From: mike@relayer.stl.dec.com (Mike Sunderland)
Newsgroups: rec.music.christian
Subject: realy cool amoral cover tunes
Distribution: world
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 13:19:37 GMT
Organization: somewhere just the other side of the black stump...
Reply-To: mike@relayer.stl.dec.com


In article <1992Sep11.170209.22912@rambo.atlanta.dg.com> wpr@atlanta.dg.com writes:

 >    What kind of witness is a person whose life is intermixed with carnality
 >    and a "smidgen" of Christianity?  I was brought to Christ by a
 >    no-compromising Christian whose lifestyle convicted me.  I looked over
 >    dozens of people who called themselves Christians because there was
 >    no substance to their confessions.

        I couldn't agree with you more about the need to avoid being a 'carnal'
christian. Any compromise with sin is just not acceptable to God. If there is
one great tragedy that I feel more hurt about than any other, it is the damage
done by sinning christians to unbelievers and believers alike. Having said that,
I think it is crucial to have proper discernment of what is good and what is
evil. The only right basis for such discernment is - of course - the will of
God as it is revealed in scripture.

        Perhaps you can correct me (and please do) but I couldn't see anything
in Phil's article which advocated making any sort of compromise with sin -
unless you start off assuming that all 'secular' music is bad. I would really
love to hear from you how you decide what kind of music is good, and what kind
is bad. I'm quite serious - I really would love to know.

 >    Also, if there are those who "come to know Christ" at such a concert,
 >    I wonder if their lives change?  (I personally do not know of any.)
 >    Another thread:  I was sorry to see Amy Grant mocked by Whoopi Goldberg
 >    at the Grammys (or Oscars or whatever) by saying that Amy should sing
 >    "losing my Religion".  If Amy had been persecuted for "righteousness
 >    sake", God could have been glorified, but she was mocked by worldy
 >    people, who consider her life hypocrisy, like Jim Bakker.
 >    Quote for the day: "I'm sorry - I can't hear what you say because the
 >    way you are is thundering in my ears."

        How does this quote from Whoopi Goldberg show that Amy is not being
persecuted for righteousness sake? Through history whenever christians have
been persecuted, they have been accused of doing evil. When Christ was
crucified his accusers didn't say to the world "This guy's so holy he makes us
all smell like open graves." Instead they accused him of sedition and
perverting the nation. Later his followers were accused of being canibals
(how's that for carnal ;-) and athiests! I didn't see the Grammys so I can't
say for sure , but it sounds to me as though Whoopi was just making a very
funny joke. At worst she may have been just been showing that she has no idea
what Amy Grant's music is about. I see no shame in being "mocked by worldly
people", because I will never accept anything less than the word of God and the
character of Christ as the standard against which to measure anyone.        

--
Mike Sunderland                         Ph: +61-2-887-2779
mike@relayer.stl.dec.com
Newsgroups: rec.music.christian