Recently some bloggers have been attempting to have a dialogue on the state of Christian Radio in America. Questions like "why is Christian Radio so lame?" and the ever present "who listens to this crap?" have come up again and again.

In the interest of helping with this extremely serious problem (joking!) I have decided to irregularly compile a list of really, really good Christian artists that are never played on the radio. My goal here is only to help folks find music that is worth listening to. I would like to say that we can count on the Christian Radio folks to locate these hidden gems and broadcast them to the world. However, it seems clear that like so many areas of modern mainstream Christianity (church marketing, politics, etc.) Christian Radio has adopted a corporate mentality. In other words, if we aren't slumming for the majors, we aren't doing anything at all.

Ok, end of rant. Here's my first selection:

1. Sufjan Stevens
A product of the Sounds Familyre/Asthmatic Kitty collective (?), Stevens has been making really cool, really Christian songs for about five years. I first came across his stuff at Cornerstone 2001 - I think it was the Sun Came! record - which piqued my interest. His best so far (imo) is Seven Swans, though his most recent Invites You To: Come on Feel the Illinoise! is getting good reveiws and filling clubs across the land. The melodies remind me of the minimalist composers Steven Reich and John Adams, while the lyrics have an earnestness and honesty that is compelling. On the straight folk ditty John Wayne Gacy he sings:

In my best behavior
I am really just like him
look underneath the floorboards
for the secrets I have hid.

Stevens is also an excellent banjo player, and integrates the tell-tale Danielson family singers into many of his songs. I cannot recommend this guy enough.

(ps - I just say Sufjan Stevens at the Canopy Club this week and was again impressed. While his set was fairly short and filled with innocent silliness (cheerleader cheers for Metropolis and Peoria!) - his melodies and instrumental prowess came through clearly. The club was filled with the hippest and coolest of C/U, and I believe Stevens allowed his message (Jesus) to come through, though not with the intensity that I had expected. A recent Mojo Magazine interview with him revealed that he is trying to scale back the evangelical aspects of his earlier records since he is now getting more exposure. A bit disappointing, though I consider that his deal to work out with God.)

More to come. 28 comments

It is unbelievable to me that it has been four years since 9/11. Of course I still remember where I was, and all that, but what is truly unbelievable to me is that our "War on Terror" has been waged so incompetently. The questions are large and illogical: Why are we in Iraq? Why are we still in Iraq? Why is Bin Laden still roaming free? Why have we responded to a threat against our people by playing into our enemy's hands? Why have there been more terrorist attacks in the last four years than in the last twenty? Are we losing?

As several authors have pointed out, Bin Laden's strategy was to draw us out of our "hole" and lure us into attacking a Muslim country. He wants to created widespread resistance to American foreign policy. He has been successful - the terrorist attacks of the last four years have been unprecendented in contemporary history. From Madrid to Casablanca, Bali to London, the terrorists have struck again and again at our allies. They have killed hundreds of our soldiers. The control much of Iraq. They are showing no signs of weakening. In fact, they seem to be stronger than ever.

We, on the other hand, have failed to find and kill their leader. We have failed to control Afghanistan and Iraq. We have sent thousands of our young people into harm's way with little result. We have spoken of crusades and Evil, giving the terrorists free recruitment propaganda, while cutting taxes for the wealthy and stripping our emergency services of their budgets and effectiveness.

Perhaps Mark Danner said it best in this morning's Times:

Four years after the collapse of the towers, evil is still with us and so is terrorism. Terrorists have staged spectacular attacks, killing thousands, in Tunisia, Bali, Mombasa, Riyadh, Istanbul, Casablanca, Jakarta, Madrid, Sharm el Sheik and London, to name only the best known. Last year, they mounted 651 "significant terrorist attacks," triple the year before and the highest since the State Department started gathering figures two decades ago. One hundred ninety-eight of these came in Iraq, Bush's "central front of the war on terror" - nine times the year before. And this does not include the hundreds of attacks on U.S. troops. It is in Iraq, which was to serve as the first step in the "democratization of the Middle East," that insurgents have taken terrorism to a new level, killing well over 4,000 people since April in Baghdad alone; in May, Iraq suffered 90 suicide-bombings. Perhaps the "shining example of democracy" that the administration promised will someday come, but for now Iraq has become a grotesque advertisement for the power and efficacy of terror.

On this anniversary of carnage, I pray for our people. May no more innocents die for the folly of their leaders.

God Bless America, indeed. 8 comments

A friend stopped by the Illinois Terminal today (Wednesday) and spoke with Andrea Rundell, who is with the United Way and who is coordinating Champaign-Urbana's relief efforts for Gulf Coast evacuees, regarding immediate needs beginning tomorrow, Thursday, 8 September, and lasting for an indeterminate period (perhaps a couple of weeks??). Here are the legitimate needs that have arisen so far:

1) Ms. Rundell needs 1-2 people to serve as volunteers between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. beginning tomorrow, to do miscellaneous tasks as they arise

2) They may need (at the Illinois Terminal) the following, in order of priority (quantities are unknown): baby formula, feminine hygiene products, men's deodorant, individual men's razors and shaving cream, women's deodorant. But don't just go by the Illinois Terminal and drop these items off; first find someone there and be absolutely certain they're needed.

3) You can donate phone cards for evacuees to call relatives; gift cards for grocery stores and discount stores; and/or gift certificates for restaurants that are close to the intersection of North Neil and Marketview (a few evacuees are staying at the Super 8 Motel there). If you want to donate any of these items, please take them to the United Way office at 404 W. Church, Champaign—do NOT take them to the Illinois Terminal.

4) The volunteers at the Illinois Terminal could use some bags of fruit so they are not constantly eating junk food.

Andrea Rundell's cell phone number is 898-1156. She receives many calls that she cannot take. If necessary, track her down at the Illinois Terminal. Please contact Ms. Rundell directly if you can volunteer tomorrow or in the near future. If you cannot get through to her cell phone, just show up. The worst that can happen is they won't need you.

Thanks to Brian Mustain for this information. Help in any way you can. 0 comments

While it is undoubtedly important to donate and raise money for the victimes of Hurricane Katrina right now, sometimes we forget the long-term implications of losing everything. findshelter.org is attempting to deal with the realities that are now facing the evacuees.

findshelter.org will be specializing in finding families in need and matching them up with churches and other Christian groups for sponsorship. To quote SHLOG:

Once a family is sponsored they will have all of their needs met by that group or church for one year: housing, work, psychiatric treatment, child care, food, spiritual counseling and anything else. Sponsor churches and groups will be a family to these families who've lost homes and livelihoods for twelve months, but hopefully will make connections with one another that last a lifetime.

These are the long-term solutions that we need to start thinking about. I am hoping my own church will respond to this call. If anyone in the area would like to discuss a partnership please let me know.

Also, this blog is a sobering, but incredibly important read.

Keep praying ... 1 comments

I am still absolutely befuddled at how something like the scene in New Orleans could happen. Having done quite a bit of backpacking in my life, I am very respectful of Mother Nature's awesome power. But this situation has disintegrated into borderline genocide.

Here's how Anthea Butler put it (emphasis mine):

People are looting because they are tired of being at the bottom. If you don't have gas money, or a working car, or the government check that would come on September 1, you could not leave New Orleans. Never mind the fact that New Orleans, as a tourist capital, never funneled any of that money back into impoverished communities. Katrina didn't care that monthly stipend hadn't come yet. She came instead.

Read the rest here. The best video I have seen of the problem is posted here (load time a bit long).

I think it is important to remember that the poor and working poor cannot be ignored forever. It is not enough to simply throw money at them and expect them to stay in line. Unless communities like ours take steps to address the root causes of poverty (like creating industries that can employ underskilled workers), we are all a step away from looking like New Orleans. We need to invite the poor into the discussion about our policing, our developmental directions, and how we can best serve the needs of all our citizens.

What happened in New Orleans is lingering under the surface even here in C/U. We just don't have the water to bring it to the top. Yet. 0 comments