I like Macklemore. He's a young rapper with three songs currently beating about the airwaves. I don't typically care for rap, but his music is infectious, fun, and not headache-inducing. I don't listen to him much, because he's definitely not a Christian, but some of the worldviews he expresses in his songs stick with me.
"Thrift Store" was the first. In that swaggering song, he talks of buying crazy stuff for cheap, and using it to create a unique style in a cookie-cutter world. Instead of paying $50 for a t-shirt that six other people are wearing, he buys lots of used stuff for less than $20 and stands out from the crowd. I'm one of ten. I'm well acquainted with thrift stores. So yeah, I can get down with that!
"Can't Hold Us" is the second. Catchy dance tune; the only lines I understand are the chorus and a line about "speed like a great white shark on shark week", which is rattled off at breathless pace.
But the one I've been thinking about most is "Same Love." Unlike the other two, it's soft, almost a ballad. His rap is almost a monologue. And its message is pro-gay. I'm a Christian. I'm strongly anti-gay. I have to be, because God is. But some of the thoughts Macklemore raises are worth considering.
He speaks of stereotypes: boys who love "unmanly things", like art or music, are sometimes labeled as gay. It's used derogatorily, it's called a decision, a label, a predisposition. He speaks of the persecution of the gays: children bullied for their preferences, homosexuals committing suicide, hateful comments, discrimination, churches preaching against gays. His passion on the subject comes through clearly. And I can see his point.
Bullying and persecution are wrong, under any circumstances and for whatever reason.
However. Homosexuality is wrong, under any circumstances and for whatever reason. It is perversion of God's law. It is sin.
So as a Christian, what do I do with this song? Why do I still like this song? Because of the chorus.
"And I can't change/even if I tried/even if I wanted to." Does Macklemore have any idea how close he comes to truth? I wonder, does he realize the profundity of those lines? We CAN'T change! We can't pull ourselves out of homosexuality or habitual lying or lust or greed or cowardice! We can change behaviors, but we can't change hearts! Often, we can't even change behaviors!
This song breaks my heart. It reveals such compassion for the hurting, and it reveals an inability to change what many acknowledge is wrong behavior. But it stops short of showing ultimate love. It doesn't mention the Great Cure. We can't change. But God can change us. We don't need to bully or persecute homosexuality, any more than any other sin. We can declare that yes, it is sin, and we can stand firm on that Biblical principle. But we can also extend grace, we can extend a little mitigation. Being gay doesn't disqualify you from the love of God. It doesn't mean you can't ever change, it doesn't put you beyond the reach of Divine Power. Being gay estranges you from God. So does lying. So does getting angry. So does being disrespectful to your parents. But because He is God, He can bridge the gap and wipe away the stains.
He can change. He can help us try. He can make us want to.
Two things I wanted to say:
ReplyDelete1) Excellent post . . . only God can transform a person from the inside out! Thank you, too, for your thoughtful discernment of specific songs. It's good to see someone pointing out things that most people would probably just gloss over because "Oh, well, the song's popular and pretty harmless."
2) I just tagged you over at my blog...do please come check it out and see if you're interested. If you don't have time or aren't interested, I understand--no pressure whatsoever :)