If you haven’t heard about Macklemore, it probably won’t be long before you do (if you have a teenager, ask them about the song Thrift Shop. They’ll know.).
His name is Ben Haggerty, he’s from Seattle, and he is one of the breakout musicians of 2012. Some would say he’s just another hack trying to get his name in the top ten. Others would say he’s redefining modern rap.
A friend shared his music with me when it released last October. I didn’t know who he was, but I thought he had talent.
Then I got to the fifth song on the album.
It’s called Same Love. It opens with the sound of a warm and inviting, yet distant organ that instantly conjures the image of a church in your head (I’m sure this was on purpose). The first line further caught my attention.
“When I was in the third grade, I thought that I was gay, cuz I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight.”
The rest of the song is nothing short of captivating. Musically, I really like it. Lyrically, it is telling of one of the major conflicts of our generation: rights for homosexuals in marriage. This has been a hot-button issue for a while, and I don’t intend to simplify it. I do, however, want us to listen to the words and the heart of this song.
I don’t even want to change what you believe. I just want to shine some light on the perception of the Christian community. If perception is reality, I think we’ve done a poor job of showing love.
With this post, I just want to look at 7 portions of Macklemore’s Same Love, with the hopes that we might learn something.
1. He brings us to the heart of the matter. Disagree with me if you like. The homosexual community is hurting and I’m afraid “the Jesus people” are the ones throwing the darts. The heart of that matter is not that homosexuals are going to Hell. Rather, it is that God loves us and He is pursuing us! Woe to those who step in the way of that Pursuit. Liars are going to Hell, too, by the way.
2. He shows us the perception of fear-based belief.
“And you can be cured with some treatment in religion. Man-made rewiring of a predisposition, playing God. Ah nah, here we go. America, the brave, still fears what we don’t know. And God loves all His children is somehow forgotten. But we paraphrase a book written 3500 years ago.”
There are times in the song that he seems to be talking to the church and nation interchangeably. I can only speak to what I believe, so I’ll say this: My strongly-held belief that God has a plan for us comes from the Bible. What I want to say is that my belief is not based on fear; its based on my Father’s plan. That’s it. The Bible is our written authority.
3. He reminds Christians that it has never been okay to use our words flippantly.
“Gay is synonymous with the lesser.”
First and foremost, I’m guilty of this. I don’t know many people who aren’t. What is inexcusable is that we throw these words around as if they don’t hurt people. And we don’t care. Maybe my frustration comes from the Christians who will call someone a fag, but get up-in-arms when someone says something ugly about them. At any rate, the central issue is not what Christians believe the Bible says; it’s that too many Christians mindlessly spit venom.
4. He’s calling the church out.
“When I was at church, they taught me something else. If you preach hate at the service, those words aren’t anointed. The holy water that you soak in has been poisoned.”
This is a true statement: I don’t know any pastors who intend to “preach hate.” This speaks to a couple issues. First, the perception of our Biblical belief is that its hateful. I can handle that. Second, our well-intentioned preaching is drifting into off-mission religious bullhorning. That, I’m not okay with. This is my plea to pastors: YOUR WORDS MATTER. Please preach the Truth. But please preach the truth the way the Truth told you to preach. Follow the example that Jesus set for us. If anyone deserves your bullhorn, it’s the people inside your walls.
5. He reminds us that our ungracious words hurt.
“A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are.”
As a youth pastor, I have the honor of walking with students through their struggles. Unfortunately, this world crushes the heart of several of these precious students. The dangerous thought that enters their heart is that this life is just too hard for someone who struggles with homosexuality. Christian or not, they are taking their own life because of the hardship associated with their decisions. I don’t think “the gays” know where you stand on homosexuality. We need more grace. What if we actually became…friends with the people we preach to [gasp!]. Crazy things might happen. I know this: If you are actively involved in someone’s life, you’re not going to spit venomous words. In other words, our unbridled tongues show the nature of our nonmissional focus.
6. He appeals to unity.
“Whatever God you believe in, we come from the same one. Strip away the fear. Underneath its all the same love. About time that we raised up.”
I can’t help but picture Acts 2. I’m not after an interfaith movement. I’m not even after unity at the cost of Biblical authority. I just think that Jesus knew what He was doing when He prayed “that they would be one.” And the truth is this: there is one God. At the end of the day, He has spoken on this issue. Homosexuality is not God’s plan. But Jesus sure spent a lot of time with those who weren’t exercising God’s plan. And what’s more, when he “introduced God” to them, in the context of relationship, many of them changed! It’s not as if you can change them anyways. That’s God’s work. It’s our job to speak the truth in love.
7. He’s telling a story about pain.
“Love is patient. Love is kind. Not cryin’ on Sundays.”
You can believe what you want. The hurt and pain is evident. Please understand that I am not fighting for a faith community that repels pain. It’s inevitable. I’m simply afraid that some of the pain that people feel comes from our unbridled tongues. This lyric haunts me.
If I sound like I’m supporting the agenda for homosexual marriage rights, I’m not.
If I sound like I’m supporting the agenda against homosexual marriage rights, I’m not.
I will unapologetically declare that I think there’s a better way to introduce people to Jesus. And I’m afraid that our “preaching to the gays” has way more to do with impressing the people in the seats than it does with loving people. In fact, if we had the blessing of seeing Jesus, in human form, speak/act to this issue today, I’m betting all my chips that He would redirect our angst for justice into love.
Let us use our hands to point people to Jesus, rather than to hurl stones at the ungodly.