Slayer and the English Priest
02. Sep, 2010 
3 Comments
Seriously. I don’t know what’s in the water in English Anglican churches but it’s scary. The priests over there come up with some odd behavior and weird ideas.
A couple of days ago, The Telegraph in Great Britain, published a story regarding a Miss Mann, the priest-in-charge of St Nicholas’s, in Burnage.
Miss Mann wants us to know that while we may have some concerns about its lyrical content, there is “…especially at this agonized time, has a serious gospel lesson to learn from this darkest and heaviest music.”
The Cleric sees this genre as a forthright way of dealing with difficult issues:
“The music’s willingness to deal with nihilistic and, on occasion, extremely unpleasant subjects seems to offer its fans a space to accept others in a way that shames many Christians… Metal’s refusal to repress the bleak and violent truths of human nature liberates its fans to be more relaxed and fun people”.
Well.. sure. I’ve always considered songs about death, dismemberment, demons, and debauchery rather fun!
As an example of Miss Mann’s “fun” approach, she quotes from the thrash metal band Slayer:
“I’ll take the devil any day, hail Satan.”
Hey that sounds like fun!
She states: “Much of metal’s fascination with Satan or evil is play-acting, driven by a desire to shock… Metal invites Christianity to be less afraid of wildness and the ridiculous.”
I’ve just been invited to throw up. But hey, I’m sure someone could combine this with the Twilight movies for a great sermon series…
Please don't tell me that you consider a couple of quotes taken out of context and a snarky attitude a good substitute for logical discourse. It's unbecoming and, quite sadly, falls prey to the very attitudes that the article is speaking against.
If you'd actually read the article instead of just knee-jerk-reacting to it, you'd know that what it's saying is that, despite your objection to it's content, the tolerance that heavy metal fans show towards people of differing beliefs is something that every Christian should be aspiring to. It's not saying that we need to emulate their beliefs, but respect that others have them and not treat them as lesser human beings because of it.
I hope you understand that with this posting, and it's subsequent post to Twitter (where I got the link from), you are doing the exact opposite of what the Guardian article is advocating, which is showing a complete lack of tolerance for anything other than your own point of view. You also do it in a grammatical style that makes you look like a petulant teenager who has nothing better to do than sit around with your friends and make fun of something you don't understand.
This also serves to quite badly damage your reputation as a Christian to the very people you're supposed to me ministering to. You want to be a shining light in this increasingly dark and depressing world? Don't post trash like this.
I'm a Christian, and a heavy metal fan. If you don't like the style of music, then fine, but just because you don't like it doesn't invalidate it as a form of musical expression, and it doesn't mean that it has nothing to say. It's also not just about "death, dismemberment, demons, and debauchery," despite your rather one-dimensional characterization of it. In fact, it's rarely about that at all, except in some extreme cases. Metal is about finding something that you can't get anywhere else. It's the place that kids and teenagers go to when their home life is intolerable, either from abuse or neglect. It's what people turn to when life is so unbearable that if they don't find release soon, they're going to go crazy. It is a culture of people who have been constantly told that they're not good enough, they're stupid, and that they'll never amount to anything. So it's no surprise that they congregate around these common experiences, and this type of music is their outlet. It's unfortunate that they don't find Christ at the same time, but you know what? That's our failing as Christians.
Instead of making fun of them and writing them off, as your tone above suggests, what's wrong with loving them as Christ does? Unconditionally. Unfortunately, nothing in your article above gives me cause to think that you're speaking against anything more than a stylistic difference of opinion, laced with the arrogance and pompacity that is inherent to the American religious right. I was saddened as I read it, and I don't think I'll be following your Twitter feed anymore as a result.
Feel free to email me a reply, if you can do it in a civil and logical manner, and I will be happy to engage you in debate, but I won't be checking this comment feed again.
Dave, I will be emailing you and thanking you for your honest response. Let me offer a few comments in reply.
First – let me say up front that I don’t consider the genre of metal in and of itself “evil” or ungodly in some way. Frankly, I don’t know how God feels about metal, country, classical or jazz other than them testifying to His nature as creator. For me, I like a wide variety of musical styles and there’s some metal that I’ve really enjoyed.
Second – as Christians we should absolutely offer love and acceptance to people without judgment and certainly not bigotry.
That being said, let me address some of your direct criticisms. Forgive me for quoting you but it keeps me on track.
“If you’d actually read the article instead of just knee-jerk-reacting to it, you’d know that what it’s saying is that, despite your objection to it’s content, the tolerance that heavy metal fans show towards people of differing beliefs is something that every Christian should be aspiring to…”
I did read the article. Twice. (See how easily we start tossing around judgments?)I did not respond in a knee-jerk way but thought about what I wanted to say. I was amused and wrote with that amusement in mind. As for the tolerance toward other beliefs that heavy metal fans show – well that would depend wouldn’t it? Are we talking about fans of death, goth, speed, etc.? There’s a ton of niches out there. What about white racist metal? Sells a lot. I’ve never found them to be a very tolerant group and frankly I wouldn’t be very tolerant of their views. Now you and I both
know that there are fans who are of the “live and live” variety and there are also plenty of the middle finger/f-off and die variety. I just don’t think you can paint any group with that broad of a brush.
” You also do it in a grammatical style that makes you look like a petulant teenager who has nothing better to do than sit around with your friends and make fun of something you don’t understand.”
I have no comeback for this. I thought it was a great sentence but, of course, I wouldn’t say it really describes what I was doing.
“This also serves to quite badly damage your reputation as a Christian to the very people you’re supposed to me ministering to. You want to be a shining light in this increasingly dark and depressing world? Don’t post trash like this.”
Most of the folks I’m ministering to don’t read my stuff. People in ministry do and since my post was a commentary on the priest and not really the genre, I was speaking to folks who would appreciate the absurdity of how the priest was presenting it. (More on that in a bit.)
“It’s also not just about ‘death, dismemberment, demons, and debauchery,’ despite your rather one-dimensional characterization of it. In fact, it’s rarely about that at all, except in some extreme cases”
Well, you have me there and you don’t. I agree! Lots of metal is about things other that the 4Ds – politics, family, divorce, anger, love, pain, pleasure, etc… I would hope the 4Ds written as they were would be understood as part of my amusement with the priest. That said – hang on… let me pop over to itunes for a sec… You asked me to be civil and logical. I’m trying to do that, so the following is not an effort at sarcasm. It’s just to make the point. Featured albums on itunes in the metal category include:
The Autumn Offering / Self Titled – includes: Death Mask and Blood Lust
Cephalic Carnage / Misled By Certainty –
Titles are kind of cryptic and I couldn’t find lyrics to the current collection but previous lyrics containing references to the “goatwhore” ruling the world, “Beelzebub suck my balls” and sexual urges toward the dead, pretty much make the point.
Kataklysm / Heaven’s Venom – I read through their lyrics. Summary: God is dead / life sucks / let’s all join together and declare that life sucks..
The Other / New Blood – includes In League with Devil, Demons Walk the Earth
And so on. Were there cds with lyrics about other things? Of course! But the reality is that for every artist that focuses on dealing with life’s issues and pain, there are five dealing with the 4Ds. “…rarely about that at all, except in some extreme cases..” Dave – that’s a bit disingenuous. It just ain’t that rare.
Please understand. I’m not damning a genre. I’m sure that, as a Christian, you show some discernment in the material you listen to. I listen to plenty of music – religious and non-religious but I do draw some lines as to what I will listen to whether it’s the insipid nonsense of some Christian tunes or the death/sex obsession of some secular artists.
” Metal is about finding something that you can’t get anywhere else. It’s the place that kids and teenagers go to when their home life is intolerable, either from abuse or neglect.”
True. So is Taylor Swift. So is Lady Gaga. So is Eminem. The Who were that for me. Gospel music is that for some! We all process pain in different ways and use the genres we identify with to help us give voice to that pain. Doesn’t mean it’s all healthy – no matter the genre.
“Unfortunately, nothing in your article above gives me cause to think that you’re speaking against anything more than a stylistic difference of opinion, laced with the arrogance and pompacity that is inherent to the American religious right.”
Okay! Now you’re getting personal! Seriously. This has little to do at all with style. It has to do with a priest who could have made a very good point! She could have talked about what metal reveals about the pain that people experience. She could have said that many of these bands tell us something about the darker side of existence. But no. She quotes Slayer. Slayer?! Are you kidding me? C’mon Dave. Was that the best move? Was it wise for her to paint with an equally broad brush stroke and suggest that the demonic stuff was nothing more harmful than dressing up for Halloween?
She was the problem. Not the genre.
Now.. aligning me with the religious right?
Now that hurts.
And I am going to rise up with the iron fist of hate and crush the sun upon your head and drink your blood while maggots eat you.
Cheers!
Jeff
I had a cup of tea, brewed with water from a village anglican church about a year ago. After consuming the beverage I don't feel any less revulsion to the worst type of lyrics referred to in either your original post, or in your reply to Dave.
I therefore surmise that either:
1) not all English anglican churches have a dogdgy water supply, or
2) the effects of the water on my judgement have now worn off, or
3) the lady priest was just trying to be "hip".
:-)