The Original, the Modernized, and the Absurd (my personal favorite)

I don’t think there could possibly be a better rock and roll song written than “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”.  As far as rock songs go, it has everything, Keith Richard’s famous guitar hook, driving drums that push the song along at a frantic pace, and daring lyrics. Give it a listen - it is a no holds barred attack on consumerism and concludes that things in our culture are simply not at they should be.  There isn’t resolution.  This might seem normal under modern standards, but this was released in 1965.  The second song on the billboard charts from that year was by the Four Tops and called I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).  I take two things from this, 1. bands loved having parenthesis in their titles back then, and 2. just as now, it was probably highly abnormal to have a song railing against consumerism as a number one hit in 1965.

This song has been covered by hundreds of artists.  Two of which played the song better than the Stones did (in my humble opinion.)  The first of these is a relatively new artist (a category which contains probably 99% of all who have ever played rock and roll given the elderly age of the Stones J).  Her stage name is Cat Power.  Here is a clip of her playing the song.

Cat Power takes away the famous guitar riff, the drums, even the chorus – what is left is the haunting, but beautiful, core of the song.  It wasn't until I heard this version that I had any idea what the song was about.  This version of the songs reminds me of how much is missed when something is packaged for the masses.  Had this been what the Stones came to the record company with during the 60’s would it have ever seen the light of day? I doubt it – but it was what was there all along, murking beneath.  How often do we take things in our lives that are true, deep, and honestly felt – and temper those things with humor, false sincerity or any other defense mechanism in order to make them palatable to those around us?

The Stones did that in Satisfaction – they took a deep seated, honest criticism of culture, put a danceable rhythm on it, a sense of ecstasy, smiling faces, and they gloss over the meaningful lyrics to the point that they are clouded out of the song altogether.  I don’t blame them nor do I think it was a “wrong” way to approach it – I merely want to shine a light on the original approach Cat Power took.  I also wasnt to point you guys to my favorite version of the song - Otis Redding's.

A horn section has replaced Keith Richards and the drummer is no longer holding back (thank goodness).  I don’t have anything significant to say about it, I just think it is awesome.  If any of you would like to discuss other great covers I would love to read about them in the comments.  Happy Music Tuesday!

Hell: Post Sermon Blog

These past few weeks Riverside has been exploring "Systematic Theology" categories, but mainly through the words and actions of Jesus of Nazareth.

The series will conclude next week with "What did Jesus think about Resurrection?".

Yesterday Zack Eswine talked about the ways Jesus spoke of Hell, what it is, who is going, etc.

I would encourage you to follow the above link and listen to the sermon if you didn't get to hear it. For me the most poignant part was Zack's assessment of who is going and who isn't as less relevant than other questions. But, I don't think I can eloquently re-create his argument (although the simple aspect of the argument is that Jesus seemed more interested in talking about Hell for other purposes: therefore, those questions are more relevant).

Instead, I wanted to present a rhetorical question from the Sermon today, and I would love to hear your thoughts. "Imagine the predicament we're in if God does not/cannot judge injustice. Imagine the predicament we're in if we are not allowed to judge injustice." The point is that - taking the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus on their own merits (which isn't easy for many, I grant you that) - then Hell is a loving expression of God. It is, in fact, a loving idea.

Crazy...

Thoughts???

Discuss...

PS - I choose this picture because, Biblically speaking (Contra John Milton I'm afraid), Satan does not rule in Hell either...

-Matt

Film Fridays - Star Trek

Star Trek
Rated: PG-13
Director: J.J. Abrams

Are there stories that are worth telling over and over again? Did you know Rocky won best picture in the 70's? What's the differences between sequels and movies like Harry Potter which are assumed to go on until finished? Do you like to see movies? Why or why not?

I love them. So, on some Fridays we will throw up a movie review for you.

What I loved about this movie: I loved the story. One of the reviews out there says that Star Trek is this year's "Iron Man" - I agree. Good movie, fun, good story, good acting, the human element well-developed (at least that is my take on Iron Man... and I did read the comic, from 89-90). I loved the movement, it wasn't difficult to follow, but it moved quickly - maybe even predictably at the beginning, but still at a good pace for a Sci-Fi movie. I really enjoyed watching the back story of so many characters, and then getting those back stories twisted into a knot later in the movie!

What I did not love: although I am not a Trekky there were some very dignified scenes that the writing left out to dry. I refuse to give things away for those still planning to see it, but there were some very fun old school aspects... And, I thought they could have been done better with those.

Intersection of the film with the Gospel: many movies about the future assume human evolution will take care of our violence and destruction towards ourselves - Star Trek has never taken that route and I appreciate it. The Gospel holds in tension the beauty and the ugliness of people - good films bring out both (in my opinion). I believe the story of the state of the world (tragic mess) and the need for an unlikely hero are written very deeply upon us (there is more to it, romance is usually a factor, but the romance must interact with the story to move us, it can't be a passive piece). Most films not only involve the unlikely hero and the mess of the world - but we get to see her or him develop. This is done well in Star Trek.

3.5/5 stars.

-Matt

Theology Thursday (Politics and Faith: Immigration)

David Noble is a member of Riverside and former intern.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This is the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, which has been the historical entry point for millions of people immigrating to the U.S. from all over the Western hemisphere for hundreds of years. Throughout our nation’s history attitudes toward immigration have swung back and forth between hostile and welcoming. Sadly to duplicate this inscription on our Southern border would be the height of hypocrisy. Current attitudes in the U.S. toward immigrants are split and tending toward hostile. Attitudes in Evangelical Christian circles tend to be more hostile toward immigrants, especially toward those in this country illegally. The Family Research Council, an Evangelical Christian organization, conducted a survey of its members in March 2006, which indicated that 5 out of 6 members believed that immigrants living in the U.S. illegally should be “detected, arrested and returned to their country of origin.” Is this attitude a Biblical one? Does the Bible speak to the proper attitude of Christians toward immigrants?

Usually in discussions about illegal immigration the focus is on a country’s right to secure it’s borders, which is a question grounded in the rule of law, which is a concept derived directly from Scripture. [Whether the way our country does this currently is just is a question beyond the scope of this post, but certainly a valid question.] But discussions about a country’s right to secure it’s borders, don’t take into account another Biblical concept, which has also been present in international understandings and law for millennia; the individual’s right to migrate. Biblical examples supporting this notion abound; one is that God commanded Abraham to migrate from Ur, and another is God commanded Moses to lead an entire oppressed people group out of North Africa and into the Middle East.
Beyond this, God actually has a place in his heart for the immigrant and requires His people to care for them as a subset of God’s command for us to love our neighbors. The basis for God requiring us to have compassion on immigrants is that Israel is to remember that they were once immigrants and oppressed and that God delivered them, so that they may deliver others from oppression by welcoming the immigrant (eg. Exod. 22:21; 23:9). In fact God used Israel’s time under the oppression as a migrant labor force to develop in them compassion for those who were migrants in their land, because they were to be the people of God to whom all the nations came to meet God. Part of this meeting with God included being welcomed by his people. This applies to the Christian because we have been grafted in (Romans 11) – God has welcomed us to be part of His people, and He expects us to extend this attitude of welcome to people everywhere (e.g. Rom 15) and in particular immigrants. The extent of the welcome includes celebration as well (e.g. Deut 5:14; 14:29; 16:11, 14; 26:11-13). While these passages are describing religious celebrations, in the context these are also social celebrations. We can understand this today as welcoming the immigrant and encouraging them to integrate into our culture; not in a hostile “do it or else” way, but in a way that allows them to continue to rejoice in the way God has made them as a particular people. The Psalms encourage us to identify with the immigrant: Ps 39:12, “Hear my prayer, O LORD/ and give ear to my cry /hold not your peace at my tears!/For I am a sojourner with you/ a guest, like all my fathers,” and Ps 119:19, “I am a sojourner on the earth;/ hide not your commandments from me!” Because the immigrant is at greater risk for exploitation and marginalization, special care must be given to him to ensure that equity is maintained. Finally although obvious it bears mentioning that immigrants are created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-28) just like the native born and that is sufficient reason in and of itself to care for their dignity and lives, and that indeed all the rest of what has been said here flows out of this notion.

I have left the question of precedence between the right to secure borders and the right to immigrate open in this post, mainly due to space limitations, but also to encourage discussion on the question. My goal here has been to challenge the prevailing Evangelical notion that the United States’ right to secure its borders is absolute. If we are honest in our approach to Scripture we must admit that we have a responsibility to welcome those who are marginalized and oppressed and find ways to welcome them into our businesses, churches, homes and hearts.

David Noble

PS - for more political/religious discussion roll out to Llywelyn's tonight (Thursday Night) for On Tap: www.ontapdiscussion.blogspot.com

Parenting Stories (Part 2)

When Matt asked me to write about parenting, my thoughts went in fifty directions. As the mom of three very different children, ages 17, 20, and 23, I have lots of material to choose from. Teenagers can be very challenging and, for a period of time, that was the understatement of the year around here. But God is amazing in how he walked us through each day, picking up the pieces of our mistakes and showing us in every situation how much he loves our children.

Ken and I would try so hard to make the right decisions for our kids. But even after prayer, searching, and many long nights of discussion we would often not get it right. And then God, in his loving, “I have plenty of grace for you” way, would show us what we were really supposed to do. When my daughter Laura was getting ready to finish high school, we visited 12 colleges. I’m not kidding! I almost had to take out a student loan to pay for the gas! But finally we made a decision and she enrolled at Hannibal LaGrange, a nice little Christian College not too far away. She called me almost every day and tried to sound cheerful, but I could tell how totally homesick she was. And, after the second visit there, I knew she was miserable and depressed. So we brought her home at semester break, she enrolled at Meramec, and like magic she turned back into her happy self. She had been living here at home for 17 months and it is very evident that she needs to be here. She still needs us and, in many ways, we still need her. We have a precious relationship.
Not many years earlier I would have told Laura she needed to “stick it out,” because it was a good college and she needed to be where she could totally focus on her studying. But children need so much more than “what is best for them.” They need to be loved for who they are, even if that is fragile and broken. Maybe that is what I need too. At Riverside we talk a lot about what it means to be human in light of the humanity of Jesus. I think the correlation is simple in this case – My kids need me to accept them without any expectations. That doesn’t mean that is all there is to parenting, but it means I need to love them without any expectations. After 3 kids and 23 years of parenting I am finally figuring that out!

-Carolyn Knarr

Music Monday

"The characteristic common to God and man is apparently [this]: the desire and the ability to make things up."
-Dorothy Sayers

I wonder sometimes what it is about certain forms of art (particularly music and literature, at least for me) that can cause people to be so enthralled, enamored and even enraged. I think Ms. Sayers was on to something. As image bearers of God, one of the traits that we carry with us is the capacity for creation, which is also a capacity to appreciate beauty...and God saw that it was good...and a capacity to recognize when something in creation is askew...it was not good. As we use this space to blog about music and other arts, I look forward to an ongoing discussion about how we view creation and the act of creating as part of our reflection of God's character.

Stuff that I’ve seen/heard/read recently that I might blog about later: Rachel Getting Married, Rural Alberta Advantage, Other Lives, The Decemberists, and White Rabbits (as a shout out the the Webster boys who made good, see their new video posted below)

-Brian Janous

Is Faih a Weakness???

-Bob Dillon is a member of Riverside Church, and the assistant principle of Nipher Middle School in nearby Kirkwood, Mo. Bob recently taught a class in media at UMSL, and the Riverside Blog asked him to help us deal with media and the phenomenon of 24 hour news.

Is Faith a Weakness?

The essayists, authors, and commentators of our secular society have
finally broken me down. They have convinced me that yes, faith is a
weakness. They have swayed me to think that faith creates a skewed
perception of reality and clouds the decision-making ability of those
that lean on it for support. They have persuaded me that those of faith
aren’t tolerant and open people that embrace all and accept that
society is growing in the right direction.

They have me believing that faithful people lack the understanding of
our complex, global society in which values are flexible and decisions
are made systematically without the crutch of a decision-making
structure that accounts for God’s will. Finally, they have established
for me that faith doesn’t allow us to think, be intellectual, or
experience life to the fullest as it limits our time, creates
commitments, and steers conversation.

How can we grow strong with these chains of faith bound to our side? In
this world that requires us to absorb new ideas and information, having
a lens of faith, through which all filters, is our secular worlds
version of a death sentence to enlightenment. One of the many affects of
this pressure is to muteall discussion of faith in casual conversation.

Has anyone else recognized how hard it is to talk about faith,
church-life, or God among casual friends, acquaintances, or those at
work? I’m not even talking about evangelizing, but simple mentions of
what fulfills your life. I wonder if I am afraid because I worry I will be
seen as weak, out of the mainstream, or simply that the grand light of
my opinions will seem dim? :)

This pressure shouldn’t pigeonhole conversations about faith, values,
and religion because isn’t this society at its fullest when no ideas
are muted in the marketplace of ideas? As people of faith, it remains
important that we examine these concepts about faith as weakness that
are presented to us almost daily while still focusing on the reasons
that we grow through faith.

My encouragement - after teaching near this subject for a year, is in a few areas.
First, we must walk miles in others’ shoes.
This means most importantly that we understand the core concerns of
those resisting a society with a faithful lifestyle in the forefront. By
pushing aside the ideas of the secular society without careful
examination, how can we possibly ask the same from the other side when
our moments to persuade occur.

Second, people of faith radiate a beauty of kindness. We need to
purposefully use this glow throughout our daily lives in our actions.
This means choosing to do the little things until the little things are
so habitual that they flow naturally everyday. I believe that there is a
true sense throughout all of society that these types of actions are the
core strength of those with faith.

It is hard for me to not see faith as a weakness. But, when I clear my head,
through actions and prayer, I know that I am actually weak without
faith.