Tweet

EMAIL

PRINT

Comments (0)

Related articles and links |  1 of 3

Thank you to Christianity Today for shedding light on what's driving so much of today's faith-fueled music ["Songs of Justice, Missions of Mercy," November]. Having worked in music my entire adult life, I have never seen the social-justice drive as prevalent among the creatives as I do now.

I do think CT left out one important story. In the early 1970s, a group of newly converted Christian hippies called Jesus People usa created a community centered on discipleship, evangelism, and social justice. Out of their commune came Cornerstone Magazine, an evangelical voice that spoke out against apartheid, spiritual abuse, war, and much more. They fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and—with their hard-edged Resurrection Band—rocked.

Cornerstone, Rez Band, and Cornerstone Festival have a nearly 40-year legacy of this faith-in-action work, and many of the artists mentioned in CT's article have a deep connection to this gathering. I encourage any Christian artist to make the pilgrimage to Cornerstone and get infected by the same bug that bit me 25 years ago.

John J. Thompson
Nashville, Tennessee

I have a tendency to skeptically think that social justice is just the latest trend in Christian music. But I'm struck by how many artists are taking justice seriously and changing their lifestyles as a result. I recently heard two artists quote Amos 5:23-24—the unlikeliest of verses for a musician to quote: "Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream." Seeking justice will take different forms for different artists, but it's wonderful to see hands and feet moving once hearts have been moved.

Mark Geil
Atlanta, Georgia

A group of students left InterVarsity's chapter at Claremont McKenna College last fall for the very reasons mentioned in "Not All Evangelicals and Catholics Together" [November]. We felt that, in its attempt to unite Catholics and Christians, the chapter had compromised the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The new club includes many students who go to Foothill Bible Church, which is very similar to Capitol Hill Baptist. In my experience, the doctrine of justification is not mentioned in InterVarsity meetings. If students were more informed about the debate, I believe we would see a major shift in campus ministries nationwide.

Luke Rhee
Claremont, California

I wish those reading Collin Hansen's article could hear N. T. Wright's 2007 lectures on sacramental theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake. In the lectures and the Q&A sessions, he delineated how he differs, on biblical grounds, from Catholic theologians and students. Wright is so non-Catholic that the idea that he leads his readers to Rome is preposterous.

The departing group of students' reaction to InterVarsity is standard fare for some polemicists. Timothy George, who knows Reformational theology as well as any evangelical, understands the issues much better, which is why his quotes were helpful. Both sides of this debate need to stop, take a deep breath, and reflect on things more carefully.

John H. Armstrong
Carol Stream, Illinois

I used to be passionate about these debates. Now I can't muster a scrap of enthusiasm for them. They deflect energy away from our main work: loving God and neighbor, and caring for the poor. And they lead to bitterness and disunity, as evidenced by the split among George Washington University students. As well as heeding Paul's message about justification, we also need to remember his message about foolish controversies.

next page... |  1 of 3

January 2010, Vol. 54, No. 1