{"id":1957,"date":"2012-08-20T19:00:52","date_gmt":"2012-08-20T23:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.re-integrate.org\/?p=1957"},"modified":"2012-08-20T19:00:52","modified_gmt":"2012-08-20T23:00:52","slug":"coldplays-viva-la-vida-power-shalom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/reintegrate\/2012\/08\/20\/coldplays-viva-la-vida-power-shalom\/","title":{"rendered":"Coldplay’s Viva La Vida – The Will to Power vs. Shalom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

A Christian Interacts with\u00a0Viva La Vida, Or Death and All His Friends<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Coldplay\u2019s previous album was one of\u00a0my top ten albums of 2008<\/a>. In it, lyricist Chris Martin explores the subject of death from different angles. As I listen to this wonderful album, I wish Chris was sitting next to me. I\u2019d love to understand what he would think of my opining about his lyrics. In future posts, I\u2019m going to do that, with you, here in the vanguard.<\/p>\n

In the most famous song from the album, the main character is a man reflecting on lost power and prestige, a king who no longer rules but rather lives a very humble and humiliating life.<\/p>\n

I used to rule the world<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Seas would rise when I gave the word<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Now in the morning I sleep alone<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Sweep the streets I used to own<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This king was able somehow to overtake the previous king, but his power was fleeting \u2013<\/p>\n

One minute I held the key<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Next the walls were closed on me<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And I discovered that my castles stand<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Just as he had taken power, others were seeking to overthrow him \u2013<\/p>\n

Revolutionaries wait<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

For my head on a silver plate<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Just a puppet on a lonely string<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Oh who would ever want to be king?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So now, after the \u201cwicked and wild wind\u201d had allowed him to have power, he finds himself no longer \u201cruling the world.\u201d And he is now wondering about his eternal fate. What will happen to him? In the chorus the king sings \u2013<\/p>\n

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Roman cavalry choirs are singing<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Be my mirror, my sword and shield<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

My missionaries in a foreign field<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

For some reason I can\u2019t explain<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I know St Peter won\u2019t call my name<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Never an honest word<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But that was when I ruled the world<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Why does he feel that \u201cSt. Peter won\u2019t call his name?\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout the song, there is a clear indication that the character understands what philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche called \u201cthe will to power,\u201d that most of us will often allow our need for achievement to outweigh our desire to be good to our fellow human beings. Our ambition and our striving to reach the highest possible position in life often does incredible damage to the harmony and love that should be the standard for our human existence.<\/p>\n

The main character understands this. It was not right that he took power; it was also not right that he lost power. It was not right that he once ruled the world; it was also not right that he now sweeps the streets alone. It was not right that there was \u201cnever an honest word\u201d while he \u201cruled the world.\u201d And now, \u201cfor some reason,\u201d he knows that St. Peter won\u2019t call his name.<\/p>\n

This concept of peace and harmony between human beings, where we do not will to have power, but we submit to one another out of love, seeking the very best for others, is an old biblical concept. It was what the Hebrews called \u201cShalom.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Nicholas Wolterstorff says that a society characterized by shalom combines peace, justice, and enjoyment of all relationships so that all peoples can flourish in their lives, and that they can also delight in their relationship with God\u00a0(Wolterstorff,\u00a0Until Justice and Peace Embrace<\/a><\/em>).\u00a0Writing on shalom,\u00a0Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.<\/a>\u00a0embraces and expands Wolterstorff\u2019s definition:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight\u2026the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.\u201d\u00a0(Plantinga,\u00a0Not the Way It\u2019s Supposed to Be: The Breviary of Sin<\/a><\/em>, p. 10)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So what the character in the song Viva La Vida is experiencing is this:\u00a0the lack of SHALOM<\/strong>. Plantinga has it right:\u00a0Things are NOT the way they are supposed to be<\/em>.\u00a0There is evil where Shalom is supposed to be<\/em>. I like the way Plantinga describes it:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might define evil as\u00a0any spoiling of shalom<\/em>, any deviation from the way God wants things to be. Thinking along these lines, we can see that sin is a subset of evil; it\u2019s any evil for which somebody is to blame \u2013 sin is\u00a0culpable evil<\/em>\u2026 Sin grieves God, offends God, betrays God, and not just because God is touchy. God hates sin against himself, against neighbors, against the good creation, because sin breaks the peace\u2026 God is for shalom and\u00a0therefore<\/em>\u00a0against sin.\u201d(Plantinga,\u00a0Engaging God\u2019s World<\/a><\/em>, p. 51)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So why does the character feel that St. Peter won\u2019t call his name? Because he has a deep-seated understanding that his life was full of sin, that he was culpable for his will to power. And, if God is just, there must be consequences to the destruction of shalom.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Christian Interacts with\u00a0Viva La Vida, Or Death and All His Friends Coldplay\u2019s previous album was one of\u00a0my top ten albums of 2008. In it, lyricist Chris Martin explores the subject of death from different angles. As I listen to this wonderful album, I wish Chris was sitting next to me. I\u2019d love to understand […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2398,"featured_media":1958,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[101,350,351,415],"class_list":["post-1957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-entertainment","category-culture","tag-coldplay","tag-pop-culture","tag-pop-music","tag-shalom"],"yoast_head":"\nColdplay's Viva La Vida - The Will to Power vs. Shalom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Christian Interacts with\u00a0Viva La Vida, Or Death and All His Friends Coldplay\u2019s previous album was one of\u00a0my top ten albums of 2008. 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