The Prosperity Drug - Margaret Manning

The following post is a slight departure from my typical postings, but only because it so clearly identifies one of the inspirations behind rock, pop, and secular christian music today. After reading this article go here http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?loc_id=639,617&act=nav_loc to read some of the lyrics to John and Charles Wesley's hymns. - Editor


The catchy beat was disarming. Driving down the highway with my hands tapping out the rhythm on my steering wheel, I thought this was just another clever pop tune with bubblegum lyrics. Then the words to the chorus caught my attention:

“I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When we think it will all become clearI’m being taken over by The Fear.”(1)

This song sung by the young British pop star, Lily Allen, was not just another slickly produced tune without substance. Allen sings of the destructive impact of materialism:

“I want to be rich and I want lots of money
I want loads of clothes and loads of diamonds
I heard people die while they are trying to find them

Life’s about film stars and less about mothers
It’s all about fast cars and passing each other
But it doesn’t matter because I’m packing plastic
and that’s what makes my life so fantastic

And I am a weapon of massive consumptionand
it’s not my fault it’s how I’m programmed to function

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
Cause I’m being taken over by fear.”

Among other things, the song laments the vacuity of mindless consumption and its pervasiveness in our society. Consumption, as Allen points out, can be like any other form of addiction, providing an initial high that hooks us, but never again delivers what it promises. Instead, it leads us down the path toward diminishing returns and never ultimately calms our fear.

Over 200 years before Ms. Allen stepped onto the pop music scene in the United Kingdom, John Wesley articulated the dangers of materialism. “I fear, wherever riches have increased,” he wrote, “the essence of religion has decreased in the same proportion. Therefore, I do not see how it is possible, in the nature of things, for any revival of religion to continue long....[A]s riches increase, so will pride, anger and love of the world in all its branches."(2) Even as thousands and thousands were joining his ranks, he spoke prophetically about the inevitable decline and dissolution of this revival as a result of the increase of wealth arising from Christian diligence and frugality.

Indeed, it is well known to students of human societies that an increase in prosperity often brings with it a precipitous decline in religious involvement. After all, why would anyone need God when there is Master Card and Visa? The declining numbers in churches in the Western World seem to affirm that Wesley’s fears were warranted. Christian leaders speculate that if current trends continue in England, for example, Methodists will cease to exist in that country in thirty years.(3) Of course, long before Wesley uttered his fears, Jesus warned his disciples: “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches” (Luke 16:13). Jesus warns of the idolatry that so easily entraps us, luring us away from faithful allegiance.

We might be tempted to avoid these difficult warnings in times of economic “slow down.” How can we be tempted to serve “the master” of money, after all, when we have so much less of it? Yet even in its absence, we can find our hearts soothed more by money than by God and behold the signs of a dangerous dependence. When our hearts find salvation and security in having more and more material gain--whether we actually hold it or not--we are reminded of “the deceitfulness of riches” and the narcotic effects of material success.

Thus clearly, the abolition of wealth or production is not the answer to materialism! Rather, the answer lies in the proper use of wealth in our world: as a blessing for others and not just for our own use. Jesus instructed disciples to “sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven....For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:33-34).

John Wesley understood this, too, and in the spirit of Jesus reiterates the same idea: “We ought not to forbid people to be diligent and frugal: we must exhort all Christians, to gain all they can, and to save all they can... What way then (I ask again) can we take that our money may not sink us to the nethermost hell? There is one way, and there is no other under heaven. If those who gain all they can, and save all they can, will likewise give all they can, then the more they gain, the more they will grow in grace, and the more treasure they will lay up in heaven.”(4)

In difficult economic times, this is far from unnecessary counsel. It may be, in fact, the very idea that finally breaks the chains of addiction and reveals a far better treasure.

Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Seattle, Washington. (1) Lily Allen, “The Fear” from It’s Not Me, It’s You, Regal Records, United Kingdom, January 26, 2009.(2) Cited in an article by Philip Yancey, "Traveling with Wesley" Christianity Today, November 2007, vol. 51, No. 11.(3)Ibid.(4) Cited from The Works of the Rev. John Wesley, vol. XV (London: Thomas Cordeux, 1786).

© 2008 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

Memorial Day

BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC
Words:
bio("Ju­lia W. Howe","h/o/w/howe_jw")
Ju­lia W. Howe, 1861, alt.
This hymn was born dur­ing the Amer­i­can ci­vil war, when Howe vis­it­ed a Un­ion Ar­my camp on the Po­to­mac Riv­er near Wash­ing­ton, D. C. She heard the sol­diers sing­ing the song “John Brown’s Body,” and was tak­en with the strong march­ing beat. She wrote the words the next day:
I awoke in the grey of the morn­ing, and as I lay wait­ing for dawn, the long lines of the de­sired po­em be­gan to en­twine them­selves in my mind, and I said to my­self, “I must get up and write these vers­es, lest I fall asleep and for­get them!” So I sprang out of bed and in the dim­ness found an old stump of a pen, which I re­mem­bered us­ing the day be­fore. I scrawled the vers­es al­most with­out look­ing at the p­aper.
The hymn ap­peared in the At­lant­ic Month­ly in 1862. It was sung at the fun­er­als of Brit­ish states­man Win­ston Church­ill, Amer­i­can sen­at­or Ro­bert Ken­ne­dy, and Am­er­i­can pre­si­dents Ron­ald Rea­gan and Ri­chard Nix­on.
Music: John Brown’s Bo­dy, poss­i­bly by John Will­iam Steffe
lmn("j/o/John%20Browns%20Body")
(MI­DI, score). John Brown was an Amer­i­can abo­li­tion­ist who led a short lived in­­sur­­rect­­ion to free the slaves.


Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
“As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal”;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;[originally …let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.


WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN
Words:
bio("Eli­za E. Hew­itt","h/e/w/hewitt_ees")
Eli­za E. Hew­itt, in Pen­te­cost­al Prais­es, by
bio("Wil­liam Kirk­pat­rick","k/i/r/kirkpatrick_wj")
Wil­liam Kirk­pat­rick and
bio("Hen­ry Gil­mour","g/i/gilmour_hl")
Hen­ry Gil­mour (Phil­a­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: Hall-Mack Com­pa­ny, 1898).
Music:
bio("Em­i­ly D. Wil­son","w/i/l/wilson_ed")
Em­i­ly D. Wil­son
lmn("h/e/Heaven")
(MI­DI, score).
fot("Em­i­ly Wil­son")



Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessèd
He’ll prepare for us a place.

Refrain
When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when traveling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Refrain

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

Refrain

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.

Refrain

Politically Correct Hymns

Politically Correct Hymns

Mainline Protestant denominations are engaging in a publishing frenzy to see who can produce the most politically correct hymnal for today's church-goer. The traditional language of worship is being revised in order to be more gender-neutral, and to avoid the possibility of minorities and people with disabilities being offended by what has been deemed "antiquated" language. For example:

= The phrase "right hand of God" has been changed to "mighty" or "strong" hand of God, so that no left-handed people won't feel insulted.

= The words "darkness" or "blind" can no longer be used to symbolize spiritual ignorance.

= No longer appropriate are such terms as "Lord;" "Ruler," "King," and "Master," when referring to the Almighty. A truly democratic God is now addressed as the "All-inclusive One," "Great Spirit," "Architect Divine," or "Source of Being." On a more personal level, God is ferquently referred to as "Mother" and "Partner."

= Rarely are personal pronouns applied to Christ, and hymns such as "Crown Him With Many Crowns" now appears as "Crown With Your Richest Crowns."

= Jesus is referred to as "God's only Child" rather than "God's Only Son."

< Other changes made to old favorites include "Faith of Our Fathers," which is now "Faith of the Martyrs." "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind," now appears as "Dear God, embrace Humankind."

< In Isaac Watts' beautiful hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," the phrase "On which the Prince of glory died" has been replaced by "On which the Christ of glory died."

< And in "Just As I Am," all reference to being "poor, wretched, and blind" has been eliminated.

The fastest-selling of these new hymnals is The New Century Hymnal, published by the United Church of Christ. The use of the hymnal is not mandatory among the 6,200 congregation of the UCC, but already more than 250,000 of this edition have been sold, some to other denominations. This hymnal is praised because it "balances the masculine and feminine images of God, and sometimes refers to God as "Her."
Thomas Smith, executive director of the Fort Worth, Texas-based Hymn Society of the United States and Canada (http://www.thehymnsociety.org/), has estimated that 90 percent of denominations have already adopted a new hymnal, or are now preparing one.
Of course, not all new hymnals will embrace such a dramatic shift in biblical theology. But the fact that such lunacy is considered acceptable by a significant number of Protestant congregations signifies just how far denominations have turned from the Word of God.

--Editors note: This article was taken from the August 1996 edition of Believers News - A publication of Believers International - obviously from a few years back, but definitely food for thought. Pass it on by clicking the envelope below.