BEATLES/ROLLING STONES BIBLE STUDY COMING TO YOUR CHURCH?

Beatles/Rolling Stones Bible Study Coming to Your Church?

I don't often give out a Hall of Shame Award at my Christian news blog, Slice of Laodicea, but today, I did just that. I awarded this dubious honor to Standard Publishing for their contribution to the spiritual decline in evangelical churches after the company sent out a press release promoting their new line of culturally relevant "Bible Studies".  Here is what they say about their new product:

"The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Eagles, and George Strait-not exactly what you'd expect to find on the covers of newly-released small group Bible studies.

But with discussions ranging from, 'Yellow Submarine,' 'Hotel California', 'Check Yes or No' and 'Satisfaction,' that's exactly what you do get with the new small group series called Tuning Into God (Standard Publishing, 2007).

Tuning Into God provides four six-week, stand-alone sessions for adult small groups, and is a fun, entertaining way to introduce seekers to Bible study, or challenge growing Christians to develop in their faith by tackling some of life's difficult questions.

Each study uses an album of classic songs from one of four pop icons to prompt discussion of biblical truth.  The Beatles' series, for example, includes a session based on 'The Long and Winding Road,' to prompt discussion of Jeremiah 29 and God's promise of plans for his followers…Other well-known songs used include 'You Can't Always Get What You Want,' in the Rolling Stones-themed study, 'Take it Easy', the study themed by the Eagles, and "Living and Living Well' in the George Strait-themed study.

Here's the real kicker line in the press release.

Although the topics deal with serious subjects, the studies also include fun elements such as background stories on the writing of each song, a page of 'Fast Facts' about each group, and ice breaker questions.  Each book features website lists for locating Bible study tools, information on each band, and sources for obtaining the music.

It's really come to this, hasn't it?  Prostitutional, profit-driven publishers are polluting the Word of God with the cultural filth and spiritual rebellion of groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. In an act of breath-taking spiritual whoredom, Standard Publishing quotes the Bible on the one hand and gives "seekers" information on where to get the music these bands produced on the other.  The spirit of anti-Christ and the decades old historical record of the moral and spiritual condition of the Beatles and Rolling Stones matters not. Who cares if John Lennon called Jesus Christ a "garlic eating bastard." The Beatles will help us sell our cool new group studies, they say. Who cares about the sexual perversion and degeneracy and the occult involvement that the Beatles and Rolling Stones lived and promoted? So what if the Stones had "Sympathy for the Devil"? There's money to be had.

Instead of opening the sacred pages of the Word of God and teaching from it, Bible study leaders can do fun quizzes and teach "fast facts" on the bands involved. I can only imagine what that sounds like at your local church small group meeting.

"Ok, Ok, quiet down everybody. We're starting our church Bible study on the rockers of the 60's off with a quick quiz on the Beatles and the Stones. I hope you're ready. Here goes!

1. How many members of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles suffer from venereal diseases due to the serial fornication they boasted about?
2. How many times did Mick Jagger use LSD within a two-week period in 1968?
3. What names of Hindu deity did George Harrison refer to in his hit song "My Sweet Lord"?
4. What famous filthy and blasphemous name did John Lennon once call Jesus Christ?

What an amazing thing "Bible studies" are these days. Evangelical pulp mills are foisting this trash on the public and they can't seem to go downhill fast enough. The publishers have apparently graduated from the Andy Griffith/Mayberry, and Beverly Hillbillies "Bible studies" to Beatlemania and Rolling Stones Bible studies fairly quickly. I would make a crack about Desperate Housewives Bible studies but the pastors are already doing sermon series with just that title. I would suggest Spiderman 3 Bible studies but that's already being done, too. Shrek as Christ figure? Already been done at a megachurch in their Blockbuster Summer sermon series recently. Satire simply cannot outdo reality today when it comes to the evangelical church. If you don't believe me, a week reading my news blog should do it.

What kind of churches would tolerate this kind of material  in their small groups? This is not a rhetorical question. The answer is, just about any of the evangelical churches in existence today that have been swilling the church growth poison. That is to say, most of them. May the true Bride of Christ come out of such churches and separate from this apostasy.

The precious Word of God, paid for by the blood of the martyrs, has always been sufficient for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness. The Holy Spirit of God is as alive today as when the flames stood over the heads of believers at Pentecost. But unbelief, idolatry of self and spiritual rebellion have denuded such churches of any spiritual power. They have nothing but the culture's pig swill to offer a starving and lost world. They have given up the crown jewels of Scripture and instead cling to the trashy rhinestones of secular culture as their only possession to attract non-believers. Standard Publishing and these blasphemous "studies" represent a Christianity that truly is fit only to be cast out and trodden underfoot. (And you can quote me on that!)

By Ingrid Schlueter Email: vcyproducer@aol.com Click here for bio and archived articles

I'm glad my kids are doing the Bible Study Posted On: 05/25/09 04:58:18 PM Age 50, GA Yes, the Beatles/Rolling Stone Bible study is coming to my church in a few weeks and my two teenagers will be attending. I am more than happy for them to be dissecting Beatles lyrics and discerning what is unbiblical about them. They are learning how to apply the truths of God's word to real-life situations....something which I was never taught growing up in an ultra-fundy home with absolutely no tolerance for anything. I don't want my children to grow up like I did--I could easily have become a writer for your website. I want them to truly shine forth God's love and the compassion Jesus Christ had for the people of this world. He didn't categorize and castigate--he just loved them and spoke the truth kindly. Would that our world could see true Christ-like behavior and character. Thankfully I have been able to find it in a moderate baptist church. Christian Beatles CD? Posted On: 09/20/08 08:08:48 PM Age 58, VA Check out this Cd. www.cdbaby.com/TheAbout Re: Beatles/Rolling Stones Bible Study Coming to Your Church? Posted On: 07/07/07 12:17:10 AM Age 52, AL Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will." After reading many of these articles it seems, sadly, that there is no other intent in them- and with an acid tongue rather than in the spirit of the Second Greatest Commandment. (Matt. 22:39) While it may seem ridiculous to some to use strange methods to reach the gospel, those with the discernment of the Holy Spirit can decide for themselves whether those methods are appropriate or not, and when you remember Paul's words in Phillipians 1:18, is it really worth reviling the Body of Christ if those "evil" topics actually help someone to remember the Word and apply it to their own lives? The article asked, "What kind of churches would tolerate this kind of material..?" even though my church doesn't follow those studies, I think I can answer: the kind of church that hopes to bring Christ to the mind of its members at every opportunity in our media-swamped age. Not just to "attract non-believers" - but isn't that what we're supposed to do anyways? Any Christian is deluded if they believe that harsh, judgmental dogma (which is how these articles represent Christianity to an unsaved person) will attract a non-believer better than a church study that isn't too self-righteous for Shrek. (This bring to mind an image of the Pharisees shaking their heads piously at Jesus taking time with those revelers of "culture's pig swill" - how dare He associate with them, much less heal them and deprive them of crying out to God as the Israelites did in Egypt?) Furthermore, it is going against Biblical principle to lambast and slander other Christians, (for that is what some of these articles really do; in this article for instance, the content of the Bible studies has NOT been read, the entirety of this tirade is based on a press-release overview, as many other articles are equally unresearched) since Jesus called us to approach our fellow believers in a much different manner when (if) they are in the wrong- Matt. 18:15 I'm saddened by this because of the same authors article, "when Christians fight" earlier that states: "There are some people who name the name of Christ who do not have any desire for peace. They want to win, period, and they don't care who they hurt, what damage they cause to the Body of Christ, as long as they come out on top....As I get older, I am seeing more and more that in the past I have had contentious traits as well." But the following articles don't seem less contentious. However, reading these is a good eye-opener for me of how tasteless it is to criticize my fellow Christians and a reminder to refrain. It's easy to fall into the habit of putting a heavy load on someone that I wouldn't carry myself (Matt 23:4). I just hope that the author remembers that at one point, depraved culture included hymns to God rather than monotone Gregorian chants and visible ankles- apostasy!! It's one thing to separate ungodly culture from godly, but ridiculous to claim any cultural difference that you personally disagree with is an ungodly one- as people 1000 years ago (a day in God's time) may have done the same to you for daring to wear pants or makeup. Re: Beatles/Rolling Stones Bible Study Coming to Your Church? Posted On: 07/06/07 12:30:03 PM Age 44, WI My pastor often states that we should do everything short of sin to reach people with the Gospel. Taking something that is culturally relevant and steering the conversation to a Christian Worldview seems not only logical but very creative. We live in a very secularized world. You are not going to reach everyone with the old Turn or Burn philosophy. Jesus, Paul, many others throughout history have used secular means as a starting point for steering the conversation towards faith. Give credit where credit is due, these people have come up with one way to reach out to people that won't walk into your fancy, uptight church looking for answers. They are looking for relevant answers in a world that sees the church as a bunch of hypocritical Bible thumpers. God can use these lessons to touch the lives of people. This may not be for you, it sounds like you have your way of studying Scripture. Your way works for you, but don't condemn the messenger to a lost generation just because it doesn't conform to your little box. Re: Beatles/Rolling Stones Bible Study Coming to Your Church? Posted On: 07/05/07 07:18:46 PM Age 57, MD Amen. Why do we need the world's ways to clarify God's word - the answer is simple - we do not. Re: Beatles/Rolling Stones Bible Study Coming to Your Church? Posted On: 07/03/07 03:32:47 AM Age 51, GA Having read the article and the feedback, I feel led to ask this question: In these studies, is the gospel being presented or is it not? In Phil. 1:18 Paul writes "The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached." So, if this study is presenting a gospel other than what's found in the New Testament, then it should be condemned. If, however, it's the METHOD that's being disputed, I believe we're on the wrong track. In I Cor. 9:19-23, Paul reminds us that our goal is to seek and save the lost, by any means available. In Acts 17:16-31, Paul went so far as to use the worship of idols in Athens as a starting point to present the gospel. He even found a way to compliment the people by saying "I see that in every way you are very religious." Why did he do this? Because his life's purpose was to present the gospel, to seek and save the lost. And if that is OUR purpose, I know that God will bless our efforts. Who is influencing whom? Posted On: 06/30/07 07:45:32 AM Age 43, NC Thank you Ingrid for this information. To all those who defend such "Culturally" relevant presentations of Scriptures I ask one question: Who then is influencing whom? If we dress up God's Word in the garb of the world then we are saying that God's Word is not sufficient for today's culture. That then makes God's Word subservient to the culture. To say that of God's Word is to say the same of God. The world then sees the "Christian" peddling a god that even the "Christian" themselves do not believe has power. Re: yep, it's been awhile... Posted On: 06/30/07 07:27:49 AM Age 43, NC So its been a while since some of us were wallowing in the pigsty of sin, so what?? It sounds like you are arguing that one must needs be a drunkard to reach drunkards, or a prostitute to reach prostitutes (or at least some facsimile thereof). Show us from Scripture where the presentation of the Gospel had to be mixed with sin in order to get it to the culture? Yes, Jesus ate with sinners and publicans, but we do as well, every day. (The only difference is we don't have Pharisees following us around proclaiming the fact that we do.) Why is it that we (post-modern, post-Christian believers) think that we have to disguise Christ in relevant cultural garb in order to present Him to our culture? Why do we think that we have to show Christ as some pop icon before He is relevant to this generation? Why do we constantly strive to remake god in our own image or at least an image the culture is comfortable with will accept? I mean we have "Andy Griffith Bible studies", "The Simpsons Bible studies" and now "Rock-n-Roll Bible studies", why do we (Christians, so called) constantly strive to repackage God to make Him presentable to those who hate Him? Is God so weak that we have to help Him with His image in today's society? Is that what Christianity has become, "god marketers" and image consultants for God? What happened to the God of the Bible? I hear that He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He says in His word, "I Change not." We try every new methodology that comes down the pike in order to be relevant to the culture, and we miss the only thing that IS relevant to the culture and that is standing on the word of God as truth, and proclaiming that truth to the world. The only methodology we leave behind is the only one that is able to reach our culture with power to change it and that is the methodology found in Scriptures. To show the world where we come from (Genesis 1-2), what sin is (Genesis 3), the results of sin (Genesis 3-6), the declaration of God’s law (Exodus 20). (We no longer call sin, sin. We call it mistakes, poor choices, bad judgment, but we stopped calling sin for what it is so that we offend no one. If the culture is offended by what God calls sin then it is no wonder the culture is so offended by the remedy for that sin.) From the law we should be able to show them that no one can keep the Law and the consequences of breaking God's law. Then make it personal to them showing them we are guilty of the same and because of our condition we are totally unable to help ourselves and are in need of a Saviour to redeem us. We need to be able to show them the qualifications of that Saviour according to the requirements of God's law and show them that only one man in all of history fulfilled those requirements and that was the Lord Jesus Christ. Then we present the Gospel and declare what He as done on our behalf and how we can be partakers of this marvelous gift of grace, through faith. The rest is up to the Lord at that point. Remember the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus "seeking", and when he was told the truth he went away. No one chased him down and invited him to an "Alexander the Great Torah study” or to an evening at the Praetorium for fellowship in order to bond and engage in friendship evangelism. So now tell us again which of these new methodologies has the power found in Biblical methodology. Which new method of reaching the lost and empowering the saints is superior to that of Biblical line upon line precept upon precept study? (There is not enough room here to expound on the dumbing down of Christianity to make it appeal to our modern MTV era attention spans.) You see I am in the culture but not of it and I will plant my guidon firmly in the authority and power of God's Holy Word and here make my stand. Re: Re: Re: Beatles/Rolling Stones Bible Study Coming to Your Church? Posted On: 06/29/07 09:53:02 AM Age 25, WA Amen! I don't want a bible study about Marilyn Manson or Hatebreed, as those were what I listened to 5 years ago. I want the Word of God in pure form, to inocculate me from all the filth I was wallowing in before I was cleansed by the blood of the Lamb! So called true "seekers" are looking for an authenticity to your message, not a cultural spin that encourages their fleshliness. They want to know that you practice what you preach, that the Spirit of Christ dwells in you richly. Do not compromise your message with your methods. Thank you Ingrid, for your report, I will keep an eye out for these "studies". Re: Beatles/Rolling Stones Bible Study Coming to Your Church? Posted On: 06/28/07 02:13:46 PM Age 54, MS Anyone my age remembers the rockers spoken of in this article. I can't imagine what relevance their lives have with the gospel, except to show how desperately man needs salvation. How sad that this is another contribution to the watered down version of Christianity seen in too many of our churches today. I think in some circles they call this a relevant gospel while in reality it is a slam in the face of a holy loving and righteous God who sent His only son to die for us. I believe in a relevant presentation of a timeless and unchanging message and the result of lives touched by the hand of God. There is a real danger in letting the need for relevance become more important than the message the Bible carries. This is the primary cause of many of our denominations seeing a decline in church attendance and membership. We are not presenting the truth. No matter what wrapper you put the gift in it must remain pure and true to the Spirit of God.