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American Idol tries a Shout to the Lord?? Was it me or was the American Idol finalists' group rendition of Shout to the Lord actually a bit strange? What was that all about? They took one of the most popular worship songs of the past ten years, a song explicitly aimed at Jesus Christ, and they sang it to people. It was a marvelous performance, but it seemed to lack any quality of worship whatsoever. What was that all about and how in the world did it happen? I'm sure some Christian on the production team fought really hard to make that happen and I commend them for the audacity to go for it in such a bold way, but it had more of the feel of a backstage chaplain getting strippers to read the Bible on stage during a performance. There's something right about it and yet it is completely unworkable. Anybody see it and see what I am trying to say? Or was it just me?
Here's a curiosity. They also sang the song as the close of Wednesday night's show only they omitted the name of Jesus from the song lyrics. Then they opened Thursday's show with the song and Jesus was named. This definitely points to some production room battles.
On a related note-- the Idol gives back dimension of the show where they probably raised 200 million dollars to help impoverished children around the world--- now there was the true worship-- the real shout to the Lord.
Take a look:
posted by John David Walt | at 4/11/2008 05:16:00 AM
Today...
10 Comments:
I had an odd feeling in my stomach the whole time I watched this. Meredith and I were watching "Idol Gives Back" and after about halfway through I told her that this should be something the church does, and it is pretty sad when TV shows up the church.
I don't care for AmeriCAN Idol. However my wife loves it,so I heard the rendition of Shout to the Lord from another room.
I have to confess first that I've heard that song so many times over the years that it sends a shiver down my spine to hear it. It has been filed far away along with other great songs that were over done like "Lord I lift your name on High"(this one is almost to a point that it might be brought back, just don't tell anyone) That being said I suppose it does evoke the response in me that its asking for, because I do shout to the Lord when I hear it.
I also have to confess that I'm quite a cynic so in the end I have to believe that the producers were just trying reach out to evangelical pocketbooks.
If I take a moment and place my cynicism on the sideline, could it be that there are actually some devote believers that are part of the production team of AI, or even one of the contestants. And if so maybe they were convicted enough by scripture like Matthew 10:27 which says "what I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.
Of course we can wax and wain on this topic from several different streams. In the end, it was just a song, sung on a T.V. show.
I'm there with chad...definitely had a sickened stomach but was so glad for the words I knew. I tried to be glad, but it reminded me about the proverb imagery that says "throat is an open grave." (Kendra memory version)
Disconnection from the holy is perverse, whether song or voice or heart or fruit or whatever.
The sad thing is that I can't decide if I'm offended or not. Just...where is the holy...a fog with no essence of hope. Lacking its power.
Like when I watch Harry Potter movies. Entertaining, but stripped of the presence of true authority.
It honestly somewhat weirds me out. If I think to myself, what version of Christianity would I want portrayed to American, even if through American Idol, I don't know if it's through a rendition of Shout to the Lord. I just don't know.
Over the years there have been so many Christians on this show...
I don't know who is where spiritually in the current line up. Are we to read anything from the fact that only three of them were happy to name Jesus? Earlier all of them sang "Shepherd", but on the results show, just three of them sang Jesus, and seemed mighty happy to be doing so.
Well, God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. Though Simon Cowell is trying to get the checks.
You know, every time they do one of these group opening numbers, they tend to have a bit of choreography. What cracks me up about this one is that... sure enough... they reduced their moves to the classic "worship sway back and forth."
The stripper analogy...yeah that pretty much hit the nail on the head for me.
i only saw clips of it, not being a huge idol fan myself, but i did find it interesting that Jesus was mentioned one night but not the other... could it be that on the night of giving, the mentioning of Jesus could have caused some donors not to give? there HAD to be an intentional strategy for this change.
i caught that something was weird about it before i realized they had changed the words...i, like the anonymous poster, have kind of pushed Shout to the Lord out my worship mind due to overkill in the churches i've been a part of. perhaps next year they'll do "i can only imagine"...
but yes, the giving was amazing, and it does shame the church a bit...though i'd be interested in seeing both the percentage of believers that gave to this that normally give, and the percentage that gave to Idol that don't to their own churches...
sadly, i'd bet there are many who believe more in the mission of idol gives back than the mission of their local congregations...
I am sorry but that is pure cheese!
your comment about the lack of true worship in the performance got me. it's so normal today that "worship" in churches isnt true worship either.. just performance.. reminded me of many, many churches i've been to. sad. :(
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