Scott Freeman

One of the statements that was made this week at the ACU lectures was the fact that our current wave of contemporary hymnody is ill suited for subjects of social justice. To find songs that really capture the heart of Jubilee, the mission of the church we often have to go outside our own music.

Because my musical tastes tend to favor those artists who focus more on lyrics than polish and studio machinations I have a large number of songs that resonate deeply with biblical truths although they might not be written by Christians. Over the next few weeks I want to share some of those songs with you. I hope the words contained will enrich you and bless you. Note: Just because I spotlight a song does not mean that I endorse the artist and/or their oeuvre.

My first song is by Dolly Parton. It is from a movie that I have never seen: Transamerica. The song is about finding your place. It is about searching and seeking hope, clarity and meaning. My favorite part of the song begins at 3:32 and I never fail to get chills when she belts out “Oh sweet Jesus if you’re out there, keep me ever close to you” It’s one of my kids favorite songs.

The song makes me think of my own spiritual journey. Even now at the age of 39 I’m not sure what lies ahead for me and my family. Uncertainty with Cassie’s condition, my job situation and other issues bring up questions of our directions. We are all wanderers and the hope and promise that Jesus is out there cheering us on makes the journey so much easier.

I’ve been up and down so much over the past few months questioning my ability to preach and teach, wondering if I don’t belong in ministry, and questioning my worth. This song is such a blessing to me. One of my favorite lines is “redemption comes in many shapes with many kinds of pain.” There is still a lot of pain in our lives and in our search. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The path to Christ requires the pain.

Watch the video and read the incredible lyrics. For all the punch lines that Dolly Parton has been through the year she has always been an amazing lyricist.

Well I can’t tell you where I’m going, I’m not sure of where I’ve been
But I know I must keep travelin’ till my road comes to an end
I’m out here on my journey, trying to make the most of it
I’m a puzzle, I must figure out where all my pieces fit

Like a poor wayfaring stranger that they speak about in song
I’m just a weary pilgrim trying to find what feels like home
Where that is no one can tell me, am I doomed to ever roam
I’m just travelin’, travelin’, travelin’, I’m just travelin’ on

Questions I have many, answers but a few
But we’re here to learn, the spirit burns, to know the greater truth
We’ve all been crucified and they nailed Jesus to the tree
And when I’m born again, you’re gonna see a change in me

God made me for a reason and nothing is in vain
Redemption comes in many shapes with many kinds of pain
Oh sweet Jesus if you’re listening, keep me ever close to you
As I’m stumblin’, tumblin’, wonderin’, as I’m travelin’ thru

I’m just travelin’, travelin’, travelin’, I’m just travelin’ thru
I’m just travelin’, travelin’, travelin’, I’m just travelin’ thru

Oh sometimes the road is rugged, and it’s hard to travel on
But holdin’ to each other, we don’t have to walk alone
When everything is broken, we can mend it if we try
We can make a world of difference, if we want to we can fly

Goodbye little children, goodnight you handsome men
Farewell to all you ladies and to all who knew me when
And I hope I’ll see you down the road, you meant more than I knew
As I was travelin’, travelin’, travelin’, travelin’, travelin’ thru

I’m just travelin’, travelin’, travelin’, I’m just travelin’
Drifting like a floating boat and roaming like the wind
Oh give me some direction lord, let me lean on you
As I’m travelin’, travelin’, travelin’, thru

I’m just travelin’, travelin’, travelin’, I’m just travelin’ thru
I’m just travelin’, travelin’, travelin’, I’m just travelin’ thru

Like the poor wayfaring stranger that they speak about in song
I’m just a weary pilgrim trying to find my own way home
Oh sweet Jesus if you’re out there, keep me ever close to you
As I’m travelin’, travelin’, travelin’, as I’m travelin’ thru

I never intended to be on the front lines of evangelicals and the environmental movement. When the ECI was first released back in February of 2006 there were 86 Christian signatories to the document.

I was the 87th.

I sent an email to the coordinators of the document expecting that there would be a rush of people like me, ministers and religious leaders aware of climate change, who wanted their voices to be heard. That was not the case. For a while there were just 87 of us.

And, somehow, I received 14 of my allotted 15 minutes of fame for being a signatory. In the last year and a half I have talked to The Dallas Morning News, The BBC, Scientists at Yale University, A reporter for The Washington Post trying to get me to release details about a press release prior to its release (I refused), NPR and a host of smaller entities.

It has never failed in each of these interviews and conversations for a certain amount of incredulity to arise. That is largely due to the fact that just two of us who are affiliated with the Churches of Christ have signed the initiative (Royce Money of ACU being the other). But also it has to do with the fact that so many of us on the conservative end of the Christian world seem to be almost violently opposed to any acknowledgment of climate change. It has even been likened recently to paganism.

Now, fortunately, most Christians who don’t subscribe to the idea of climate change are not as offensive and dismissive as the author of the aforementioned link. But there is a wide-spread rejection among many.

Invariably one of the questions I am asked is what I am doing to incorporate this position into my preaching and teaching. My answer has been uniform: nothing.
This was a personal decision and I have no interest in arguing with anyone or imposing my conclusions upon others.

However, the reasons that I signed the initiative are many and relatively important to me. Here are the top 10 reasons I signed the initiative:

10. I realized that science and faith do not need to be at war with each other. I plan to blog more in the coming weeks and months about how I came to make peace with science.

9. I realized that I had allowed my political beliefs to inoculate me from honest inquiry. What I had missed in my earlier days was that this was not a political issue and warranted greater attention.

8. The evidence seemed overwhelming in favor of climate change. We can argue and debate whether or not that is true, whether or not it is simply cyclical and whether or not it is aided and abetted by man. But, to me, the evidence was clear.

7. I wanted to underscored that God’s giving man dominion over this world does not mean domination. True, godly stewardship involves care and compassion. It involves judicious responsibility and awareness.

6. I wanted my children to see their father commit to being environmentally responsible. It’s their world and I wanted them to know that I acknowledge that and live as if that is true.

5. I wanted to give people pause from painting climate care advocates as simply “tree-huggers” and “environmentalist wackos.” The tendency we have to paint people with pejorative labels is neither conducive, intelligent or holy.

4. I was concerned with my own consumerism highlighted by my dependence on energy and oil. Being on the front lines of this issue caused me to make my own lifestyle changes. Rather than signing this document and forgetting about it the continued media coverage has spurred me to remaining vigilant.

3. The matter is urgent. The impacts of this reality can already be felt among us.

2. We can make a difference. What we do now truly matters. And by being a voice in this cause maybe we can assure a better tomorrow.

1. If climate change is real, and I believe that it is, then the greatest effects and consequences will be passed down to the least of these, the world’s poor, forgotten and marginalized. And that is a holiness issue. If we are to truly love the least of these and give them hope then we must be aware of the fact that they will bear the brunt of our decisions.

That, in a nutshell, is why I signed the initiative.

I’m working at home today because my middle daughter has been sick. When I work at home while keeping the girls they watch TV.

Way too much TV. Our girls are in the habit of saying “I want to get that” whenever a commercial comes on for some toy that catches their eye.

Far too often, said toy is from the Bratz line of dolls that are far too popular. They know, of course, that the answer will be no.

That other kids may get those dolls but we will not get them for our girls. Because the message of these dolls is a message that is far too prevalent in our society: that it is ok to be petulant, spoiled, immodest and bratty.

We are in a culture that often appeals to the lowest common denominator. And, as a result, people are commodified and marketed. Prurient interests become a market category.

And square in the crosshairs of those who would profit from such titillating merchandising are my children. A 3 year old. A 5 year old.

It’s part of the larger cultural message that says that you can be anything you want to be, do anything you want to do. And don’t let anyone stand in your way.
If you want it, it’s yours.
If you name it, you can claim it.
Be your own Higher Power. With a little positive mental attitude, elbow grease and karma you can carve out your own destiny.
The end is your happiness. So dress the way YOU want, behave the way YOU want, market yourself so you can get what YOU deserve.
And if you have to tart yourself up a little bit, so be it.

You may be thinking “Scott, it’s just a toy. Lighten up.” Well, yes and no. I understand that playing with a Bratz doll will not make my daughters more predisposed to dressing like a tramp than me watching Studio 60 makes me want to write bad television.

But look at the two leading female headline-grabbers today: Anna Nicole and Britney. Two cautionary tales that highlight the fact that any kind of prosperity theology, or Oprah “Secret” or “power of positive thinking” claptrap is antithetical to a true “best life now.”
That how you market yourself is often predictive of how you will behave.
If you market yourself as petulant and spoiled then your behavior will become such.
If your end-game of happiness is wealth and feeling good then pleasure at all costs becomes a god.

And that is not the message I want my girls to get. Because Osteen, Oprah, the Bratz manufacturers, Britney, et al are missing a very important message: that the road to true peace and prosperity is not through being self-focused. It is not about getting what you want.
It is not about money, fame, prestige or scoring the lustful gazes of others.

It is about sacrifice, humility, meekness.
It’s about following in the example of Christ.
Wanna know “The Secret?” It’s Jesus.
Wanna know how to be prosperous? Set your hopes on things above.
Wanna truly make a difference? Live a life worthy of the calling.
Wanna make people look upon you with true admiration? Get ugly and dirty yourselves with the lives of people.

Now, if they come out with servyntz dolls. I’m all over that.

I wish that I had a better video of this song as the words are staggering. I’ve wrestled with whether or not to blog about 9/11 today. I know that where I am at regarding that day and the aftermath may not meet the most receptive of ears at this time.
But I weep for those lives lost, not just on this particular day but the lives of all those lost
fighting the wars of man.
And I applaud the heroes of that day, those who saved, rescued and sacrificed. Heroism was pervasive and apparent on that Tuesday.
Yet, evil is all too pervasive and entwined in the hearts of man. And we have danced with the devil for so long it seems that we don’t know how to stop. War has spawned more war and violence has beget more violence.
Come quickly, Lord. May your Kingdom be made manifest, either through your triumphant return or through the righteous living of Your church.
All I can do in the aftermath of that day is consider my own response. Mark Erelli’s words ring true here. This song, The Only Way, was written shortly after the attack. He left it alone for almost five years allowing other artist to record it.
But earlier this year he released an album, Hope & Other Casualties, that burns with lament, passion and ethos. It has quickly become my favorite release in a year of stellar albums. Here are the lyrics to this beautiful song:

I read the paper
I watch the news
It seems there’s only pain and sufferin’
And there ain’t nothing I can do
It’s so senseless
I feel defenseless
So small

I could shut my windows
Bolt my doors
But if I don’t feel safe enough
To speak my mind anymore
Then what’s the use
I’ve nothing left to lose
No further to fall

(Chorus)
So I’m gonna love
I’m gonna believe
I’m gonna dream
But I’m gonna roll up my sleeve
And give everything until there’s nothing left to give
That’s the only way that I know how to live

It was a nightmare
No tongue can tell
The streets of New York City
Looked just like the gates of Hell
In a flash
The smoke and the ash
Falling down like rain

But they circled wagons
They gathered round
As they bravely pulled our brothers
And our sisters from the ground
And I know
I owe them more
Than to be afraid

(Chorus)

Why seek vengeance?
What comes of war?
I know freedom has a price
But it doesn’t keep score
It’s too much to swallow
It’s left me hollow
After all this time
All this time

I won’t tell you
What to believe
But I’m too young to be so cynical
And too old to be naive
Every action
Breeds a reaction
So let this be mine

Let me close with these words from Stanley Hauerwas:

In the face of September 11, I distrust words. I fear no matter how hard we try to say what needs to be said, what we say may threaten to explain when no explanation is possible. For me, a person seldom at a loss for words, I find my continuing reaction to September 11, 200l, to be one of silence. I simply do not know what to say. At least one of the reasons I have nothing to say is because I am a pacifist. I am, whether I like it or not, committed to Christian nonviolence. The horror, the terror, the strange beauty of the violence on September ll, calls for a response, a violent response. Being a pacifist does nothing to free me from the desire to set things right by punishing those who perpetrated such an outrage. Conflicted I remain silent, fearing any words I may say would suggest a confidence I do not have…
…If we are to preach truthfully after September 11, 200l, we must not try to say too much. We must not pretend we have an answer to explain what happened or know what response we–and who is the we?–might make. I have no pacifist foreign policy. I believe the church is God’s foreign policy. Which makes it all the more important that we be able truthfully to preach God’s word.

I talk a lot about social justice and caring for the poor and marginalized in our society.  Jimmy Dorrell does more than just talk.  He is making a difference in the Waco community.

14 years ago, this month, he began meeting with homeless people underneath a bridge along I-35 in Waco. Before long it became a weekly church service.  Today that church meets weekly under the bridge, providing hope and redemption to the forgotten souls here.

Here is a YouTube video of The Church Under The Bridge. Jimmy’s vision has spawned other movements under bridges in other cities as well.

Jimmy’s work is contained in the most vital ministry in the Waco area called Mission Waco.  I have had the honor of getting to know Jimmy, eat with him and participate in a group of urban ministers concerned about being the Kingdom in the midst of the lives of the “least of these.” He knows them and he loves them.

Today sees the release of his book: “Trolls & Truth: 14 Realities About Today’s Church That We Don’t Want to See“

This is a book that you will want to read.  Will you support this ministry? If so, click the link above and buy it today. 

Read this summary from the promotional copy of the book:

Every city has a group of troll-like rejected misfits. They are the homeless, the prostitutes, the greedy, and the addicts. These are the people on the fringe to whom churches close their doors, the ones you move away from on the pew. They are the marginalized, rejected, and forgotten cultural lepers who lurk outside your church. They are the most unlikely prophets of all.
 
Trolls & Truth is the story of a local church of homeless people; college students; middle-class Christians; some poor and some rich; black, white, and brown; drunks; materialists; mentally ill; and former inmates who meet beneath the noise of 18-wheelers and rushing traffic under an interstate bridge in Waco, Texas. As they live out biblical mandates across cultural barriers and institutional baggage, they remind us that the gospel cannot be shaped by socially accepted values and remain “good news.” Through their testimonies they reveal the mystery that such a diverse group without buildings and traditional expectations are finding the power of the gospel in ways that brings cultural validity to the skeptics and unbelieving world. They have a wake-up call for the American church.
 
Transformation in the church must come. In new wineskins and perhaps through the life of an old wino, our ecclesiology must be upended by the “least of these,” the hungry, imprisoned, sick, and stranger. Intentional efforts in local congregations must be made to reconnect the rich and the poor; the black, white, and brown; those educated in the university; and those educated on the streets. Only then can we wrestle with the values of the kingdom and learn the lessons that this God of the little people wants us to know.

I love music and hope to pass that love on to my children. Tracy and I don’t share musical tastes at all, so I try to cram as much in when I’m alone with the girls.

I’ve been fairly vocal that I’m not a big fan of much Contemporary Christian Music. The reasons for that are plentiful. I tend to lean more toward folky-singer/songwriter type stuff. My first criteria for a good song is lyrical.

A lot of the music I like has a social conscience, so spiritual themes abound even if it is not explicity “Christian.”

The other night I was listening to a song by Carrie Newcomer while taking Chloe to basketball practice.

Chloe said, “Daddy, I like this song. Is it a Jesus song?”

I thought about it for a minute and told her that yes, it is a Jesus song. That conversation got me to thinking about the number of songs that have been recorded by secular artists that capture the spirit of Christ, often more profoundly than what is in CCM.

From time to time, I would like to share those songs with you and my thoughts. Take time. Absorb these lyrics. Find this song and download it (it’s available on iTunes and all other sites). It will bless you.

I Heard an Owl

I heard an owl call last night homeless and confused

I stood naked and bewildered By the evil people do

Up upon a hill there is a terrible sign

That tells the story of what darkness waits when we leave the light behind.

Chorus: So, Don’t tell me hate is ever right or God’s will

These are the wheels we put in motion ourselves

The whole world weeps and is weeping still

Though shaken I still believe the best of what we all can be

The only peace this world will know can only come from love.

Verse: I am a voice calling out Across the great divide

I am only one person That feels they have to try

The questions fall like trees or dust Rise like prayers above

But the only word is “Courage” And the only answer “ Love”

Chorus

Light ever candle that you can For we need some light to see

In the face of deepest loss, Treat each other tenderly

The arms of God will gather in Every sparrow that falls

And makes no separation Just fiercely loves us all.

Chorus

Carrie Newcomer 2001

This song resonates within me for I have often tried to reconcile hatred with the designs of God. As if the pithy aphorism to “hate the sin and love the sinner” is sufficient cover to mask my animosity toward those who have been created in His image.

I think many of us harbor hatreds that we have reclassified as something more benign. That way we can continue to harbor our prejudices and our intolerance without confronting the insidious blackness in our hearts.

But that’s not of God. As she sings, “these are the wheels we put in motion ourselves.”

Our propensity for hatred, for de-valuing others causes the world to weep. It is tragic by-product of our fallen state. Children in Lebanon, Darfur, Inner-City America mourn the loss of hope because of a world so torn by hatred.

And so, the only answer is for the church to live the presence of Christ. To be the in-breaking of the Kingdom. No government, no empire, no nation, no administration can be the incarnation of Christ in this fallen world. It is our job.

We must light the candle for we are the light of the world.

We must learn to treat all people with love, tenderness and respect.

We must understand that God loves all people, hoping that all would come to repentance.

In the first verse when she talks about the terrible sign on the hill I can’t help put picture the crucified Savior on Mount Calvary. When we turn our backs on the One all that waits for us is darkness. And hate.

Chloe asks for this song whenever we are in the car together now.

She says, “Daddy, will you play that songs that says “don’t call me hate?”

Of course, I play it for her. My prayer is that no one would ever equate my sweet and precious daughter with the hatred that is far too prevalent among us.

Yes, that’s a Jesus song, honey.

What secular “Jesus” songs have impacted you?

Further assistance in getting a leg up in the world will ultimately be denied to the working poor, I’m afraid. 

In a blatant election year move, Republican members of the House tacked on an estate tax rider to a bill that would increase the minumum wage from 5.15 to 7.25 over the next 3 years.