What if instead of being known for our political sway and ideals, that when people thought of Christians, the first thing they thought of was a group of broken people who knew they needed to be redeemed out of our fallen nature and that only Christ can do it? Maybe we wouldn’t have to have a political agenda because we could change the hearts of man instead of fighting for laws that Jesus already said could not be kept. Maybe if we were humble to start, it wouldn’t be scrutinized so much when one of us fell.

Other than a few interviews over the years, I don’t know Jon Foreman. I have never hung with him or seen him around his family. I do know his music like it was my own story, because he always seems to write what I am going through at the time I am going through it. I do know that through his words, he has started with a stance of humility and grace, and not arrogance or preachiness.

Lately, I have been struggling with my faith. Struggling with being either the man who I am supposed to be, or the man my evil, selfish, murderous, adulterous, soul wants me to be, and just in time a couple of days ago I got the pre-release of Oh! Gravity, the new album by Switchfoot. I immediately began to wear it out, until I got stuck on song number 7, a song called Faust, Midas, and Myself. Faust is the protagonist in a story about a guy who makes a pact with the devil, Midas is the mythological character that can turn anything into gold, and of course, the myself refers to Foreman. Foreman, by tying all these stories together in a 4-minute song, has proven why he is the greatest songwriter alive today. The song alludes to extra marital affairs and greed, and realizing that it’s all ugly and will not bring satisfaction. It deals with the temptation he faces because of his touch of gold. This is something everyman struggles with, this is what happened to Ted Haggard. We are evil men with deceitful hearts and in our wake we leave death and destruction to the people who call us friends and kin.

Again, I don’t know Mr. Foreman, it is possible that he would fall from the pedestal his golden talent and our need for a hero has created for him. The difference I see in him compared to other leaders inside the church today is that he is not busy doing everything he can to build his pedestal even higher. Instead, I interpret through his music a man who is continually trying to cut it down and demystify his position. A man like I want to be, who continually admits to his adulterous, murderous heart and uses that as a starting point to engage culture in need of a savior.

We can all fall and what determines how damaging that fall will be depends on how high we have elevated ourselves. How far have we separated ourselves? What happens when people won’t listen to a wealthy minister on television anymore? What happens when people want to know about a savior who had dinner with sluts and criminals? What will happen when someone asks us why we need a savior? Do we still think we need one or have we built our own kingdom? I hope that my limp is obvious, I hope my speech is slurred, and I hope that the cuts stay fresh enough for me to realize that the only way I can live is not through myself, and most of all (you won’t get this until you get to hear the song Faust, Midas, and Myself) I hope that my heart hasn’t turned to gold. The reality is not only do I have grace for Ted Haggard, I am him.

Labels: what people say.