in worship and celebration.  King David even made his own instruments with which to praise the Lord.

Perhaps one of the greatest artists in the Bible is Jesus.  His profession was in carpentry, which requires much artistic skill.  He was very sensitive to the art of creation all around him, and he frequently used nature in his parables.  Jesus was also a fantastic storyteller.  People came from near and far to hear his teachings and parables.  Often, his stories were quite dramatic.  Some of his stories were fictional and utilized the human imagination.  His artistry kept listeners engaged so that they could understand spiritual truths.  Art is intertwined throughout the entire Bible!

For more on Art and the Christian, click here.

Should Christians be involved in the arts?  This is a question that Christians frequently debate.  The word “art” encompasses a broad array of fields, from painting, sculpting, and sewing, to playing an instrument, dancing, and writing.  Many times, artists are thought of as immoral, putting their emotions and creativity above all else.   Some would argue that Christians have no place in the arts, but the Bible actually shows an overwhelming amount of support for them.  God’s very word is bursting with beauty and creativity, in the very words it uses.  Christians can live according to the way God calls us to, while offering their God-given talents to the Creator.

God made his passion for beauty clear when he created the world.  He created this exquisite universe just for us.  The earth around us is undeniably filled with splendor.  We take one look at the colors, birds, fish, mountains, oceans, moon, and stars, and we know God designed it with the purpose of giving us beauty.    How amazing that the God who created something as beautiful as this planet is the same one who created us!  And better yet, that God loves each and every one of us. We are extremely special to him, and he gave us art to enjoy just like he enjoys it.

The Bible is another proof of God’s fervor for art.  Scripture in itself is artistic.  Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, portions of the prophets, and Job are written in poetry form.  The fact that these poetic books are God-breathed gives evidence that our Father loves beauty.  God gave us his word, and he included artistic literature forms for our enjoyment.  As human beings, we love beauty, and the beauty included in the Bible gives us understanding.  We, then, can give God the praise and glory he desires.

Read more on this topic: Art and the Christian, Leadership University