These exceptions, however, hardly diminish the important role racism and expressions of whiteness have played in creating a separate "southern" gospel culture. Years and a divorce later, Kenny admitted to his bar-hopping ways. Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. of course the show of clapping kicking off shoes etc was mandatory. Not to get into a debate, but many Christians believe that the Bible verses most often used to condem homosexuality are misinterpreted. The resulting business side of these ministries lead me to the conclusion that I myself and the Church I was a member of were just as Worldly and operating in the Flesh as much as anyone else. . 1:9). Why? He brings his book to life with ethnographic thick-description, particularly in his opening chapter on the live experience of southern gospel music, but mostly avoids the pitfalls of documentary work's tendency to view its subject as a cultural and temporal Other. However, those who trust God have no problem harmonizing the Gospels. At times, to be pointed out in a public setting is embarrassing to me and makes me feel foolish. Just nothing. So-and-so is leaving to spend more time with his family so-and-so is leaving to follow Gods exciting new direction for his life, etc. Sorry,kinda hit reply a little too early. Chuck Colson said, True tolerance is not a total lack of judgment. Goodman has been imitated by other singers, including males, while also becoming a character inhabited by drag queens in gay bars throughout the South. Its an industry baby gotta have that money thing happening in order to be right! Therefore you shouldnt judge others.. Rev 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; From Steven Curtis Chapmans (His Strength Is Perfect, Be Still and Know, I Will Be Here) drug addiction in his early years to Amy Grants (El Shaddai, Grown-Up Christmas List, Thy Word) multiple divorces, adultery, profanity, nudity, drugs, and vulgarity, CCM is awash with filth. The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. The true pivot towards professionalization, according to Harrison, began in 1924 when V. O. Stamps challenged Vaughn's gospel music empire by creating the Stamps-Baxter Music Co. in Texas. Most of these groups were local/regional musicians who were willing to come sing for us for a love offering. By 1910 he had created the first professional quartet, underwrote the first recordings of white gospel music in 1921, and started the first radio station focused on shape-note singing in 1923 in addition to his publishing company, Vaughn Music. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist. She often wore her hair in a beehive more than a foot above her head. Harrison credits Aldine S. Kieffer, a former Confederate solider, and Ephraim Ruebush, a former Union soldier with laying the foundations for southern gospel's growth during Reconstruction and into the New South Era. Today's Southern Gospel hits. As one agreeing commentator put it, this falls flat in times when everybody knows theres a scandal. A segregated society and record industry might have created artificial barriers between white and black gospel cultures, but Harrison sees both cultures as unique because their fans and performers have interpreted gospel's meaning and spiritual function in different ways. The songs, and the emerging style of southern gospel music they typified, "offered people a powerful language in which to express complicated feelings of fear and faith, to voice a nostalgic longing for what had been lost, and to work toward a better life here in this world by singing of their pietistic hopes for a brighter day hereafter" (53). I was still a christian at the time but it still made an impression on me and fed into my growing cynicism. the only message i heard when i played stairway to heaven backwards where there is a bustle in your hedgerow was jami needs some pudding. Enjoy. By the way, nothing wrong with dancing, same as with music, it might mean more to me if I had the rhythm/musical talents within my being. What I found wasnt surprising to me, but it was disappointing. Yet, there is good newsincredibly good news. It was enjoyable to listen to him for a few minutes. It is meant to get your feelings up, it is sensual, it is mental coasting. Its no wonder that Kirk and Kenny have some common dates this year, since they share the same crowd! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. McCall Music Ministry. Anyone caught with a Bible would be executed. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Dont expect a saved, sanctified, submitted, saint. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. I listened to Robbie Hiner on the YouTube Bruce linked. it For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life, see it doesnt say For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him{ except homosexualst} should not perish but have everlasting life}. I was heartbroken. 1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. . White gospel executives and major gospel groups in the 1970s like the Happy Goodmans saw CCM as a "hippie-oriented" threat to their dominance among white evangelicals. tippy('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1490_1_2', { content: jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1490_1_2').html(), placement: 'bottom', theme: 'sosp', arrow: false, allowHTML: true }); a foundational history of black gospel, is the son of German-Jewish refugees. If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. The music was wonderful while also being inclusive. The four-hour gospel extravaganza Bill Gaither and Friends - featuring the Collingsworth Family, Jeff and Sheri Easter, the Gaither Vocal Band, Taranda Greene, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound,. Trust the Word of God and quit leaning to your own understanding. Early career James 4:4-10 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? In 1954 a music manager told a young singer, You ought to go back to driving a truck. That singer was Elvis Presley. 1 John 4:1. So-and-so needs to spend more time with his WIFE and kids. His immersion in the gospel world exposed him to the genre's "family secret": gay people formed the heart and soul of black gospel music while the fundamentalism of churches and clergy kept them in the closet. How could everyone possibly know all the ins and outs of a private transaction? It will be the end. The church where I grew up was located about 30 minutes outside Nashville with over 300 in attendance on a bad week. Is IFB Preacher Jack Schaap a Model Prisoner? They have written some very popular and well-known gospel music, such as "He Touched Me," "Thanks to Calvary," and "There's Something about That Name." We all all sinners and have a lot of work to do before we reach that state of sinless perfection which of course will not be on this earth. THE LORD KNOWS IM DRINKING by Cal Smith. However, to discover pro-homosexual activities among these so called psalmists, should shock Southern Gospels faithful. There is no need to belittle anyone because you dont share their beliefs. What upset him, you ask? Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? Most four-year institutions in the US have a Newman Center located nearby; these are small Catholic churches established for college students, as opposed to permanent residents. Somebody named Mike, who appears to be an artist, left a long comment that dealt with this particular pet peeve by saying that an individual could be permanently damaged through such an exposure. Trios or quartets predominate in their stead singing in "close harmony" about the individual soul's longing for redemption and salvation amid the stresses of modern life (3436). People who heard about it 2nd or 3rd or quintillionth-hand might get confused about exactly who it was and view the entire group suspiciously because they heard that somebody involved had done something really bad.) If racism and distinct understandings of gospel music's meaning and purpose have reinforced its separation as genres, white and black gospel can, nevertheless, find common ground with their shared traditions of homophobia. The problem is my neighbors. Bill and Gloria Gaither represent the heart and soul of Southern Gospel today. Many of the musical groups traveled using diesel busses. Like my friend Brian who commented from Southern Gospel Critique, I tend to look on the bright side of the industry. 20 for NIA.) Evidently the conversation shifts to money and Kirk basically tells him that the homosexual church took care of him while a nearby straight church wouldnt even pay for his hotel room. He paid our fine so that we could leave the courtroom. As one might expect, the lyrics of Southern gospel music concern themselves with sin and the saving grace of the Lord . 5,485 listeners. Dont expect repentance. The conservative evangelical, as Harrison acknowledges, can summon a persecuted identity when it is convenient and not have to worry about actual discrimination. But I was to find later that scandals were to be the norm in CCM and Southern Gospel. (Largest crowd? There are elements of sincerity that keep us coming back. He stated that his 6 member advisory board had asked him to sit down because he was emotionally unfit to talk to anyone. I thought it was because he was contacting gay men with pornographic pictures of himself in order to discuss his hidden gay desires! Its just what I like. Man is prone to make mistakes. This will show him that he is guilty of breaking Gods holy Law, and he is damned not because of, but despite his sexual preference. Many years ago we went to see this group and the crowd was full of the spirit with lots of hands in the air and charismatic gesticulations. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Since then, the Bible has been read by more people and printed more times than any other book in history. However, Im a primary sources kind of person. 2 1997: Loving God & Loving Each Other 1998: Still The Greatest Story Ever Told 1999: God Is Good 2000: I Do Believe 2002: Everything Good 2003: A Cappella 2004: The Best Of The GVB 2006: Give It Away 2007: Together, feat. At least nobody lied there!) What some have referred to as the "Southernization" of the nation manifested itself in George Wallace's ability to tap into the rage of a transregional white working class, the influence of evangelical Virginians Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, the growing popularity of southern rock acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd who proudly displayed the Confederate battle flag, the explosion of country music radio stations across the nation, and the popularity of television shows like the Dukes of Hazzard. "Why Southern Gospel Matters." I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them. Groups who sang at our church included: David Meece, Sierra, Annie Herring (2nd Chapter of Acts), and NIA. Harrison's candor about his personal connections to southern gospel, his love for the music's transcendent qualities, and, most importantly, his openness about how his sexuality has shaped his experiences with the music and industry make his book a powerful and effective example of self-reflexive scholarship. Evangelizing the Lost: Do You Have Blood on Your Hands? A journal about real and imagined spaces and places of the US South and their global connections. Tell God you are truly sorry, then trust the Savior as you would trust yourself to a parachute. June 21, 2007 12:01 am ET. Ask Him to remind you of the sins of your youth. The queer gospel fan has no such luxury and suffers the burden of "self-regulation that falls to the nonconforming individual who wishes to forge a religious identity beyond what orthodoxy strictly permits or heaven will allow" (168).