A Culture Needs Its Poets

Funny The Way It Is ~ Dave Matthews Band

Lying in the park on a beautiful day
Sunshine in the grass and the children play
Sirens pass and fire engine red
Someone’s house is burning down
On a day like this
And evening comes and were hanging out
On the front step and a car goes
By with the windows rolled down
And that war song is playing
Why can’t we be friends?
Someone is screaming and crying
In the apartment upstairs

Chorus
Funny the way it is
If you think about it
Somebody’s going hungry
And someone else is eating out
Funny the way it is, not right or wrong
Somebody’s heart is broken
And it becomes your favorite song

Funny the way it is
If you think about it
One kid walks 10 miles to school
Another’s dropping out
Funny the way it is, not right or wrong
On a soldier’s last breath
His baby is being born

Standing on a bridge
Watch the water passing under me
It must have been much harder
When there was no bridge just water
Now the world is small
Compared to how it used to be
With mountains and oceans and winters
And rivers and stars

Watch the sky
A jet plane so far out of my reach
Is there someone up there
Looking down on me?
A boy chase a bird
So close but every time
He never catch her
But he can’t stop trying

Even those who live in darkness may stumble across the bright light of revelation from time to time. A culture’s poets often serve as a window into the collective heart and soul of a particular people. At our time and place in history, many of our culture’s poets would likely be our songwriters or possibly even filmmakers.

Paul in his famous speech in Acts 17 quotes from a hymn to Zeus composed by the Cretan poet Epimenides (also used in Titus 1:12) as well as using a portion of Phainomena, a poem by Stoic poet Aratus. Paul uses these true statements made by pagan poets to build bridges with a people who would not have understood Old Testament quotations or even Judaic cultural practices. In other words, he was not using “churchy” language (or even Scripture for that matter) to reach people who had no frame of reference to understand what he was saying.

A contemporary example might be quoting Chuck Colson or James Dobson as an authority source when discussing a particular issue with a non-believer. They are then left wondering, “Why would I care what some old white dude says?” It carries no weight with them whatsoever.

Granted, Scripture is our highest authority and we would in no way hold up non-believing sources that contradict truth from the Holy Word of God. We would absolutely affirm with Hebrews 4:12-13 that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword and that in its light, all are naked and exposed before the eyes of God. It is not that we believe Scripture lacks power to relate to non-believers. Rather we believe that God reveals himself in multiple ways, and where God reveals himself outside of his “specific revelation” of Scripture, the truth then shared will not be in contradiction to what is revealed in the Word of God. Truth, then, is truth and should be employed as such.

Listen to the words written in the song above. What is being revealed, what is the “poet” drawing our attention to? Is it not the irony in how we walk through life so consumed with ourselves that we fail to see the needs of those around us? Think of how he lays in the park, enjoying the sunshine while at that very moment someone in his own neighborhood is loosing all they have. Or, on a more personal note to the poet, he writes a song about his own heart being broken, and we, his audience, have the audacity to glibly refer to it as “our favorite song”.

There is brokenness here. There is pain and suffering. There is also a potential bridge with non-believers. While you may be hard pressed to find anyone under the age of 30 walking the streets of Southside (or today’s college campus for that matter) familiar with Scripture, you would have just as difficult a time finding anyone who is unfamiliar with the Dave Matthews Band. While they might be hesitant to interact with direct Scriptural quotes, they are very concerned with issues of social justice, brokenness and societal inequality (which is also in part why this particular generation turned out in droves for President Obama in last November’s election).

So what is our calling as believers? Admittedly it is a multifaceted calling. But at least a portion of that calling must be in paying attention to the voices that the culture around us is listening to. This assumes then that we are well-versed enough with these sources to be able to call on them (under the authority of Scripture) and make use of them. This also assumes that we are mature enough in our faith and in our understanding of Scripture to be able to discern truth from lies. Where untruth and evil are espoused, we must shine the light of truth and expose darkness for what it is. BUT, where truth shines, let us draw attention to that as well.

(Disclaimer: The author, in his use of this particular Dave Matthews song, makes no promises and or guarantees as to the quality or usefulness of any other Dave Matthews song. The author is also hereby not responsible for any heads exploding due to attempts trying to weed through much of what the genres of music and film have on offer. Cultural interactions must be undertaken at one’s own risk and under the watchful care of Holy Spirit. If the perceived risk seems too great, please remain in your walled compound until you hear the final trumpet blast signifying it is then safe to come out.) ~ and just in case it wasn’t clear, that last disclaimer was a joke….kinda’.