Heavenly Heresy

I am a big fan of Southern Gospel music. I grew up on Southern Gospel, and before I went to seminary I was a Southern Gospel D.J. I love the sound and excitement of Southern Gospel music, but more importantly I love the message: the gospel of Jesus Christ. My wife, my mother, and I recently attended both the National Quartet Convention and The Booth Brothers and Triumphant Quartet concert. Before going to the National Quartet Convention (NQC) I was talking with one of my friends at Southern Seminary about Southern Gospel music. I was surprised that she enjoyed Southern Gospel as well. We got to talking about our favorite songs then the conversation turned to songs that we disliked. As the conversation continued I kept track of the songs; more specifically, the topic of the songs that we did not like. The common theme of the songs that we did not like had to do with heaven. The problem that I found was that when we sing about heaven, and not just in Southern Gospel music, often we sing about what makes us feel good. I am not trying to offend anyone, but one song that sticks out in my mind is one whose chorus contains this phrase, “I’m gonna put on a crown and walk around all over God’s promised land.” Does this song really hit at what we are going to be doing when we reach heaven? Are we really going to put on crowns and parade ourselves up and down the streets of gold?

Another problem with the songs about heaven is that we talk about seeing loved ones as if that is the main focus of going to heaven. Heaven is about spending eternity in the presence of the One who died for us, the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, when we get there I am sure that we will see those who have gone on before us, but if that is why we want to go to heaven, then we have missed the point. Christ died to redeem so that we could be reconciled to God, not so we could see loved ones in heaven. In our songs about heaven and even in our preaching it is as if we are trying to persuade people to accept Christ as Savior by sweetening the pot and selling them on what’s in heaven. For example, I have heard people witness and ask if someone wants to see their dead grandparents and parents. Of course they do, but should we use that line of reasoning to get someone to give his life for Christ? We are not salesmen trying to sell a product; we are children of God sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

I know that I have been focusing on the music about heaven, but the problem is that preachers are not preaching enough about heaven or are preaching wrongly about heaven. Christians do not have correct attitudes about heaven because they have not been taught. Some view heaven as a big choir practice, which they are dreading. Others view heaven as a place full of earthly pleasures that make them happy. I heard a preacher preach a funeral say, “I believe that whatever makes you happy will be in heaven. If you like puppies, they will be there.” Heaven is not about our happiness, but is about our holiness. Just because it makes us happy on this earth doesn’t mean that it will be in heaven. I will say that the man was partially right, what makes me happy will be in heaven, because the One who died for me, Jesus Christ, will be there, and I will get to see Him face to face. We as Christians, especially ministers of the gospel, must preach about heaven and help our fellow believers to have the proper attitude and thoughts about heaven. We need to be discerning and weed out bad theology about heaven (and everything else) in our pulpits and in our music, as well as other areas of our lives. We ask our teenagers to be careful what they listen to music wise, but we allow misguided songs into our lives everyday. Songs like, “When I Get Where I’m Going,” “I’m Gonna Put on a Crown,” and other songs that speak about heaven are just a few examples. Just because something has a good beat or has good music doesn’t mean that it belongs in our churches or lives. Songs that are half-truths are worse than blatant lies. Heaven is a reward for believers, but we were not saved just to go to heaven, but to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, to serve Him, and to be more like Him.

The Cry of Life

Hello everyone! Yes once again I created another blog. Originally, I wanted to write on Blog Shot of Truth, but I had some difficulties, so I created a new blog. I have named the new blog, "Shooting It Straight," and on this blog I shoot it straight. I am a Christian, a husband, a Minister of Students and Music, and a Southern Seminary student. That's a little about me, but let me move onto what I came to write about.

"The Cry of Life"

I am a performer, a person with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Theatre, a person who tries to be a perfectionist, a person who has sat in weddings, funerals, worship services, conferences, classes, movies, plays, and other performances, and I have heard children, babies specifically cry ever so loudly in this events. I love children, so don't get me wrong when I say my next statement. When I hear those babies cry I think to myself and say out loud sometimes, "Man, they need to shut that kid up!" That sounds harsh to some, but the fact is in professional settings the parents need to be mindful of the performers, speakers, and other listeners. We need to maintain a sense of professionalism. Parents need to be responsible enough to politely excuse themselves and their children. Again, I love children, but I try to be professional at events, performances, etc. However, I did learn something the other day from a situation where a couple of babies were crying at an event. Let me paint a picture: I am sitting at an event, listening to others perform, when out of nowhere came a chorus of babies crying. I thought my usual thought of wishing the parents would either hush their children or politely leave. I wasn't ready for the next thing that happened. God, through His Holy Spirit, spoke to me and used this as a teaching moment. I began to think of all of the unborn babies whose lives have been taken by abortion. At that moment a profound thought hit me. I would much rather hear the cries of living babies, whose parents chose to keep them and let them live, than to hear the silence of the unborn babies who were murdered by abortions. In this event, that very thought almost brought me to tears. Even though a crying baby can seemingly distract us, wouldn't you rather be distracted by the crying of that gift of God, than to have the silence where we have murder those precious gifts of God? The Bible has many passages about the wonderful blessing that children are. (Psalms 127.3-5; Proverbs 17.6) The Bible also talks in Jeremiah of how even before babies are formed, God knows them. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1.5) He is speaking to Jeremiah, but we can gain from the principle that before we were formed God knew us and had a purpose for us. The same is true of every life. A life is present at conception, and that life is made in the image of God, and should not be snuffed out because that person is deemed unwanted, unnecessary, useless, and burdensome. Every life has a purpose, and that purpose is decided by God, not by mankind. We are to value life, born or unborn, as God values life. So I say, "Let the cry of babies represent the cry of life, and let us not silence unborn life anymore, but rise up to stand against and pray against the horrible murders of unborn babies across the world. Christians rise up and take a stand against abortion, so that we may no longer hear the silence of the unborn, but hear the cry of the living, the cry of life which is from the Lord."