The Scene has a story on Rocketown this week.
For those of you who have no idea what Rocketown is, the brief description is that it is a Christian club started by Michael W. Smith. The club’s aim is to reach young people who are in need of Jesus. They have workshops, a large indoor skate park and they book bands.
I’m about 25 years too old to be part of Rocketown’s demographic, and as a lifelong Christian, I’m not the person they’re trying to reach. I’m too fat, too old, too white and too churched to be the target Rocketown customer–and that’s not a bad thing. (You’d likely have to hold a gun to my head to get me into anything called a “skate park”, since even the presence of Heelys makes my blood pressure skyrocket.)
I read the Scene’s story about Rocketown today, and for the most part was pretty pleased with the fact that MWS has been able to make his vision work. (Full disclosure: one of my former bosses was somehow in on the founding of the original Rocketown in Franklin. I can’t remember specificially how, but she went to lunch with a guy who was working on it and came back with piles of things with the Rocketown logo that I had to file.)
But what I’m concerned about is the larger picture brought to mind with the show booker for the club mentioned that he books non-Christian acts for the club. One of the acts he booked does an anti-homosexual song called “Faggot”. Aware of the hate message, he booked the act anyway “because the kids wanted to [see that particular band].”
And this is where I have a problem with what we Christians do when we’re fishing for men. See, I know that oft-quoted meme of “Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes”. People (including me) have been throwing that out there for decades to justify associating outside The Circle. I have non-Christian friends, non-Christian business clients and I even read non-Christian books.
But I think we need to realise that while Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes He himself never extorted money from people or turned tricks. That’s why I think it’s really important to watch what we do in Jesus’ name. To me, if you’re operating a club in Jesus’ name, you ought to not hire performers whose act is blatantly anti-Christian. And to me, espousing hate for anyone is fundamentally anti-Christian. If Christ is love, then hate is not of Christ.
Do I think places like Rocketown shouldn’t hire non-Christian bands? Not necessarily. But I do think there’s a difference between “these people don’t have a faith in Christ” and “these people actively espouse tenants that are wholly contrary to the tenants espoused by Jesus.”
It may be a fine line, but I think it’s there.
i used to know some of the managers of rocketown. they often told me that it was an interesting job to allow to be called a Christian entity. but in other instances state that they really were not a Christian entity when people got on their case about not doing scripture teachings or bands that were not Christian and wanted no part of in the faith. a tough line to sit on and when it comes to anything faith, people are emotionally touched. their identity is tied to it. and with so many idea of what one should do, they will probably never do right.
I guess I’m confused. I thought Christianity was generally anti-homosexual.
If you think that a religion that embraces humility, mercy and love promotes deliberate malice by some sinners towards others, you’re misreading the book.
To Jay,
Generally, many people think Christians are anti-homosexual. However, many Christians, even fundamentalists believe that all people are sinners and in need of salvation, so they are not against the people, but people’s sinful behavior. They are not anti-homosexual, they are anti-homosexual-ity.
The suffix makes it an entirely different noun.
Being anti-homosexual is being not Christian, because it is being anti-people.
I diverge with my sister on many issues, but this is one on which all people must be clear. Christians love people, no matter what sin they have.
One of the biggest schisms in the church is how churches define homosexuality. Some define it as sin, while others do not. There is extreme diversity of opinion among many biblical scholars on this issue.
I guess I’m confused. I thought Christianity was generally anti-homosexual.
No, many Christians are generally anti-homosexual. Christianity is pretty unrelated to the average Christian these days.
>The suffix makes it an entirely different noun.
Well, many Christians seem to *think* it’s entirely different.
But you simply can’t tell a person that something so integral to their identity is “wrong”, when there is absolutely zero logical reason for it to be so, without being an insulting jackass. Whether you intend to be or believe you are or not.
But you simply can’t tell a person that something so integral to their identity is “wrong”, when there is absolutely zero logical reason for it to be so, without being an insulting jackass. Whether you intend to be or believe you are or not.
Sort of like you just did to all the Christians out there, right? Right?