Read Ken Myers, Please

I would encourage all Christians to get ahold of Ken Myers’s book All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes. Myers makes the argument that much of pop culture is shallow and that Christians ought to largely detach themselves from pop culture and instead listen to classical and folk music. These latter two musical types are both anchored in tradition and carry within themselves objective standards of beauty. This as opposed to pop music, the merits of which are found in the glazed eyes of the beholder.

Myers also encourages Christians to turn off their televisions and to read. He notes that Christians have become allergic to the printed Word. He’s right on here and in the first point. As I read this book, I was disheartened to learn of rock music’s rebellious background and of television’s vacuous roots. There’s some talk about these ideas in evangelical circles, but generally both of these ideas are mocked instead of considered. I would venture to say that most of us wade so deeply in pop culture that we aren’t even aware of its effects. Though we may not know what they are, our lack of attention span, our distaste for advanced intellectual argument, and our need to be mindlessly entertained all disclose the effects of a pop culture mindset.

So do something bold. Go buy a classical music cd. Go buy a good hefty book instead of a couple of magazines. Read the book and listen to the music instead of watching Entertainment Tonight or viewing videos on Youtube or surfing the web to find mindless and shallow “news” stories. Become a thinking Christian, not a blinking Christian. Clear out some space in your life to appreciate beauty and to discover truth. You’ll find as you do so that you develop a taste for finer things. Then, pass that Ken Myers book on to someone else, and let the movement grow, and the change unfold.