June 2018
Apology Needed?
21 June 2018 @ 17:37
‘In Your Name’ is a song that I wrote in 2003. I found myself troubled at that time as I read about protests in Alabama. Folks were upset when they were told that a granite memorial engraved with the Ten Commandments could not be displayed in front of a public building. It drew thousands of people speaking out about their religious rights. At the same time there was intense debate as to whether or not the line ‘One Nation Under God’ belonged in the Pledge of Allegiance or whether ‘In God We Trust’ should be on our currency. Fifteen years later these and similar issues, such as kneeling for the National Anthem, still stir so many to anger. My thoughts about all of these issues come from a place that draws from my beliefs as a Christian. From my youth I had been impacted by the teachings of Jesus that spoke of love and forgiveness and relationship; not relationships with a block of granite, or a pledge or a song but with people-with other human beings. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” As I watch so many throw their support behind ‘objects’ I look out and see the suffering of people. I see racism and school shootings and the suffering of refugees and the suffering of those seeking asylum. I have seen the suffering of the children amongst these groups and now along our own southern border. Our nation was populated by those seeking a place where they could avoid persecution but now as I watch the acts of our government it appears that we have lost sight of all that our nation was founded on. I can only say that I am sick and tired of hearing about our Christian principles. No one is going to accuse us of being Christians based on the way we love. The thought that 20% of the world’s population controls 80% of the world’s resources and that we, in this country, are among that 20% sickens me. How did we become so selfish? Should we not be a blessing to others in the way that God has blessed us? As I have tried to say in this song, if we were as passionate about our love of others as we are about certain things we hold sacred, we might actually appear somewhat Christ like. If my playing sounds a bit angry, it is only because it is.