Derek Webb can’t seem to stay away from controversy. Yet again he has “crossed the lines” that the Christian market can’t handle. American Christianity wants to hear songs that make them feel good, songs about Jesus getting them “through the storms” of life and such, but they can’t handle it when a little guy from Nashville says a four-letter word to shake us out of our apathy and mediocrity.
The controversy of this album centers around one song, titled, “What Matters Most.” Here’s a link to the song on YouTube with the lyrics written out beside the video.
To give a quick rundown on the point of the song, the main point of the song is that we (Christians) have our priorities out of order when it comes to social issues. Here in America, Christians are known first and foremost as anti-homosexuality. That is the big fight that Christians are fighting. In fact, to most America, it looks like that’s all Christians care about. Derek Webb exaggerates this point in the song when he sarcastically states,
“If I can tell what’s in your heart by what comes out of your mouth, Then it sure looks to me like being straight is all it’s about.”
We can’t deny the fact that many Christians are committing ungodly hate toward the gay community. Christians are focusing way too much on homosexuality more than any other social issue. That is the Christianity that Webb is calling out. Not once in the song does Webb condone homosexuality or say it’s not an important issue. I don’t know what his personal stance is, but he certainly does not make the claim that it is okay or not important, so don’t write him off that quickly. Stick around and try to grasp what he’s getting at. He’s not condoning homosexuality. He’s not saying it’s not important. However, he is condemning the hate that is expressed towards the gay community by many Christians and condemning the intense focus on that one issue when there are bigger priorities in the world.
The whole song leads up to when Webb gets to his point in saying,
” ‘Cause we can talk and debate until we’re blue in the face
About the language and tradition that he’s comin’ to save
Meanwhile we sit just like we don’t give a shit
About 50,000 people who are dyin’ today”
And that is his point. Generally speaking, American Christianity really isn’t doing anything to help social matters except talk, debate, vote against and whine about the gay community without doing anything constructive in the world. Then, Webb alludes to a statistic put out by the Make Poverty History campaign, which states that “50,000 people die every day from poverty-related causes.” Christianity in America is so focused on gay marriage, Prop 8, and gay rights that we have totally forgotten about a world that is in dire need of someone to give them food and clean water just to live. It has seemed that Christians are spending an inordinate amount of time on fighting the gay community and condemning homosexuals when that time and those energies could be spent making a big difference providing food and water and life for the poor around the world.
The amount of time and energy spent confronting the issue of homosexuality is certainly greater than the time and energy that could be spent on matters that are equally important or more so. Is it controversial for Webb to assert that Christians ought to focus on the hungry, poor and sick as much or more than we do the issues related to the growing acceptance of homosexuality?
You can’t read the Scriptures and bypass these daily 50,000 deaths like it’s not a top priority. From cover to cover, the command to the people of God is continually to take care of the poor and the alien (foreigner). Anyone who has read the end of Matthew 25 knows that the criteria for separating the sheep from the goats is taking care of the poorest of people.
Webb’s use of drastic language isn’t the first time a Christian leader has done this. Tony Campolo did the same thing years ago to make the point that Christians cared more about him using a curse word than learning that thousands are dying daily from poverty. Personally, although he uses drastic language to make a drastic point, I think that Derek Webb’s point is valid and his method is probably necessary to shake us out of apathy. People and organizations have been calling out to the Christian community for years to do something about world poverty, but we, as we selfishly do, remain in apathy. Maybe it takes someone like Webb doing something drastic to call us out. Maybe there isn’t a “clean” word that can contain that sort of passion and emotion to show us our apathy. This is certainly not the same as a stand-up comedian who uses foul language just for its own sake.
Even some of the authors of the Scriptures understand that drastic points take drastic language. Many of the Old Testament prophets’ words, actions, and images are so drastic or even raunchy that I’m surprised it’s not banned from libraries. Plus, even the Apostle Paul decided that sometimes it’s necessary to use strong language to make the strongest point possible.
Beyond that argument (his point is not about cursing), the whole point is “what matters more.” I am inclined to say that Webb’s point is absolutely valid. We, the body of Christ, need to be the ones who stand up for the millions who are going to bed hungry tonight and the 50,000 that will die today just from lack of food and clean water. We need to be the ones to eradicate this problem. Not just because it’s a good thing to do, but because it is the work of Christ. We need to be shaken out of our apathy.
More to come on what Derek Webb is up to. He isn’t calling us out without personal action. He is out to live the Gospel and be the body of Jesus to a dying, impoverished world. Not just write songs about it.
So what’s your thoughts?
Ground rules: If all you want to do is bash Derek Webb, the song, or my views, don’t comment. You are welcome to disagree, but come with reasons, not hate speech.
