This article appears courtesy of Rev Magazine.

Something felt funny
by Dan Kimball

Is this just innocent fun, or is there something not quite right about this? I thought to myself as I uncomfortably paced back and forth at the side of the room where I was watching a Christian pop concert. It wasn’t unlike any other you might have attended.

The band came out to screaming fans who rushed the stage as the first song began. The laser lights moved in rhythm to the pulse of the drummer’s beat. The very thin and well-groomed singer moved with grace and even with what must have been choreographed moves.

I love music. I go to concerts all the time, mostly non-Christian ones, actually. But here I was in a church building where the focus was supposed to be on Jesus. Yet as much as the lyrics of the song had Jesus mentioned now and then, the people seemed to have their sole attention fixed on the band.

How could they not? The lighting focused on the band, highlighting them, making them look almost surreal and magical. In the hallway of the building, there was a huge banner with pictures of the band, T-shirts, and photos of the band for sale that eager teens and young adults could buy and have the band autograph. Now, I know this is all in fun, but something felt funny.

While all these people paid their $10 to see the band, I know that across town there are hungry people. Runaway teens are on the street peddling drugs and selling their bodies for money. Elderly people are sitting in homes desperate for someone to love them. Yet here I stood watching a thousand young people mesmerized and screaming to a Christian pop band. If there were 1,000 people at 10 bucks a pop, that’s $10,000 spent. Plus all the hundreds of dollars spent on band paraphernalia.

Would they give that much that easily to someone in need? I don’t know. Would these young people exert as much enthusiasm and energy toward helping the homeless or spending time with a shut-in elderly person? I don’t know. Maybe I’m getting older. Maybe it’s just me. I really don’t know. But something felt funny.

I walked outside that night into the parking lot to get away from the loud noise and flashy lights that focused on the band. I looked up into a beautiful night sky where the stars were shining. I instantly thought, “God, you’re real, You’ve created all this beauty…..all glory goes to you.” The stars proclaimed his glory. No noise. They were silent. No flashy laser lights spelling out his name on the horizon. Just his creation speaking his name. No t-shirts. No autographed photos. Just God. I stared at the stars, and I began to feel a little less funny.