The CT Review: Watered-Down Love
"Bob Dylan encountered Jesus in 1978, and that light has not entirely faded as he turns 60"
Steve Turner | posted 5/21/2001 12:00AM
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Sounes recounts the already well-documented details of Dylan's conversion—the influence of his African-American backup singers, his contact with Vineyard Fellowship in California, his baptism by immersion, his regular attendance at discipleship classes—but doesn't seek to determine the precise role of religion in his life.
Unlike Michael Gray, author of the impressive Song and Dance Man III, which seems to footnote every Bible verse alluded to in the lyrics, Sounes has no real understanding of Christian theology. Sounes refers to Dylan writing out verses from "the Book of Paul" and connects his conversion with an earlier belief (not uncommon among rock stars) that his songs came to him from God. "It was a small step, apparently," he concludes, "from this to flinging himself headfirst into orthodox religion."
But Dylan's conversion appeared to be a genuine work of regeneration rather than a chase for the source of creativity. He studied the Bible in depth, put his career on the line (for a time) by refusing to play his back catalog in concert, alienated his friends by accusing them of spiritual blindness, and horrified his record company by recording songs of a Christian explicitness unparalleled in the rock genre.
Sounes also fails to follow the thread of religious interest that has been there ever since the biblical language of early songs like "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (a running theme that caused poet Allen Ginsberg to speak in 1975 of Dylan's "songs of redemption").
Sounes makes no mention of the Zen that seemed to inform songs of the Bringing It All Back Home period or Dylan's later interest in the tarot, astrology, and Egyptian mythology. We don't get to discover what the Lubavitchers believe and how it may differ from the Judaism of Dylan's upbringing in Hibbing, Minnesota.
Hobbled by Isolation
What is clear from this account is that Dylan hasn't been walking the talk. At times his life seems like a shambles. Dylan's church attendance was sporadic even in his most evangelical days but is now nonexistent. The womanizing and drunkenness that Dylan once saw as evidence of the old life have apparently continued almost uninterrupted.
Although Sounes does not mention it, the lack of close Christian fellowship and Bible ministry must have affected the quality and consistency of Dylan's faith. This may be in part because of Dylan's restless spirit and continuous touring, but it's also because churches have such trouble helping celebrities blend in as ordinary members. When Dylan attended church, Vineyard assistant pastor Bill Dwyer tells Sounes, "people would glom onto him: Oh, it's Bob Dylan!"
The importance of Bob Dylan's work exists regardless of the nature of his commitment to Christ. He opened my ears to the possibilities of music and language long before either of us called ourselves Christians. He played a large part in nurturing my belief that poetry could come out of the libraries and into the streets. He continues to inspire me, not just through his songs but through his determination to avoid mindless conformity and his ability to rise to new levels of artistic greatness. Dylan's Oscar-winning song, "Things Have Changed," is a true return to form. He remains one of the few artists who can raise my goose bumps simply through unexpected juxtapositions of words.
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