In his upcoming book "Pop Goes Religion," author Terry Mattingly goes on the record with the elusive Van Halen/Extreme Singer Gary Cherone about his penchent for mixing God with rock and roll: Excerpts:
"The Gospel Music Association started a ruckus when tried to define gospel music as "music in any style whose lyric is substantially based on historically orthodox Christian truth contained in or derived from the Holy Bible; and/or an expression of worship of God or praise for his works; and/or testimony of relationship with God through Christ; and/or obviously prompted and informed by a Christian world view."
That's nice, but that isn't the definition the authorities were using in that weight room, or it would have been acceptable to listen to U2 or to Johnny Cash sing gospel. For that matter, there was even a time when the rock band Van Halen had a born-again singer named Gary Cherone belting out lyrics rooted in the third chapter of the Epistle of James. If you talk to the man, he's very upfront about what he was doing.
"I knew exactly what the words meant and where they were coming from," said Cherone, who is also known to MTV fans for his work with the band Extreme. "I mean, just read the words -- it's all there. Thou shalt not commit false witness. It's a song about lying and gossiping. The words had to work in a rock song, but I certainly wasn't trying to hide anything."
Cherone started quoting a snippet of the lyrics that swirl through the mix at the end of mix at the end of a rocker called "Fire in the Hole." Here they are:
Rudder of ship, which sets the course.
Does not the bit, bridle the horse?
Great is the forest, set by a small flame.
Like a tongue on fire, no one can tame.
It doesn't take a degree in New Testament studies to figure that out. It would seem that an obvious Bible quote such as this would fit within the GMA definition of "gospel music." So why didn't Van Halen get a Dove? The album liner notes even included a nod to super-Calvinist theologian R.C. Sproul.
Cherone laughed out loud. Van Halen fans, he noted, would have been just as scandalized by a Dove nod as the GMA committee members. It would have been fun.
"I thought that the 'bit to the horse' part of the lyric was especially obvious," said Cherone. "But when you stop and think about it, what's the big deal? Dylan's been weaving Bible verses into his songs for several decades now. There's nothing new about this."
U2s Christian Subtrefuge
[The following series of posts by "hplanet" appeared on the alt.fan.u2
newsgroup in January, 2001]
Newsgroups: alt.fan.u2
From: hplanet
Subject: U2s Christian Subtrefuge Part1
Newsgroups: alt.fan.u2
Date: 2001-01-13 07:42:04 PST
ok Some of the christian metaphors are pretty obvious "you carried the
cross
of all my shame" in Still Haven't Found.."Gloria in te domine"
in Gloria,
the picture of Judas Iscariot in Until The End Of The World etc, but those
people who are not Christians, tend not to realise that U2 are using lyrical
subtrefuge to impart Christian doctrine.
Bono is very influenced by C.S.Lewis, who you may recall wrote The Narnia
Chronicles. What many non-christians don't realise is that Lewis was a
prolific christian apologist, and wrote a whole library of books that gave
christian theology an intellectual foundation for the 20th century. Bono
used Lewis's classic christian book "The Screwtape Letters" as the
model for
his on stage persona for Mephisto, the glamourous devil. The Screwtape
Lettters is an imaginary set of correspondance betwwen a senior devil and a
trainee devil appointed to tempt and wipe out a new christian, who is at
first unaware of their presense. Lewis's devils are pompous, arrogant and
consequently blind individuals who fail to carry out their destruction of
the "fragile " christian. Lewis mocks the devil in this portrayal,
and
follows the line of Martin Luther "The devil cannot bear to be mocked"
Bono
was taking the proverbial piss out of satan every night while on stage in
that persona, following a christain tradition, and imparting christian
thinking to his audience, (without them being fully aware of it), of "the
world, the flesh, and the devil". Now how many of you non-christians got
that when you saw u2 in that disguise? I think Bono was enjoying his little
private joke, while a good proportion of the audience thought he was just
dressing up in a silly devil costume for a bit of a larf.
From: hplanet
Subject: U2s Christian Subtrefuge Part 2
Newsgroups: alt.fan.u2
Date: 2001-01-13 08:28:03 PST
Wars outro track "40" is a musical rendition of the first part of
Psalm 40.
The lyrics to that song are lifted straight from it. Drowning Man contains a
direct quote from The Book Of The Prophet Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait
upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as
eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint."
Tomorrow on October, apart from being a paen to Bono's departed mother, is a
cry for the second coming of Christ so he can be united with his two great
loves, his mother and Jesus Christ.
"He's coming back
He's coming back
I believe it
Jesus coming
I'm gonna be there
I'm gonna be there mother
I'm gonna be there mother
I'm going out there
And you're gonna be there..."
there is deeper theology here too.
"Who broke the window
Who broke down the door
Who tore the curtain
And who was he for
Who healed the wounds
Who heals the scars
Open the door
Open the door"
.........is a direct reference to the work of Christ.
In With A Shout Bono mirrors Blake's jerusalem
"I wanna go
To the foot of the messiah
To the foot of he who made me see
To the side of a hill
Where we were still
We were filled
With our love
We're gonna be there again
Jerusalem jerusalem"
------------------------------
"Jacob wrestled the angel
And the angel was overcome"
Bullet The Blue Sky
In this track Bono refers to the struggle with God using a brief reference
to the story of Jacob wrestling the angel in the Book of Genesis 32:
24 "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the
breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow
of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he
wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not
let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as
a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he
said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him
there."
The very title of the Joshua tree is a direct reference to the Cross of
Christ. Joshua is an anglicanization of the Hebrew name for Jesus ,"Yeshua"
and the tree has been for centuries a term used to describe the wooden cross
on which Christ was crucified.
From: hplanet
Subject: U2's Christian Subtrefuge Part3
Newsgroups: alt.fan.u2
Date: 2001-01-13 09:14:05 PST
"I'll see you again
When the stars fall from the sky
And the moon has turned red
Over one tree hill"
One Tree Hill
Bono again looks forward to meeting a departed loved one (his Maori
assistant Greg) at the second coming of Christ using the reference form
Christ's discourse about His Return
"Matthew 24:29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the
sun
shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:"
and also this reference from
Acts 2:20 "The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood,
Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable day."
One Tree Hill can also be seen as a metaphor for Golgotha, the place of
Christs crucifixion.
In Surrender from War
"It's in the street, getting under my feet
It's in the air, it's everywhere
My love for you
It's in the things I do and say
If I wanna live I gotta
Die to myself someday"
Bono refers to St Paul's description of genuine Christian conversion
Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death:
that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the
Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
"If you want to kiss the sky
Better learn how to kneel"
Mysterious Ways
A cleverly worded rejection of the 60's concept that self realization was
the key to salvation, using Jimi hendrix's hymn to acid spirituality "Purple
Haze". Instead using the Christian symbollism of kneeling before God as
a
sign of repentance, leading to salvation. Followed later by the more self
explanitory
"We move through miracle days
Spirit moves in mysterious ways"
"I guess it's the price of love
I know it's not cheap"
Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
I may be guessing here, but I think this was at the back of Bono's mind
1 Corinthians 6:20 "for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore
in your body."
Yeah I'd break bread and wine
If there was a church I could receive in
'cause I need it now
To take a cup
To fill it up
To drink it slow
I can't let you go
I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
Acrobat
Bono illustrates his uncomfortableness with organized "churchianity",
which
cause him to miss the oppurtunity to celebrate the christian sacremant of
Communion.
Somebody tell him that you can do it anywhere and you don't need a pile of
bricks called a chuech to break bread and wine with fellow believers!
From: hplanet
Subject: U2's Christian Subtrefuge Part 4
Newsgroups: alt.fan.u2
Date: 2001-01-13 09:36:05 PST
"Lookin' for to save my save my soul
Lookin' in the places where no flowers grow
Lookin' for to fill that god shaped hole"
MOFO
St Augustine, I think said that in every mans heart there is a space which
only God can fill.
Then will there be no time of sorrow
Then will there be no time for shame
And though I can't say why
I know I've got to believe............
Then will there be no time of sorrow
Then will there be no time for pain
Then will there be no time of sorrow
Then will there be no time for shame
The Playboy Mansion
Bono talks of the time when Heaven will be his home. using the biblical
reference:
Revelation 21:4 "and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and
death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor
pain, any more: the first things are passed away." while playing on Christs
promise in
John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also
in
me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have
told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go, ye know the way."
Your catholic blues
Your convent shoes
You stick on tattoos
Now they're making the news
Your holy war
Your northern star
Your sermon on the mount
From the boot of your car
Please... please... please get up off your knees... please... please...
leave me out of this
Please
So love is hard and love is tough
But love is not what you're thinking of
"PLEASE"
A brilliant critique of the those who claim christianity in Northern
Ireland but show very little evidence of practicing it.
From: hplanet
Subject: U2's Christian Subtrefuge Part 5
Newsgroups: alt.fan.u2
Date: 2001-01-13 09:46:50 PST
"Jesus, were you just around the corner?
Did you think to try and warn her?
Or are you working on something new?
If there's an order in all of this disorder
Is it like a tape recorder?
Can we rewind it just once more"
WAKE UP DEAD MAN
Bono speaks of his mothers fatal car accident, and questions, like any sane
believer, God's motives and purpose in his action again in a christian
tradition marked earlier by David in the Psalms, Job, and Jeremiah amongst
others.
"Jesus, jesus help me
I'm alone in this world
And a fucked up world it is too
Tell me, tell me the story
The one about eternity
And the way it's all gonna be
Jesus, I'm waiting here boss
I know you're looking out for us
But maybe your hands aren't free
Your father, he made the world in seven
He's in charge of heaven
Will you put a word in for me"
Bono's honesty in doubt is refreshing and remarkable, especially when the
popular image of christians is of po faced, self-righteous bible bashers.
From: hplanet
Subject: U2s Christian Subtrefuge Part 6
Newsgroups: alt.fan.u2
Date: 2001-01-21 13:16:11 PST
= = =First, thanks to all who responded to my first 5 posts, and for the
corrections offered. I am working from memory and I am grateful for any
offered info= = =<
The new LP "All That You Can't Leave Behind" seems to have concepts
embedded
in it that pehaps first had their genesis in a little known book by
C.S.Lewis 'The Great Divorce'. Thus titled to illustrate Lewis's profound
distrust of the spiritual outlook embodied in William Blake's 'The Marriage
of Heaven and Hell', the book is essay on Heaven, disguised as an imagined
visit to Heaven by a departed human. Far from being a a concerted effort to
map heaven out and present a theology of the afterlife, Lewis instead uses
the literary device of narrative to present truths and concepts of
'heavenliness'.Lewis says this "But what, you ask, of earth? Earth, I think,
will not be found by anyone to be in the end a very distinct place. I think
earth, if chosen instead of Heaven, will turn out to have been, all along,
only a region in Hell: and earth, if put second to Heaven, to have been from
the beginning a part of Heaven itself." I am making an eductaed guess in
thinking Bono has read this book, as I know he has read much C.S.Lewis . The
album title 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' is perhaps part inspired by a
particular part of the book where a young artist is allowed to come to
Heaven from Hell, with the chance of staying there (in Lewis's Heaven, only
those who can cope with the 'realness', the absolute atmosphere of real
love, of Heaven can stay there) the artist sees the awesome beauty of heaven
and is so inspired that he really wants to get it onto canvas, and capture
it, but has not bought his easel and brushes. An angel tells him that he
wouldn't need them anyway for what he was always trying to capture in
painting is now real and no longer needs to be caught on canvas. For all art
is an attempt to capture the glimpse of heaven that is in the corner of the
eye. That is why art exists on earth, but not in Heaven, because Heaven is
where art was trying to take us. The young artist refuses to accept this. He
loves painting more than what painting was meant to lead him to. If he can't
paint in heaven then he's off back to hell where people will fawn over him
for his talent. The story illustrates our subborness in keeping what we
think we can take with us to Heaven. Lewis elaborates further ' 'Milton was
right,' said my Teacher. 'The choice of every lost soul can be expressed in
the words "Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven." There
is always
something they insist on keeping, even at the price of misery. There is
always something they prefer to joy-that is, to reality.' What you can't
leave behind is Joy. You can take that with you. Bono I guess uses this
title to express the forms of joy in this world, the things we can keep,
that we will take with us and will belong to us in Heaven.
From: hplanet
Subject: U2's Christian Subterfuge part 6a
Newsgroups: alt.fan.u2
Date: 2001-01-21 13:22:24 PST
.... 'Listen to reason. Did you think joy was created to live always
under that threat? Always defenceless against those who would rather be
miserable than have their self-will crossed? .... You made yourself really
wretched. That you can still do. But you can no longer communicate your
wretchedness. Everything becomes more and more itself. Here is joy that
cannot be shaken. Our light can swallow up your darkness: but your darkness
cannot now infect our light. No, no, no. Come to us. We will not go to you.
Can you really have thought that love and joy would always be at the mercy
of frowns and sighs? Did you not know they were stronger than opposites?'
an excerpt from The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
ROCKERS P.O.D., MXPX, MEGADETH & GARY CHERONE HELP INAUGURATE NEW ROCK BOOK
Los Angeles, CA - L.A.'s famed nightspot Club Lush was the scene of a book release party on Tuesday November 4th for a new book that explores the growing link between spirituality and rock music entitled, Faith, God & Rock 'n' Roll by L.A. based author Mark Joseph.
The party was hosted by the book's publisher Sanctuary Publishing and included live performances by Dex Alexander, Seattle rockers MxPx and former Extreme and Van Halen frontman Gary Cherone. Also in attendance on the day of the release of their newest album Payable On Death, were the four members of P.O.D. and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine who wrote the foreword to Faith, God & Rock 'n' Roll. Partygoers celebrated P.O.D.'s big day with a premiere showing of the band's latest video for the song 'Will You'. Five lucky members of the band's street team, The Warrior Klan, won a contest to attend the party and meet the members of P.O.D. and Joseph.
Various friends, artists, entertainment industry professionals, journalists, and pop culture critics attended the event which was emcee'd by comedian Adam Christing and featured a toast by famed publicist Michael Levine, author of the best-selling book Guerilla P.R. as well as comments from Joseph's editor at Sanctuary Lonn Friend.
"Very few deep people are able to annunciate passion well. Mark is unique in this way," said Levine in his toast. "I think he does a great service to the world and to us to recognize that rock and God are not necessarily mutually exclusive."
Friend, a longtime fixture of the L.A. rock scene and the former editor of RIP Magazine recounted how he had approached P.O.D. about publishing a book on the band only to be told that it was Joseph who was writing a larger book on rock and religion that he should talk to:
"This is a book that will elevate your consciousness, that will rock your world, that will keep you connected," said Friend. "I'm very proud to be involved with this book."
Attendees received a free copy of Joseph's Faith, God & Rock 'n' Roll and a chance to meet the author, but the focus of the evening was on the music. Dex Alexander, formerly of the group Altogether Separate kicked off the evening, followed by MxPx who performed six songs including material from their latest CD 'Before Everything & After.'
Gary Cherone and Tribe of Judah bandmate Leo Mellace closed off the evening with six songs of new material as well as his megahit 'More Than Words,' which the crowd enthusiastically sang along with. "I consider Mark a long lost brother, a kindred spirit, a brave soul and a good man," said Cherone after his set. "This is a really important book and I was thrilled to be a part of this event," noted MxPx's Mike Herrera who flew in from Seattle to perform. "It was really an honor to be in the book. I read our chapter and it's really cool"
In Faith, God & Rock 'n' Roll Joseph examines the current crop of bands and artists with a spiritual message, looking at the challenges they face in reconciling their rock 'n' roll lifestyles with deep rooted religious convictions. Featuring profiles and analyses of U2, P.O.D., MxPx, Lifehouse, Alice Cooper, Sixpence None The Richer, Lenny Kravitz and many others, the book is releasing at a time when faith and spirituality have begun to play a central role in media culture, especially in the rock scene.
CHARLIE PEACOCK JOINS CCM MAGAZINE AS CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
CCM Magazine Associate Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Roberta Croteau has announced that Charlie Peacock, one of gospel music's most innovative and influential leaders, is joining the magazine as a new Contributing Editor, debuting in CCM's October issue with the first of his monthly columns.
Peacock has earned a global reputation and won numerous awards for his profound and genre-transcending work as a songwriter, record producer, musician and author. He has signed and developed the popular group Switchfoot and has contributed to the success of artists such as Amy Grant, Audio Adrenaline, and Nichole Nordeman. Peacock is currently producing the upcoming albums by David Crowder and Sara Groves.
"CCM Magazine just took a significant step forward with the addition of Charlie Peacock as Contributing Editor," says Jay Swartzendruber, CCM's Managing Editor. "Charlie's a distinctly gifted writer whose thoughtful work reveals a pastoral heart and a profound intellect. To say he was at the top of our wish list, would be an understatement. I know we as a staff and our readers around the world will greatly benefit from Charlie's insightful and challenging approach to his faith."
The author of At The Crossroads, Peacock is a frequent commentator in the media and a contributing author to several books including It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God, Mission Africa -- A Field Guide, and Ragamuffin Prayers. Along with his wife, author Andi Ashworth, Peacock is the founder and co-director of the Art House, a ministry of art, hospitality and teaching. Under their direction the Art House has hosted events with special speakers such as R.C. Sproul, U2's Bono, L'Abri Director Dick Keyes, actor/director Mel Gibson, David Wilcox, and others.
Peacock was named by Billboard Magazine's Encyclopedia of Record Producers as one of the 500 most important record producers in music history.
. 
P.O.D. Films Video For New Single "Will You" Invite 50 Kids To Visit
Set
Hard Rockin' P.O.D. traveled to the gritty oil fields of Long Beach, CA, to shoot their newest music video for the single "Will You." On the set, the band got the good news that the song, coincidentally released the same day, quickly became the #2 most requested song at L.A.'s hottest rock station KROQ. In addition to cast and crew, 50 schoolchildren were invited to the set, including a wheelchair-bound young boy who traveled 5 hours with his mother to meet his heroes.
P.O.D.'s next album Payable On Death releases November 4th with surprise goodies tucked in side.
SALEM PUBLISHING WELCOMES JAY SWARTZENDRUBER AS MANAGING EDITOR OF CCM
Nashville, TN (9/05/03) . . . Salem Publishing announced today the selection of industry veteran Jay Swartzendruber as Managing Editor of CCM Magazine. Swartzendruberıs tenure begins September 8, as CCM continues to celebrate its 25th year as the premiere magazine for Christian music.
With over 10 years experience in the industry, Swartzendruber comes to CCM from Gotee Records, where he oversaw their publicity department. In the 1990's industry leaders Charlie Peacock and Steve Taylor each called on Jay to help launch their companies -- Peacock for his re:think label in 1995 and Taylor in 1997 for Squint Entertainment, where Swartzendruber served as Communications Manager for four years.
During his career, Swartzendruber has been tapped for insight by several leading publications and book authors, and been featured in articles by the Wall Street Journal, Billboard and Details Magazine. Roberta Croteau, Associate Publisher and Editor-In-Chief enthusiastically welcomes Swartzendruber. ³Iıve known Jay for almost 10 years, and have enjoyed watching him creatively champion excellence in Christian music. His career speaks of his love for the church, Christian music and its artists. We could not be more excited that he has decided to bring his insight to CCM.²
A graduate of Bethany Bible College (Santa Cruz, CA), where he majored in Communication Arts, Swartzendruber went on to study mass media at Wheaton Graduate School before entering the music business. ³Being mentored by folks like Charlie, Steve and Joey (Elwood, Goteeıs President) has really broadened my definition of Christian music,ı² explains Swartzendruber. ³Theyıve taught me to think big and to approach faith-informed music with a sense of adventure. I believe thatıs what God is calling artists to and I think we should assertively support them in this. When I consider the way Iım wired, I can think of no better way to do this than serving with the excellent team at CCM Magazine.²
CCM also announces the promotion of Stephanie Ottosen to Associate Managing Editor. She will work with Swartzendruber on both the day-to-day operation of CCM and its broader creative development. Meanwhile, Christa Farris moves to a new position as Managing Editor, Special Projects Division, where she will develop several supporting publications, supplements, and the CCM website. CCM Magazine is published by Salem Communications Corporation.
Headquartered in Camarillo, California, Salem is the leading U.S. radio broadcaster focused on religious and family themes programming. Upon the close of all announced transactions, the company will own and operate 92 radio stations, including 58 stations in the top 25 markets. In addition to its radio properties, Salem owns the Salem Radio Network, which syndicates talk, news and music programming to approximately 1,600 affiliated radio stations; Salem Radio Representatives, a national sales force; Salem Web Network, the leading Internet provider of Christian content and online streaming; and Salem Publishing, a leading publisher of Christian consumer magazines.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Return of Al Kasha
Legendary songwriter Al Kasha returns to the music charts with a song entitled "Streets of Heaven," bowing at number 54 on the Billboard country charts.
Streets of Heaven
Hello God, it's me again, 2 AM, room 304
Visiting hours are over, time for our bedside tug-of-war
This sleeping child between us may not make it through the night
I'm fighting back the tears, as she fights for her life
Well it must be kind of crowded on the streets of Heaven
So tell me, what do you need her for?
Don't you know one day she'll be your little girl forever
But right now I need her so much more
She's much too young to be on her own Barely just turned seven
So who will hold her hand when she crosses the streets of Heaven
Tell me God, do you remember the wishes that she made
When she blew out the candles on her birthday cake
She wants to ride a pony when she's big enough
She wants to marry her daddy when she's all grown up
Lord don't you know she's my angel You got plenty of your own
And I know you hold a place for her But she's already got a home
Well I don't know if you're listenin'
But praying is all that's left to do
So I ask you Lord have mercy, you lost a son once too
And it must be kind of crowded on the streets of Heaven
So tell me, what do you need her for?
Don't you know one day she'll be your little girl forever
But right now I need her so much more
Lord I know once you've made up your mind, there's no use in beggin'
So if you take her with you today, will you make sure she looks both ways
And would you hold her hand when she crosses the streets of Heaven
The streets of heaven
Gonna Change My Way of Thinking
Words and music by Bob Dylan
Change my way of thinking, make myself a different set of rules
Change my way of thinking, make myself a different set of rules
Put my best foot forward, stop being influenced by fools
I'm sittin' at the welcome table, I'm so hungry I could eat a horse I'm sittin' at the welcome table, I'm so hungry I could eat a horse I'm gonna revitalize my thinking, I'm gonna let the law take it's course
Jesus is calling, He's coming back to gather up his jewels Jesus is calling, He's coming back to gather up his jewels
We living by the golden rule, whoever got the gold rules The sun is shining, ain't but one train on this track The sun is shining, ain't but one train on this track I'm stepping out of the dark woods, I'm jumping on the monkey's back I'm all dressed up, I'm going to the county dance I'm all dressed up, I'm going to the county dance
Every day you got to pray for guidance Every day you got to give yourself a chance Storms are on the ocean, storms on the mountain, too Storms are on the ocean, storms on the mountain, too
Oh Lord, you know I have no friend like you I'll tell you something, things you never had you'll never miss I'll tell you something, things you never had you'll never miss A brave man will kill you with a sword, a coward with a kiss