What do you make of the fact that on American Idol tonight (video below), the contestants sang the praise song "Shout To The Lord"? Actually, this is two nights in a row with this song!!! Two nights in a row!!! What's going on? Is this Good? Bad? Patronizing? This comes a week after Dolly Parton's "Jesus and Gravity" performance. Mariah Carey's performance also had scores of scripture being quoted in the background. What gives? What do you make of all this?
Hmmmm... For the first time, I have not seen a single episode this season. Just tired of the same tired music.
ReplyDeleteCould this show just how big the praise and worship market is? It is. Maybe Cowell wants a piece of that revenue stream now as well. I am sure Christian radio will fawn all over it. But I am not as optimistic.
Drew,
ReplyDeleteI know!!! that stations like K-LVOE are going to just drool because of/over this. The praise industry/Cowell idea was one I had too.
I don't know if they're all Christians but I found it a bit patronizing, that, if they're not, to find them all singing "My Jesus, My Savior" etc.
Also, all of this was in relation to their "Idol Gives Back" fundraiser. So, I wonder if all of the Christian stuff (Dolly, Mariah, the Idols) were to tug at the hearts and wallets of Christians?
I believe the sincerity of the Christians on the show who sang it but given that they don't choose group songs, producers do, I found a lot of it quite insincere.
I'm still trying to think through it all, especially since, in the past, whenever contestants have sung Christian songs, Simon has reamed them.
Anyway...
Yes, anytime Hollywierd does something like this, I get suspicious, if not downright "get me a drink" ious.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, we can rejoice, because Christ is being preached.
On the other, Paul preached repentance. And I doubt Simon is going to whip that out.
Cheers,
Chris
Think of the irony. A show with contestants vying to be idols, singing about Jesus, in order to make money. That is all kinds of wrong now that I look at it again.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note is really is more evidence that the praise and worship mega industry has really made Christian music dull and boring. theologically it is a ton of cheezy romantic love songs that refer to Jesus like Michael Bolton does his lover. It's all very emotionally charged and theologically shallow.
Rich Mullins wrote some really powerful worship songs. That is too rare today. But I am a music snob as it is...
Chris & Drew,
ReplyDeleteI must agree w/both of you.
Yeah! Rich Mullin got me through seminary. Those were tough days. "Hard to Get" and pretty much the whole "Jesus Record" was my best friend while writing terrible long papers about minute details of greek constructions and word usage.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rich!
Did you notice that they changed the lyric? instead of beginning "My Jesus, my Savior" they started with "my shepherd, my savior". Oy vey.
ReplyDelete