by Jason Joyner | Sep 14, 2011 | Biblical worldview, Blog, creativity, music
I’d like to introduce you to a lovely young woman from New Zealand.
Brooke Fraser.
You may not be familiar with her. She’s a singer/songwriter who is gaining an international reputation for her thoughtful, creative music. Hopefully you will become acquainted with her, because her songs are quite beautiful, with a unique sound and a touch of whimsy.
So why am I talking about a kiwi musician on a writing blog?
I follow the publishing industry in general, but the Christian fiction (CBA) arm specifically. The discussion of what is a Christian artist/writer/book is a never ending cycle of back and forth.
As for Brooke, she seems to have two distinct careers. She has released three albums for the mainstream, each progressively doing better first in New Zealand, then internationally. However, you may have heard her music on Sunday mornings as well. Her songs “Hosanna” and “Desert Song” are known worldwide in contemporary worship services, and she has done worship with Hillsongs United in Australia (sometimes as Brooke Ligertwood, her married name).
The interesting part is this dichotomy, where she is a successful artist to a mainstream audience, and can write and sing for a Christian audience without losing her other identity. When asked about “tension” with these two different worlds, she replies in an interview on an Australian website for Christian music:
You can’t put what God is doing on this earth into a box… it can’t be summarised into tidy categories. Whatever God is doing through my life, it’s not just about me. There’s a stirring happening in God’s Church, through the creative arts, creative ministries and other things too… and as time moves on we get closer and closer to Jesus coming back. God has a plan for the whole earth and it involves everyone one of us doing our part — it’s not necessarily going to look like something we can easily understand on the natural. I write worship songs that are for the building up of God’s people in the Church, and I love that because I’m able to express really clearly, and declare uncompromisingly my love for Jesus. But at the same time I recognise the importance of my other songs as being like parables… taking Church to people who would never walk into a church…
She says in the article that she doesn’t consider herself a CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) artist and actually resists it strongly because of concerns about “merchandising the gospel.” I know other artists won’t identify with CCM because of concerns of being pigeonholed and possibly reducing their audience, but I’ve never found a major artist who refuses identification with CCM due to such a conviction.
I like the part where she recognizes some of her songs can be directly worshipful, and others are like parables. One of my favorite bands is Switchfoot, and I think many of their songs work in this way.
Songwriting is a different skill than writing fiction, but I believe the ideas brought out by Brooke in her interview and career offer insight to those pursuing writing fiction and wondering where their work fits. I think a fiction example would be Ted Dekker, who is writing best-sellers in the thriller market, while still pursuing stories that speak more directly to a Christian aspect. His books certainly fit a parable.
I know there is a lot to discuss as far as marketing, reaching audiences, and message, but I think having the concept of parable versus being a direct expression of faith in fiction is one to consider.
For my writer friends – where do your stories fit? Parable or more directly speaking to issues of God and faith? What are books that have done both well?
—
Oh, and go check out Brooke’s website for some refreshing music!
—
by Jason Joyner | Sep 14, 2011 | Biblical worldview, Blog, creativity, music
I’d like to introduce you to a lovely young woman from New Zealand.
Brooke Fraser.
You may not be familiar with her. She’s a singer/songwriter who is gaining an international reputation for her thoughtful, creative music. Hopefully you will become acquainted with her, because her songs are quite beautiful, with a unique sound and a touch of whimsy.
So why am I talking about a kiwi musician on a writing blog?
I follow the publishing industry in general, but the Christian fiction (CBA) arm specifically. The discussion of what is a Christian artist/writer/book is a never ending cycle of back and forth.
As for Brooke, she seems to have two distinct careers. She has released three albums for the mainstream, each progressively doing better first in New Zealand, then internationally. However, you may have heard her music on Sunday mornings as well. Her songs “Hosanna” and “Desert Song” are known worldwide in contemporary worship services, and she has done worship with Hillsongs United in Australia (sometimes as Brooke Ligertwood, her married name).
The interesting part is this dichotomy, where she is a successful artist to a mainstream audience, and can write and sing for a Christian audience without losing her other identity. When asked about “tension” with these two different worlds, she replies in an interview on an Australian website for Christian music:
You can’t put what God is doing on this earth into a box… it can’t be summarised into tidy categories. Whatever God is doing through my life, it’s not just about me. There’s a stirring happening in God’s Church, through the creative arts, creative ministries and other things too… and as time moves on we get closer and closer to Jesus coming back. God has a plan for the whole earth and it involves everyone one of us doing our part — it’s not necessarily going to look like something we can easily understand on the natural. I write worship songs that are for the building up of God’s people in the Church, and I love that because I’m able to express really clearly, and declare uncompromisingly my love for Jesus. But at the same time I recognise the importance of my other songs as being like parables… taking Church to people who would never walk into a church…
She says in the article that she doesn’t consider herself a CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) artist and actually resists it strongly because of concerns about “merchandising the gospel.” I know other artists won’t identify with CCM because of concerns of being pigeonholed and possibly reducing their audience, but I’ve never found a major artist who refuses identification with CCM due to such a conviction.
I like the part where she recognizes some of her songs can be directly worshipful, and others are like parables. One of my favorite bands is Switchfoot, and I think many of their songs work in this way.
Songwriting is a different skill than writing fiction, but I believe the ideas brought out by Brooke in her interview and career offer insight to those pursuing writing fiction and wondering where their work fits. I think a fiction example would be Ted Dekker, who is writing best-sellers in the thriller market, while still pursuing stories that speak more directly to a Christian aspect. His books certainly fit a parable.
I know there is a lot to discuss as far as marketing, reaching audiences, and message, but I think having the concept of parable versus being a direct expression of faith in fiction is one to consider.
For my writer friends – where do your stories fit? Parable or more directly speaking to issues of God and faith? What are books that have done both well?
—
Oh, and go check out Brooke’s website for some refreshing music!
—
by Jason Joyner | Sep 1, 2011 | beauty, Biblical worldview, Blog, non-fiction
Thanks to Andrew Peterson on Twitter, I saw this wonderful post about “Proclaiming Truth Beautifully.” Trevin Wax takes a post from The Gospel-Driven Church as a launching point to discuss authors who speak truth, but don’t just do it from a point of giving information. They give it in an artful way that conveys God’s beauty not just via information, but through the language used as well.
Great post – highly recommended. As Trevin ends his post: “May God raise up a generation of writers who not only know the truth, but beckon others to swim in the depths of grace!”
—
by Jason Joyner | Sep 1, 2011 | beauty, Biblical worldview, Blog, non-fiction
Thanks to Andrew Peterson on Twitter, I saw this wonderful post about “Proclaiming Truth Beautifully.” Trevin Wax takes a post from The Gospel-Driven Church as a launching point to discuss authors who speak truth, but don’t just do it from a point of giving information. They give it in an artful way that conveys God’s beauty not just via information, but through the language used as well.
Great post – highly recommended. As Trevin ends his post: “May God raise up a generation of writers who not only know the truth, but beckon others to swim in the depths of grace!”
—
by Jason Joyner | Jul 26, 2011 | Ashton Kutcher, Biblical worldview, Blog, DNA Foundation, human trafficking, Real Men don't buy girls, social justice, Village Voice
There is a concept in medicine called “herd immunity.”
If you are trying to immunize a population of 100 people against some nasty disease, you don’t have to reach everyone with the vaccine. That is hard to achieve. The concept of herd immunity means that if you manage to treat a certain number of the population – for argument’s sake we’ll say 80 – then the disease does not have enough places to live.
It survives by infecting a host and reproducing, passing itself to the next victim. If one person gets the disease, but doesn’t run into one of the other twenty unvaccinated people, then the disease can’t continue the process. It will die out in its host whether their immune system takes it out or the host expires. Now there is one less option for spread.
I think the concept of herd immunity is key when discussing sex trafficking and reducing demand.
I’ve spent the past couple of posts talking about the problem with freedom. (Day 1 and Day 2) To sum up: in Western culture and especially America, we like to say that people should have the freedom to do whatever they want, as long as it doesn’t hurt others. The problem becomes that we don’t always realize the unintended consequences of our actions, and more people are hurt than we realize.
We may enjoy our chocolate, but the cocoa beans sold to our favorite candy company finance a brutal regime. We may want a purebred puppy, but this supports puppy mills that churns out animals that are unhealthy and contributes to an overpopulation of pets.
Men may think they can look at pornography or solicit sex with a prostitute, and it is only their business. It’s not hurting anyone, and they have the right. Right?
My second post on this topic connects the increasing demand for porn and prostitution with the exploitation of children in the sex industry, as does this excellent Newsweek article. I started this whole series because of an article in the Village Voice trying to debunk statistics regarding human trafficking and attacking the campaign by Ashton and Demi’s DNA Foundation that wants to eradicate child sex exploitation and trafficking.
I’ve described the problem. The solution is always harder than identifying the problem.
Men, we have to realize that we are contributing to the exploitation and ruination of thousands of teen girls and vulnerable women. Our lust is providing a disease with plenty of hosts. The young and vulnerable women who are exploited by this industry are the victims, being ravaged by abuse, violence, and neglect. Whereas the DNA Foundation, IJM, Free the Slaves, and GEMS among others work to help these women, the Village Voice continues its defense of its adult services site Backpage.
As the Newsweek article details, the anonymity of the internet has created a huge increase in the demand for sexual buyers. Men think we can do what we want in private without hurting others. Whether downloading items off the net or arranging services at a clandestine location, it is a right. However, it feeds an industry that is devouring more and more of the “herd”.
If men would stand up and say “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls,” if men would realize that these activities are not harmless or private, but contribute to a larger problem, then perhaps we would start seeing some herd immunity develop. If enough men were vaccinated, as it were, then the demand would lessen and there wouldn’t be as much exploitation of the vulnerable.
I am not naive enough to believe we can eradicate this problem fully. I do believe we can work to educate men, the demand part of the supply and demand equation, that their actions are harmful and reduce the problem this way. Look at the major public education campaigns in the past:
- Telling people how HIV is transmitted and how to protect themselves.
- Reducing CFC’s to protect the ozone.
- Eliminating racist words from being used in mainstream culture.
- Abolishing the slave trade in the 1800’s through William Wilberforce and others.
The problem of men flouting their freedom and fueling a sick industry is real and worsening. People are waking up to this and speaking out, like at the DNA Foundation. The position of the Village Voice is wrong not because I am a religious fanatic or zealot. Their position is wrong because it hurts many people and deserves to be debated and debunked.
Community is not built by everyone having their own way. Community is built by people agreeing to limit themselves for the greater good, by seeing that limits are required to live together and provide true freedom for all.
—
by Jason Joyner | Jul 26, 2011 | Ashton Kutcher, Biblical worldview, Blog, DNA Foundation, human trafficking, Real Men don't buy girls, social justice, Village Voice
There is a concept in medicine called “herd immunity.”
If you are trying to immunize a population of 100 people against some nasty disease, you don’t have to reach everyone with the vaccine. That is hard to achieve. The concept of herd immunity means that if you manage to treat a certain number of the population – for argument’s sake we’ll say 80 – then the disease does not have enough places to live.
It survives by infecting a host and reproducing, passing itself to the next victim. If one person gets the disease, but doesn’t run into one of the other twenty unvaccinated people, then the disease can’t continue the process. It will die out in its host whether their immune system takes it out or the host expires. Now there is one less option for spread.
I think the concept of herd immunity is key when discussing sex trafficking and reducing demand.
I’ve spent the past couple of posts talking about the problem with freedom. (Day 1 and Day 2) To sum up: in Western culture and especially America, we like to say that people should have the freedom to do whatever they want, as long as it doesn’t hurt others. The problem becomes that we don’t always realize the unintended consequences of our actions, and more people are hurt than we realize.
We may enjoy our chocolate, but the cocoa beans sold to our favorite candy company finance a brutal regime. We may want a purebred puppy, but this supports puppy mills that churns out animals that are unhealthy and contributes to an overpopulation of pets.
Men may think they can look at pornography or solicit sex with a prostitute, and it is only their business. It’s not hurting anyone, and they have the right. Right?
My second post on this topic connects the increasing demand for porn and prostitution with the exploitation of children in the sex industry, as does this excellent Newsweek article. I started this whole series because of an article in the Village Voice trying to debunk statistics regarding human trafficking and attacking the campaign by Ashton and Demi’s DNA Foundation that wants to eradicate child sex exploitation and trafficking.
I’ve described the problem. The solution is always harder than identifying the problem.
Men, we have to realize that we are contributing to the exploitation and ruination of thousands of teen girls and vulnerable women. Our lust is providing a disease with plenty of hosts. The young and vulnerable women who are exploited by this industry are the victims, being ravaged by abuse, violence, and neglect. Whereas the DNA Foundation, IJM, Free the Slaves, and GEMS among others work to help these women, the Village Voice continues its defense of its adult services site Backpage.
As the Newsweek article details, the anonymity of the internet has created a huge increase in the demand for sexual buyers. Men think we can do what we want in private without hurting others. Whether downloading items off the net or arranging services at a clandestine location, it is a right. However, it feeds an industry that is devouring more and more of the “herd”.
If men would stand up and say “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls,” if men would realize that these activities are not harmless or private, but contribute to a larger problem, then perhaps we would start seeing some herd immunity develop. If enough men were vaccinated, as it were, then the demand would lessen and there wouldn’t be as much exploitation of the vulnerable.
I am not naive enough to believe we can eradicate this problem fully. I do believe we can work to educate men, the demand part of the supply and demand equation, that their actions are harmful and reduce the problem this way. Look at the major public education campaigns in the past:
- Telling people how HIV is transmitted and how to protect themselves.
- Reducing CFC’s to protect the ozone.
- Eliminating racist words from being used in mainstream culture.
- Abolishing the slave trade in the 1800’s through William Wilberforce and others.
The problem of men flouting their freedom and fueling a sick industry is real and worsening. People are waking up to this and speaking out, like at the DNA Foundation. The position of the Village Voice is wrong not because I am a religious fanatic or zealot. Their position is wrong because it hurts many people and deserves to be debated and debunked.
Community is not built by everyone having their own way. Community is built by people agreeing to limit themselves for the greater good, by seeing that limits are required to live together and provide true freedom for all.
—
