How Do We Respond?
Billed as a celebration of diversity and inclusion, the 65th Grammy’s did showcase a variety musical styles, ethnicities and sexualities. But diversity? Inclusion? The almost 3-hour spectacle was an echo chamber of people from various groups who make a big deal of talking the diversity and inclusion game, but who all share the same worldview, political philosophy, commitment to intersectionality and human-centered morality.
Diversity? Pardon the expression, but would someone please call “BS” on this idea? There was no diversity in either the performances or the presenters at the Grammy’s.
For instance, at one point, First-lady, Jill Biden was introduced to present the “Song of the Year” and “Best Song for Social Change” awards. She received a standing ovation. During the Trump presidency, I don’t for a moment believe that Melania Trump would have been afforded the same hospitable welcome or civility.
Inclusion? Really? I won’t list them all in this blog, but just take a moment to look over the list of nominees for Record of the Year. You can do the same with 98% of the other awards categories. But “Record of the Year” is supposed to go to the artist and producer(s), recording engineer(s), mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s) for the best record (single)of the year. I challenge you to find one artist on the list who isn’t “singing the same song” from the “same playlist” as every other artist in terms of worldview and philosophy.
About Damn Time?
Here are just a few of the lyrics of the Grammy Winner for Record of the Year, “About Damn Time” by Lizzo.
“I’m comin’ out tonight, I’m comin’ out tonight (uh-huh).
I’m comin’ out tonight, I’m comin’ out tonight (woo).
I’m comin’ out tonight, I’m comin’ out tonight.
Okay (okay), alright (alright).
It’s about damn time.” —Lizzo, About Damn Time
Music critics believe the reference to “coming out” could be an indication that she’s outing her feelings or expressing her emotions in the song. That’s possible. But others believe that the line is another statement that she’s a loud and proud advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. To support that idea, Lizzo regularly appears at PRIDE festivals, has “garnered a massive queer base” and has made a guest appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race.[1] She even says that “when it comes to sexuality or gender, I personally don’t ascribe to just one thing.”[2]
The Grammy’s weren’t about diversity or inclusion. They were an opportunity to promote and push musical artists who all fall in line and march to the cadence of the same intersectionality drumbeat.
Am I really supposed to believe that, “About Damn Time” represents the best 2023 could offer in terms of the unique combination of artistic performance, production, engineering, mixing, etc.? In the words of a relatively famous leader, “Come on, man!” The whole world hasn’t gone insane, has it? At best, the song is average. When it comes to my music preferences, it’s well below. I want to write something clever like, “There ain’t no da*n way, “About Da*n Time,” was the best da*n record of the year,” but I wont’ stoop to language like that. (BTW, that was supposed to be funny.)
But the show must go on! And, the entire show was a loud declaration of the music and artists that will be celebrated, highlighted and moved up in the algorithms for YouTube, TikTok, Apple Music + Spotify. Music and artists that align with a certain philosophy and moral viewpoint meant to inform, persuade, teach, indoctrinate and “disciple” this generation and the next and the next.
Any artist that doesn’t bend the knee or bow to this philosophy and ideology will not be accepted, applauded, included or recognized. To the contrary, they’ll be blackballed, rejected, ridiculed, scorned and labeled as narrow-minded, racist, bigoted, homophobic, transphobic and any other assortment of labels the politically correct culture can come up with.
Refuse to engage in the outrage.
Many have commented on and written about the juvenile, provocative, and completely over-the-top performance of Sam Smith and Kim Petras. Their song “Unholy” was undoubtedly the most purposefully offensive moment of the Grammys. Don’t miss that. The performance was meant to be offensive. It was intended to titillate and spark reaction and outrage on social media.
As I endured watching the performance I marveled at how these performers who are attempting to monetize sex and sexuality have somehow managed to make sex utterly and completely unsexy.
Before you engage in the outrage, it might be important to keep in mind that the Grammys have had these kinds of “shock the senses” moments before. For instance, in 2012, Nicki Minaj arrived at the Grammy’s with an actor dressed as the pope and then performed her song “Roman Holiday” which included images of a catholic priest performing an exorcism, sparking outrage from the Catholic Church. In 2014, Queen Latifa officiated over 34 same-sex marriages on stage. The response? Outrage.
That’s the goal. That’s always the purpose.
Even before the arrival of social media, marketers lived by this mantra: “Controversy sells.” Today? With the advent of YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, etc., controversy not only sells, it sells BIG and FAST.
According to industry reports, about 10.7 million people watched the Grammy’s. That was up by about 2 million over last year, but it was 40% lower than before 2020 (which was already at a low). Experts estimate that about 2 million more will watch thru delayed viewing (Paramount +, YouTube clips, etc.). [3] To provide a reference point, about 100 million Americans will watch the Super Bowl this Sunday. By any rational account, the Grammys are NOT a ratings success.
My point? Controversy sells. CBS is counting on our outrage as part of their marketing strategy for increasing delayed views. When we vent outrage on social media channels and share pics and links, it doesn’t cost CBS any money, but it creates additional interest which inevitably leads to additional revenue. The same is true for the artists who engage in the latest outrageous performance.
Don’t take the bait. Refuse to engage in the outrage.
How can we respond to cultural moments
like this, instead?
Here are five thoughts.
1. Recognize reality.
Our current reality isn’t going away.
A lot has been written about it, but we’re now living in a post-Christian world. Here’s the description Paul gave Timothy in 2 Timothy 3.
“Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.” —2 Timothy 3:1-5 MSG
What we witnessed at the Grammy’s and see in our culture is reality. It’s here to stay until this world is made new. Refuse to stick your head in the sand. Recognize it.
2. Know truth.
It’s been said numerous times, “federal agents don’t learn to recognize and spot counterfeit money by studying counterfeits. They learn to recognize counterfeits by studying the real thing.”
Instead of spending our time focusing on all the counterfeits this world is attempting to use to capture our attention. Let’s spend our time, energy and efforts focusing on and knowing the real thing.
The real thing is God’s Word. “Heaven and earth…[insert — awards shows, performers and performances] will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matt 24:35).
Days like this demand that we know and understand the truth of God’s Word as we never have before. So, let’s:
- Read God’s Word daily.
- Meditate on it consistently.
- Memorize it regularly.
- Apply it faithfully.
Crazy times like this demand that we get clarity from God’s Word on a regular basis.
3. Refuse to bend, bow or break.
Watching this year’s Grammy’s brought to mind a scene that occurs in Daniel 3. A golden statue was erected by a king who struggled with delusions of grandeur. It was a huge statue of himself. The announcement was made, “When you hear the music play, stop whatever you’re doing, wherever you’re at, and bow in worship to the golden statue of King Nebuchadnezzar. If you fail to fall down, you’ll fry in the blazing furnace” (Dan 3:4-6).
Incredibly, when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego heard the music play, as they watched hundreds of other Hebrew boys go face first into the dirt or pavement, they stood upright, refusing to bend or bow.
Ultimately, they were called on the carpet by the King. He liked them. They were top producers in mid-level management. He gave them another opportunity to get it right. Maybe they hadn’t got the memo about political correctness, preferred pronouns, gender fluidity, and inclusivity for everyone and anyone except someone who may have a different viewpoint?
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego weren’t disrespectful to the king. They weren’t obnoxious. They didn’t take a selfie of themselves to document their moral stance and post it to Instagram. With quite strength and tremendous moral courage they respectfully looked back at the king and said the following:
“…we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” —Dan 3:16-18 NLT
You know the rest of the story. Because these guys wouldn’t bend, bow or break, the king demanded that they burn. But, something incredible happened during the barbecue, God showed up and showed out. He spared these three men, brought them out of the blazing furnace, caused an arrogant and ruthless king to burst out in praise to the one true God (3:28) and elevated these three Hebrew boys to even higher positions of authority in the province of Babylon (3:30).
During times like this we need to recover this kind of quite courage.
Courage is about more than what we post on our social channels. It’s the quality of the way we live, day in and day out — in our homes, the workplace, school, college, marketplace and more.
We need to recover the strength of our convictions and beautifully live them out in the context of a world that celebrates self and marginalizes the Savior.
Times like this demand people who lovingly and courageously refuse to bend, bow or break.
4. Always show love.
Should Christians speak out on issues that are concerning? Absolutely.
Do Christians have a right to voice their opinion? You bet!
But we must always remember that the marching orders we receive in the New Testament describe our responsibility like this:
“Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath.” —1 Peter 3:15-16 MSG
The Message Translation encourages us to “speak up” and speak out, but to always do it “with the utmost COURTESY.” The NLT renders the phrase, “…in a GENTLE and RESPECTFUL way…”
And, if you want to see a great demonstration of what it looks like to live in a godless culture with grace, respect, courtesy and gentleness, just read the book of ACTS. We’re talking courage on fire, and a group of people who changed the world.
Somehow they refused to mimic the tactics of the world they were surrounded by. Instead, they were apprehended and captivated by the love of God to speak truth courageously and live their faith counter-culturally.
We can’t afford to adopt the tactics and language of the world. Instead, Peter challenges us to respond to people in our culture in such a Christ-like way that “…if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ” (1 Pet 3:16 NLT).
5. Pray like crazy.
The greatest power at our disposal is the power of our prayers.
Have you taken time to pray for people like Sam Smith and Kim Petras? Quite frankly, before writing this, I hadn’t.
Since I wasn’t familiar with Kim Petras, last night I read this person’s story. I was wrecked. This individual, their parents and this culture have monetized their struggle with sexual identity since Kim was thirteen years old. Kim became the youngest individual in history to gain the German government’s approval for gender reassignment surgery at the young age of 16.
I’ll ask again. Have you taken the time to pray for Kim or Sam?
Walter Wink once wrote, “History belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being.” I for one believe we can change the course and direction of history through our prayers. It has happened before! In the aftermath of apparent defeat and in the face of overwhelming odds, the first century church withstood the “gates of hell” and saw “up there” come “down here” in response to prayer. It came happen again! Let’s pray!
Richard Foster once wrote: “If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to prayer. Intercession is a way of loving others… Intercessory Prayer is selfless prayer, even self-giving prayer. In the ongoing work of the kingdom of God, nothing is more important than intercessory Prayer.”
The great missionary, S.D. Gordon once wrote: “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”
Again, let’s pray.
Let’s pray like crazy.
Let’s pray as Jesus taught us to pray (See Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4).
Let’s pray authoritatively (2 Cor 10:4-5).
Let’s pray lovingly (Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-21).
Let’s pray for revival (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Let’s pray evangelistically (Psalm 22:25-31).
I’ll close this post with a picture contained in The Message translation of Psalm 22:25-31. I’m praying this passage over our children, families, Sam, Kim, the media moguls at CBS, and our nation.
“From the four corners of the earth people are coming to their senses, are running back to God. Long-lost families are falling on their faces before him. God has taken charge; from now on he has the last word.” —PSALM 22:27-28 MSG
That’s something we can all say, “It’s about time” to. Do you want to see that kind of homecoming?
Want a real picture of diversity and inclusion? Look at the description of people who get in on the revival described in Psalm 22.
“All the power-mongers are before him—worshiping! All the poor and powerless, too—worshiping! Along with those who never got it together—worshiping! Our children and their children will get in on this, As the word is passed along from parent to child. Babies not yet conceived will hear the good news—that God does what he says.”
—PSALM 22:29-31
It can happen.
Remember the five essentials for navigating times like this and events like the Grammys.
- Recognize reality.
- Know truth.
- Refuse to bow.
- Always show love
- Pray like crazy.
[1] https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/lizzo-gender-sexual-identity-teen-vogue-interview-8461216/
[2] https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/lizzo-gender-sexual-identity-teen-vogue-interview-8461216/
[3] https://www.showbiz411.com/2023/02/06/grammy-ratings-10-7-million-highest-since-pandemic-but-40-lower-than-before-which-was-already-at-low