And Am I Born to Die :: Video
A capella version of And Am I Born to Die (Idumea) from the lead singer of Stolen Shack (me), my album featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered. I learned this tune from my good buddy Micah, who learned it off of Doc Watson’s first solo album…
This hymn means a lot to me, and in my mind is a political and religious statement. “And am I born to die, to lay this body down, or must my trembling spirit fly into a world unknown…” That is the cry of the oppressed, the cry of the scared soldier, the prayer of the terrified soul… Are certain people ‘destined’ to die, or can we help to create a world where children are safe from harm?
Authenticity in Worship: “Authentic” Music?
My response within a discussion for Dr. Gilson Waldkoenig’s Music and Culture class at the Lutheran Theologial Seminary at Gettysburg, about authenticity in worship:
On Authenticity in Worship: Are we being “Authentic” when we reach out to new kinds of music?
With all this talk of Authenticity, I had another idea…
______’s points are fantastic, and I have had very similar experiences… We have all taken part in an all-white service that was a bit jerky when moving to the beat of an African-American spiritual!…
But I wonder what is on the other side of that?… I know that my parents, for example, don’t cringe, as I do, when their organist launches into another rendition of some spiritual at dirge pace, with the intensity of Wagner on a bad day… They love it! And they love the contemporary services that put that gospel feel into the music that doesn’t really deserve it, and where it doesn’t quite belong!
Why do we white Swedes and other pales of European descent like singing African songs, African-American songs, as well as all kinds of other odd musics from around the world, etc?… I think there’s an element of praise sneaking back up on us from afar. We are creeping back towards those Great Awakening singings where people would faint and shout… But just a little… Not too much:)
Worship should be diverse — there should be two sides to the coin… There should be the liturgy/music that is comfortable, and that that is uncomfortable…, but exciting, and stimulating. Something that brings us back to calm, to home, to peace. And something that stirs up the waters!
We Lutherans tend to prefer the placid keyboard sound of Marty Haugen, and not the fiery sound of the steel drum worship band in NYC. We prefer just using the green and blue books, soon the ‘new’ red book, because it’s safe. It’s what the others are doing…
I think we should all stay safe. Wear our helmet… tie a rope around our waists… Make sure someone is spotting for us. And then jump! Knowing that we will come safely back home in a few minutes…
I teach German at the university here — and last week I, again, decided to pull a Robin Williams (you know, where he made the kids stand on their desks, and rip pages out of their books in Dead Poet’s Society…) — and I did the following:
I first scared the Dickens out of the students, by telling them how the test would be really really hard, but that the whole goal was learning — and if they learned on the test, they would ultimately be fulfilling my goals for them… And then I had these poor students, only 6 weeks into German 111, write 5 pages of essays, conjugate 20 verbs fully (enough to make any hand tired), along with several other ridiculously hard tasks… And, when they were all terrified of the results, and exhausted from the effort, I told them to rip up the test. And they did. Immediately, the tension was broken, and the room erupted in laughter and smiles. All of the students went home happy that evening.
It’s the same with our church body. We need to break that code that locks our wrists… ‘Shock’ people with something new (and terrifying), and watch them learn… They will be disgruntled, upset. ‘We’ll never do this again’ they say… And many churches won’t.
But we need to tear up the exam at that point. Let them leave with their pants on — tell them it was all a joke. It didn’t really hurt, now did it? It wasn’t for keeps — we don’t need to change forever… They will return to their comfort zone… But, each time the reistant congregation ventures out, it will be less afraid…
And each time, they can be reassured that the tradition is still there when they return… It’s like going away to camp — at first, the homesickness sets in, but soon, the joy of the woods takes over!
But eventually, there must be a place where tradition and modernity in liturgy meet. That’s what I’m working on finding in my own music:), and I think many others are as well…
The Next President of the United States?
In her amusing and frank blog, The Dude Abides, Cathleen Falsani talks about her book “The God Factor.” She gives me a lot of hope that Barack Obama could be the next president of the United States. That is the way things go, isn’t it — like a pendulum? I think we deserve a serious swing! President Bush and his cronies have so alienated and abused their constituents that I think we could ‘even’ have a midwesterner, and a black liberal as president! Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
The reason I believe Kerry didn’t win wasn’t because of his charisma. He had plenty, as did Gore. But not the right kind. He wasn’t a Baptist. The only victories the liberals have had have been from dyed-in-the-wool Christians, Clinton and Carter… Can’t we learn our lesson, and find a Christian liberal that could stand up to the intensely oppressive right-wing regime? Barack, after reading Falsani’s blog entry, seems to be the perfect candidate!
Here is Falsani, from her blog, quoting an interview from a couple of years ago that is in her book, The God Factor.
Here’s one of my favorite things Barack told me from that chapter in The God Factor:
The God Factor
“The most powerful political moments for me come when I feel like my actions are aligned with a certain truth. I can feel it. When I’m talking to a group and I’m saying something truthful, I can feel a power that comes out of those statements that is different than when I’m just being glib or clever.
Is that the power of the Holy Spirit? I asked him.
“I think it’s the power of the recognition of God, or the recognition of a larger truth that is being shared between me and the audience. That’s something you learn watching ministers — what they call the Holy Spirit. They want the Holy Spirit to come down while they’re preaching, right? Not to try to intellectualize it, but what I see there are moments that happen within a sermon where the minister gets out of his ego and is speaking from a different source. And it’s powerful. There are also time when you can see the ego getting in the way, where the minister is performing and clearly straining for applause or an amen. And those are distinct moments. But I think those former moments are sacred.”
Obama is a real force to be reckoned with!
Kent Growing Up?
Well, something a few people believe I never quite did:) Here I am growing up on this ‘touching’ Hallmark-moment holiday film for my family last year. If you are an arch enemy, you will surely find some weak chinks in my chain here:) Tell your families you love them today! (You’ll see my message to my family at the end of this one:)
Love, Engagement and Google Video!
This one makes me teary-eyed:) My good friend John and I tailed my now-fiance Katharina around in his car that was rather charmingly missing a front passenger seat, and took pictures from afar as she followed the steps of a scavenger hunt. Little did she know that a BIG present was laying wait for her in the dunes at sunset! A must see adventure short… (Well, probably a little more like a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, but you can make your own judgments:)
My fiance Katharina says, amusingly, “Sicher stellen, weitersuchen…” — if you understand German you can chuckle. We’ve been engaged now for several months, and we’ve only gotten closer, so I don’t know how much water the expression holds:)
