Are you tired of liberals being the only ones who make "in your face" documentaries? Me too. That is why I was so excited about Ben Stein's film "Expelled." Two can play at this game, and Ben has raised the stakes.
I did not see this film in the theaters, because frankly I do not enjoy going to theaters to see movies. I know, I am goofy, and I don't even own one of those whopper TVs that make the images larger than life. But I prefer watching films in my own home, in my comfortable chair where I have plenty of room and where I can talk in audible levels to my companions and eat whatever I want without being charged a week's pay for a snack. I also like having beverages in containers which are actually sized for the human hand to hold and being able to pause the movie when I need to. So for all these reasons, DVDs are for me. I rented it from Netflix, and then immediately purchased a copy of it so I can loan it out to others and watch it repeatedly. I also wanted to support the filmmakers and the organization from which I purchased it, Answers in Genesis.
I should say up front that I do not endorse the cut and paste tactics of contemporary documentaries. I know that some important material invariably ends up on the cutting room floor, and I am sure that Expelled's critics are being accurate when they say that statements were included out of context and selectively arranged to further the point of the filmmaker. I am also not an advocate of slippery-slope arguments, which this film certainly employs. But at least in this case, the shoe was on the other foot and the tactics were employed to further a far different cause than in Michael Moore's or Al Gore's films. Funny that critics did not seem so adamant about these same concerns when those films came out.
I will also lay all my cards on the table here. I am a 6-literal day, young earth Creationist, and unashamed to say so. I know that labels me as a neanderthal in the minds of some, but I do not lose sleep over their judgment of me. I prefer to prioritize what God thinks of my handling of His word. I may never be asked to teach in a secular university because of those views, but I would rather maintain my convictions with a clear conscience than to be conformed by the patterns of this world's thinking. A professor friend once told me that although he believed the text of Genesis lends itself to a 6-literal day, young earth interpretation, he could not hold that position because it would ruin his academic credentials. I think that is a crying shame, because on all accounts this was stated by a top-notch scholar.
Expelled is not a propaganda piece for young-earth Creationism. It is not even an attempt to prove the truth of Intelligent Design. Ben Stein is not a Christian, and it is fair to say that he is probably not a young-earther. Rather, in Expelled, Stein sets out to uncover a bias against all anti-Darwinian approaches to the study of origins in higher education. This is done by interviewing scholars who have lost their credentials because of their commitment to alternative explanations of origins and interviewing those who are leading the charge of the New Atheism like Richard Dawkins.
Undoubtedly influenced by his Jewish heritage, Stein demonstrates how Darwinian thinking has fueled the most horrid attrocity in recent human history: the Holocaust. It would be a slippery slope to argue that every Darwinian is pro-Hitler. While I would not want to go so far as to say that all Darwinians espouse genocide, the film helps viewers to see how this kind of thinking makes such tragedies possible, and in fact greatly influenced it in one historic case.
The real issue at stake in Expelled is academic freedom. This is a touchy subject for many. After all, Southern Baptists have not exactly been poster children for academic freedom. During the conservative resurgence, professors were fired from SBC seminaries for teaching doctrines contrary to the Baptist Faith & Message. However, these institutions are confessional schools, which are entrusted by the denomination to train up leaders for its constituent churches. Within the rather broad confines of the Baptist Faith and Message, there is room for much diversity in the classroom. In my courses at one of the SBC seminaries, I had professors who held to a variety of positions on many issues. Not all were young-earth creationists; not all were of a particular school of thought when it comes to Calvinism or Arminianism; etc. But there is and should be some expectation that professors in confessional schools will not teach contrary to the confession of faith that they have been consituted to uphold. However, most secular universities do not have a confessional basis, and therefore, each professor's work should be allowed to stand or fall on their own merits. Expelled even indicts Baylor, a historically Baptist college, for disallowing the teaching of anti-Darwinian theories.
I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in origins, Darwinism, and Intelligent Design, as well as those who are involved as teachers, administrators and students in higher education. My hope is that it will embolden a new generation of scholars to stand up for their own convictions and publish well-defended scholarly works that uphold the integrity of Scripture and refute Darwinian evolution. I also hope that this film will spawn others to go public with their own experiences of educational biases, and raise an outcry against such hypocritical narrow-mindedness. Regardless of our presuppositions or commitments, education should always stand in opposition to such.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Tangled Up in Dylan, Part 4: Cry a While
This is one of those songs that has to be heard; reading the lyrics don't do it justice. It typifies the "new" Dylan sound of his later releases. This will be the last installment of "Tangled Up in Dylan" for a while, so jump into the comments and share some thoughts on the lyrics:
Well, I had to go down and see a guy named Mr. Goldsmith
A nasty, dirty, double-crossin', back-stabbin' phony I didn't wanna have to be dealin' with
But I did it for you and all you gave me was a smile
Well, I cried for you - now it's your turn to cry awhile
I don't carry dead weight - I'm no flash in the pan
All right, I'll set you straight, can't you see I'm a union man?
I'm lettin' the cat out of the cage, I'm keeping a low profile
Well, I cried for you - now it's your turn, you can cry awhile
Feel like a fighting rooster - feel better than I ever felt
But the Pennsylvania line's in an awful mess and the Denver road is about to melt
I went to the church house, every day I go an extra mile
Well, I cried for you - now it's your turn, you can cry awhile
Last night 'cross the alley there was a pounding on the walls
It must have been Don Pasquale makin' a two a.m. booty call
To break a trusting heart like mine was just your style
Well, I cried for you - now it's your turn to cry awhile
I'm on the fringes of the night, fighting back tears that I can't control
Some people they ain't human, they got no heart or soul
Well, I'm crying to The Lord - I'm tryin' to be meek and mild
Yes, I cried for you - now it's your turn, you can cry awhile
Well, there's preachers in the pulpits and babies in the cribs
I'm longin' for that sweet fat that sticks to your ribs
I'm gonna buy me a barrel of whiskey - I'll die before I turn senile
Well, I cried for you - now it's your turn, you can cry awhile
Well, you bet on a horse and it ran on the wrong way
I always said you'd be sorry and today could be the day
I might need a good lawyer, could be your funeral, my trial
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry awhile
Copyright © 2001 Special Rider Music
Columbia Records
Tangled Up in Dylan, Part 3: Property Of Jesus
Here I offer up for discussion the lyrics of the 1981 "Shot of Love" single, "Property of Jesus":
Go ahead and talk about him because he makes you doubt,
Because he has denied himself the things that you can't live without.
Laugh at him behind his back just like the others do,
Remind him of what he used to be when he comes walkin' through.
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone
Stop your conversation when he passes on the street,
Hope he falls upon himself, oh, won't that be sweet
Because he can't be exploited by superstition anymore
Because he can't be bribed or bought by the things that you adore.
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone
When the whip that's keeping you in line doesn't make him jump,
Say he's hard-of-hearin', say that he's a chump.
Say he's out of step with reality as you try to test his nerve
Because he doesn't pay no tribute to the king that you serve.
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone
Say that he's a loser 'cause he got no common sense
Because he don't increase his worth at someone else's expense.
Because he's not afraid of trying, 'cause he don't look at you and smile,
'Cause he doesn't tell you jokes or fairy tales, say he's got no style.
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone
You can laugh at salvation, you can play Olympic games,
You think that when you rest at last you'll go back from where you came.
But you've picked up quite a story and you've changed since the womb.
What happened to the real you, you've been captured but by whom?
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone
Copyright © 1981 Special Rider Music
Tangled Up in Dylan, Part 2: Shelter from the Storm
In the comments section, I hope we can get a good discussion going on about the lyrics posted below. "Shelter from the Storm" was first released on the 1975 "Blood on the Tracks."
'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved.
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail,
Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail,
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair.
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
I took too much for granted, got my signals crossed.
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love.
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose.
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine.
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Copyright © 1974 Ram's Horn Music
Tangled Up in Dylan, Part 1: It Ain't Me Babe
Jump into the comments and let's discuss what's going on in this song, first released on "Another Side of Bob Dylan" (1964):
Go 'way from my window,
Leave at your own chosen speed.
I'm not the one you want, babe,
I'm not the one you need.
You say you're lookin' for someone
Never weak but always strong,
To protect you an' defend you
Whether you are right or wrong,
Someone to open each and every door,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Go lightly from the ledge, babe,
Go lightly on the ground.
I'm not the one you want, babe,
I will only let you down.
You say you're lookin' for someone
Who will promise never to part,
Someone to close his eyes for you,
Someone to close his heart,
Someone who will die for you an' more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Go melt back into the night, babe,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There's nothing in here moving
An' anyway I'm not alone.
You say you're looking for someone
Who'll pick you up each time you fall,
To gather flowers constantly
An' to come each time you call,
A lover for your life an' nothing more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Copyright © 1964; renewed 1992 Special Rider Music
Tangled Up in Dylan: Introduction
I have just finished reading Bob Dylan and Philosophy, edited by Peter Vernezze and Carl J. Porter, an installment in Open Court's "Popular Culture and Philosophy" series. Having read several volumes in this series, I found this one to be more engaging than the others. It seems to be truer to philosophical issues and to the subject (Dylan, in this case) than the other volumes I have read. Reading it has plunged me into the world of Dylan's music once again. I have gone through several "Dylan-phases" in my life, preferring earlier works, later works, acoustic works, electric works, at various points in the journey. Now I find myself enthralled by it all: the songs I resonate with, the songs I don't, and the ones I don't get (and there are plenty of them).
In the following several posts, I am going to paste some Dylan lyrics, and offer no commentary in the post. But what I would like to do is open the comments for a discussion on what is going on in the lyrics. Also, in the comments, if there are specific Dylan works you want to explore, suggest them and it will be done.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
A Pastor's Anthem: I Won't Back Down
Over ten years ago, the students of Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute were treated to a concert by Southern Gospel group Gold City on the campus. I still remember hearing them say that a well-known pastor who was undergoing much publicized trials and tribulations in ministry began every day listening to their song, "I'm Not Giving Up." The song goes like this:
I'm not giving up. I'm not turning 'round.
By the grace of God I'll win a shining crown someday.
I'll keep holding on to that nail-scarred hand.
I'm not giving up, no I'll keep going on.
Been walking through the valley
Through this vale of tears
At times I've even questioned even if my Lord was near
Then at times that ole' tempter says "Why not turn around?
You can't get any farther, because you're just losing ground."
I'm not giving up. I'm not turning 'round.
By the grace of God I'll win a shining crown someday.
I'll keep holding on to that nail-scarred hand.
I'm not giving up, no I'll keep going on.
Would you mind to tell me; there's been something botherin' me:
Why is it that ole' devil, he just won't let God's children be.
See he has purposed and determined to get right in the way
And turn us from the way of life
And lead our souls astray.
I'm not giving up. I'm not turning 'round.
By the grace of God I'll win a shining crown someday.
I'll keep holding on to that nail-scarred hand.
I'm not giving up, no I'll keep going on.
When I heard that song and the accompanying testimony, I was naive about the challenges of ministry. I thought, "My goodness, how bad can it be that someone would have to begin every day with that affirmation?" But soon enough, my idealism met the reality that is pastoral ministry. It is tempting, especially on Mondays and Thursdays to say, "Why don't I just throw in the towel?" And I just don't like Southern Gospel music enough to make myself listen to that song every day. But then along comes Tom Petty.
Who knew that Tom Petty was so sensitive to the concerns of Pastoral Ministry? Last night, on a late night run to Chic-Fil-A, "I Won't Back Down" popped up in the shuffle on my iPod. Maybe its because it was business meeting night, maybe its because several people took the liberty to try to tell me how I should preach and teach, maybe its because I spent a good deal of time talking with someone about the difference between doing "what's right" in ministry rather than doing "what works," or any number of other reasons (maybe I was just really tired), but this song came across to me as one that could have been (or maybe should have been) written by a pastor who is plugging along as faithfully as he can in spite of many obstacles. It could just as easily apply to a faithful Christian trying to follow the call to discipleship and witness in a fallen world. What I like about Petty's song is that (for understandable reasons) it does not force us to see Satan behind every attack. Sometimes "the world" (as the term is used often in Scripture to denote the ways of thinking that dominate this world) is our enemy. People, even church people, even pastors, are influenced by the world. And the one who tries to live hard for God will be dragged down and pushed around by the world. And there isn't any easy way out. "Pie in the sky" will only get you so far on a Monday or Thursday. We're better to remember the words of Petty: "There ain't no easy way out." Sometimes it just takes raw determination to say, "I won't back down," in the face of the gates of hell and the threats of this world.
"I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty
Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You could stand me up at the gates of Hell
But I won't back down
No I'll stand my ground
Won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground
And I won't back down.
Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I will stand my ground.
And I won't back down.
Well I know what's right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around
But I'll stand my ground
And I won't back down.
Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I will stand my ground.
And I won't back down.
Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I won't back down
Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I will stand my ground
And I won't back down.
I'm not giving up. I'm not turning 'round.
By the grace of God I'll win a shining crown someday.
I'll keep holding on to that nail-scarred hand.
I'm not giving up, no I'll keep going on.
Been walking through the valley
Through this vale of tears
At times I've even questioned even if my Lord was near
Then at times that ole' tempter says "Why not turn around?
You can't get any farther, because you're just losing ground."
I'm not giving up. I'm not turning 'round.
By the grace of God I'll win a shining crown someday.
I'll keep holding on to that nail-scarred hand.
I'm not giving up, no I'll keep going on.
Would you mind to tell me; there's been something botherin' me:
Why is it that ole' devil, he just won't let God's children be.
See he has purposed and determined to get right in the way
And turn us from the way of life
And lead our souls astray.
I'm not giving up. I'm not turning 'round.
By the grace of God I'll win a shining crown someday.
I'll keep holding on to that nail-scarred hand.
I'm not giving up, no I'll keep going on.
When I heard that song and the accompanying testimony, I was naive about the challenges of ministry. I thought, "My goodness, how bad can it be that someone would have to begin every day with that affirmation?" But soon enough, my idealism met the reality that is pastoral ministry. It is tempting, especially on Mondays and Thursdays to say, "Why don't I just throw in the towel?" And I just don't like Southern Gospel music enough to make myself listen to that song every day. But then along comes Tom Petty.
Who knew that Tom Petty was so sensitive to the concerns of Pastoral Ministry? Last night, on a late night run to Chic-Fil-A, "I Won't Back Down" popped up in the shuffle on my iPod. Maybe its because it was business meeting night, maybe its because several people took the liberty to try to tell me how I should preach and teach, maybe its because I spent a good deal of time talking with someone about the difference between doing "what's right" in ministry rather than doing "what works," or any number of other reasons (maybe I was just really tired), but this song came across to me as one that could have been (or maybe should have been) written by a pastor who is plugging along as faithfully as he can in spite of many obstacles. It could just as easily apply to a faithful Christian trying to follow the call to discipleship and witness in a fallen world. What I like about Petty's song is that (for understandable reasons) it does not force us to see Satan behind every attack. Sometimes "the world" (as the term is used often in Scripture to denote the ways of thinking that dominate this world) is our enemy. People, even church people, even pastors, are influenced by the world. And the one who tries to live hard for God will be dragged down and pushed around by the world. And there isn't any easy way out. "Pie in the sky" will only get you so far on a Monday or Thursday. We're better to remember the words of Petty: "There ain't no easy way out." Sometimes it just takes raw determination to say, "I won't back down," in the face of the gates of hell and the threats of this world.
"I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty
Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You could stand me up at the gates of Hell
But I won't back down
No I'll stand my ground
Won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground
And I won't back down.
Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I will stand my ground.
And I won't back down.
Well I know what's right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around
But I'll stand my ground
And I won't back down.
Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I will stand my ground.
And I won't back down.
Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I won't back down
Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I will stand my ground
And I won't back down.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
In the Presence of the Lord: Clapton's God
Slowhand himself would quickly refute the author of this graffiti. And he would take no offense to what this dog is doing to the graffiti-emblazoned wall. He might even join the dog. That's the impression I get of Clapton from reading this interesting feature by CT's John Powell about the spiritual side of Eric Clapton. It is an interesting read, though it stops short of saying what some of us would hope to read in such an article.
One correction -- Powell says, "the man whose work with a Gibson Les Paul." Clapton is not known for playing a Les Paul, but rather a Stratocaster. I think every picture I've ever seen of him depicts him with a Strat. What would otherwise be a compelling article is somewhat diminished by such an obvious error on the writer's part.
Rare picture of Clapton with a Les Paul (notice the body of the guitar is only cut away on the bottom, and a switch is on the top):
Typical images of Clapton with a Strat (notice the double cut away of the guitar's body):
Friday, February 15, 2008
California Dreamin'
Stumbled upon a post today by Michael A. G. Haykin, History Professor at Southern Seminary, about his personal reflections on The Mamas and The Papas' song, "California Dreamin'."
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Architecture Revisited
Several of my posts here have addressed the often overlooked artform of architecture. Maybe it is because I used to love playing with Legos (Used to? I still do!), or because at one time I entertained notions of being an architect. Mostly, though, I think it is because of my disdain for contemporary church architecture that I find myself ruminating on the subject nowadays. Slate Magazine brings us this article about avant-garde architecture that is dotting the skylines of Arab nations and China.
It is an interesting phenomenon that Slate brings to mind -- the inability of humans to predict the future of cultural expressions. Undoubtedly, these buildings are influenced by at least three underlying desires: 1) the desire to be different; 2) the desire to be futuristic; 3) the desire to escape the bounds of the current status quo. However, what is often overlooked in these ventures is that if everyone desires to be different, then everyone ends up being the same. The person who is truly different is the one who doesn't mind "playing by the rules." So, buildings with classical architectural features are always more awe-inspiring than the "avant-garde" because we value the "sameness" that the architect was willing to preserve in his design. Also, when one examines the attempts of previous generations to be "futuristic" one sees a laughable product of ignorant prognostication which in fact never came to pass. For the best illustration of this, one only needs to watch an old re-run of the Jetsons to see what the creative minds of bygone days thought our century would look like. Across the world, designs that portended to be futuristic in their day dot the landscape, mostly being an eyesore. Some at best are nostalgic reminder of a former generations hopes and dreams. Finally, how does one escape the status quo when the status quo is escaping the status quo? This is the problem of postmodernism. If everyone gets to invent their own rules, their own "truth," their own categories, then how does one truly find a way to revolt against it? A simple suggestion -- we must return to objective reality and objective Truth (with a capital "T").
Perhaps Witold Rybczynski, the writer of Slate's article "Don't Count Your Titanium Eggs Before They've Hatched: Why Architects Can't Predict the Future" is trying to make the same point when he concludes the article with this statement: "The real question about new buildings should never be 'Are they cutting edge?' but 'Are they good?'" If we are left to live in a society without norms, without objectivity, without objective standards, then we will not be able to answer the question about something's goodness.
It is an interesting phenomenon that Slate brings to mind -- the inability of humans to predict the future of cultural expressions. Undoubtedly, these buildings are influenced by at least three underlying desires: 1) the desire to be different; 2) the desire to be futuristic; 3) the desire to escape the bounds of the current status quo. However, what is often overlooked in these ventures is that if everyone desires to be different, then everyone ends up being the same. The person who is truly different is the one who doesn't mind "playing by the rules." So, buildings with classical architectural features are always more awe-inspiring than the "avant-garde" because we value the "sameness" that the architect was willing to preserve in his design. Also, when one examines the attempts of previous generations to be "futuristic" one sees a laughable product of ignorant prognostication which in fact never came to pass. For the best illustration of this, one only needs to watch an old re-run of the Jetsons to see what the creative minds of bygone days thought our century would look like. Across the world, designs that portended to be futuristic in their day dot the landscape, mostly being an eyesore. Some at best are nostalgic reminder of a former generations hopes and dreams. Finally, how does one escape the status quo when the status quo is escaping the status quo? This is the problem of postmodernism. If everyone gets to invent their own rules, their own "truth," their own categories, then how does one truly find a way to revolt against it? A simple suggestion -- we must return to objective reality and objective Truth (with a capital "T").
Perhaps Witold Rybczynski, the writer of Slate's article "Don't Count Your Titanium Eggs Before They've Hatched: Why Architects Can't Predict the Future" is trying to make the same point when he concludes the article with this statement: "The real question about new buildings should never be 'Are they cutting edge?' but 'Are they good?'" If we are left to live in a society without norms, without objectivity, without objective standards, then we will not be able to answer the question about something's goodness.
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Thursday, January 24, 2008
C. S. Lewis, Augustine and the Silver Bullet Band
Augustine famously wrote, "Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." This statement has been conceptualized with the image of the God-shaped hole in the human heart. This image suggests that we have a "hole" in our heart that nothing else can fill except God Himself. We can attempt to fill that hole with other things -- personal relationships, hobbies, stuff, etc. -- but those things are incapable of filling the hole. The writings of C. S. Lewis are heavily laden with this concept, but Lewis does not speak of it in Augustine's terms. For Lewis, this "God-shaped hole" is experienced in the universal phenomenon of Sehnsucht. Literally translated, this German term means simply "desire," but the concept is much stronger than this English word conveys. I have written elsewhere a survey of this concept in Lewis's writings.
All of us have had the experience of disappointment. Disappointment occurs when something fails to live up to our expectations of it. We have our hopes set high that some new gadget will revolutionize our life, so we spend a lot of money to get that thing, only to find that it does not live up to the hype, or we break the thing, rendering it useless. We are left in despair. What we desire remains somewhere outside of our grasp. We could illustrate the concept of Sensucht another way. Phineas is offered a pill that promises to deliver a sensation of euphoria. Phineas takes this pill and experiences its "high." Wanting to repeat the experience, Phineas takes the pill again. In time, Phineas will discover that taking one of these pills does not deliver the same effects anymore, so he begins taking two at a time. He continues this until two no longer fulfill his desire, and he begins taking three, and so on. The ultimate experience of euphoria can never be attained, always lying somewhere just beyond the grasp.
Of course, for C. S. Lewis and for Augustine, God is the only answer to our Sehnsucht. Our hearts are restless, always seeking and never finding the rest we desire, until we rest in Him.
When one understands this, one holds in his or her grasp the answer to the questions often asked in popular expressions of art -- including popular music. This came to mind this morning as I listened to the song "Roll Me Away," by Bob Seger. Of course, I could use many other popular songs to illustrate the point (perhaps readers will share their own thoughts on this concept in the comment section).
In this classic rock power-ballad, Seger sings:
Took a look down a westbound road, Right away I made my choice. Headed out to my big two-wheeler, I was tired of my own voice. Took a bead on the northern plains And just rolled that power on.
Who among us hasn't wished we could just get away from it all? Tired of our surroundings, the daily grind, and even our own voices, we have a desire for escape. Seger takes off on his motorcycle, and one can feel the sense of liberation that comes over him as he rolls the power on.
Twelve hours out of Mackinaw City, Stopped in a bar to have a brew. Met a girl and we had a few drinks And I told her what I'd decided to do. She looked out the window a long, long moment, Then she looked into my eyes. She didn't have to say a thing, I knew what she was thinkin'.
You have to wonder what kind of desolate place he has come to if it can only be described as "twelve hours out of Mackinaw (or Mackinac) City. Surely he must be only a few hours away from another city he could name. And one would also question the wisdom of having a brew -- having "a few drinks" in fact -- before mounting his ride again, but I digress. As Seger shares a few drinks and bears his soul to a strange woman, he recognizes in her the same desire, though she need not say it. Of course she doesn't need to say it -- it is something every soul longs for. The look in her eyes said to Seger:
Roll, roll me away, Wont you roll me away tonight? I too am lost, I feel double-crossed, And I'm sick of what's wrong and what's right. We never even said a word, We just walked out and got on that bike. And we rolled -- And we rolled clean out of sight.
Lostness, betrayal, the burden of playing the game of life under someone else's rules. There must be something better out there somewhere. Let's go find it.
We rolled across the high plains; Deep into the mountains; Felt so good to me; Finally feelin' free.
Could it be that Seger has finally found the freedom he longs for? The buzz of alcohol, the wind in his face, a strange woman's arms around him, the beauty of creation all around. But alas, the sensation is short lived.
Somewhere along a high road, The air began to turn cold. She said she missed her home. I headed on alone.
It didn't take long for the woman to realize (or sober up enough to discover) that this adventure failed to live up to her expectations. She missed her home. You recall that "home" for her was a place of lostness, betrayal and a seeming unjust value system. But a few hours in the hot pursuit of something different -- something better -- did not deliver upon its promise. Better for her to return to the familiarity of her unpleasant reality than to keep pursuing the unknown on the back of Seger's bike. Seger doesn't tell us what he did with her. For all we know, he might have killed her. Let's assume he didn't. Did he leave her on the roadside to negotiate her own passage back to "twelve hours out of Mackinac City" or did he take her back himself? We will never know. But the open road still beckons Seger, and he headed on without his companion.
Stood alone on a mountain top, Starin' out at the Great Divide I could go east, I could go west, It was all up to me to decide. Just then I saw a young hawk flyin', And my soul began to rise. And pretty soon My heart was singin': Roll, roll me away, I'm gonna roll me away tonight.
Gotta keep rollin', gotta keep ridin', Keep searchin' till I find whats right. And as the sunset faded I spoke to the faintest first starlight. And I said, "Next time -- Next time we'll get it right."
One can almost feel the disappointment uttered in Seger's reluctant confession. He wants to experience the boundless freedom he sees in the flight of that young hawk over the Continental Divide. But alas, he won't find it on this journey. As the sun drops behind the mountains, Seger is left with the realization that, like the woman who abandoned the journey, he too must give up the quest and return to place from whence he came. But the desire will still be there, and he'll act upon it again. And "next time, we'll get it right."
The theme is familiar. You or I could have written this song, changing some of the details. But we have all found ourself lying in darkness uttering that reluctant confession -- "Next time, we'll get it right." The thing we so desire is just beyond our reach. And this will be the epilogue of all life's pursuits except one -- the pursuit of God. Only He can fill the hole. Only He can save us from our lostness. Only He will be faithful. Only He can remedy the betrayal we have experienced from others. Only He can right the wrongs. As we pursue Him, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). Only in Him will we find the contentment for which we are all longing.
Seger says: "Just then I saw a young hawk flyin', And my soul began to rise."
Isaiah says: "Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." (Isa 40:31)
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