Buzzwords episode 1: "Context"

Today's word: Context

Im not making this long and drawn out, because i'm actually looking more for some feedback from you all, the readers. For those of you who are of faith (or are an Athiest with an opinion) how should we as believers deal with context in the reading/interpretation/application of Scripture? For instance, the Bible claims that women should never Pastor men, etc. though those of us who are more progressive find the reasoning to be a little archaic and not applicable.Paul, in 1 Tim. 2:12, states, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man" (NIV) Many denominations still use this as a reason to subjugate Women, including my own, the Seventh Day Adventist church. Paul also makes claims that Christians should eat unclean meats under certain circumstances, etc.1 Corinthians 10:23-26 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, ²⁶for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." I find it interesting that a large percentage of the Levitical Law is overlooked and quietly brushed aside by us, the "modern" Christian, yet certain Scriptures which perfectly meet our agendas/built in beliefs are held out as bedrock Principals that must never change. Unique to my faith is a lady named Ellen White who many believe was a Prophetess sent to the Church in the last days. Her numerous writings are sometimes used to serve whatever purpose, good or bad, that the reader so chooses. One in particular is the attending of the Movie theater, namely, that a good Christian should avoid it. "Among the most dangerous resorts for pleasure is the theater." (Messages to Young People, p. 380) "To those who plead for these diversions, we answer, We cannot indulge in them in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The blessing of God would not be invoked upon the hour spent at the theater or in the dance. No Christian would wish to meet death in such a place. No one would wish to be found there when Christ shall come." (Messages to Young People, p. 398) Now anyone who actually takes the time to look into history even for 10 minutes will see that her (EG White's) guidelines were directly predicated on how bad and immoral a place the movie houses of the late 1800s and early 1900s were. One could find smoking, drinking, abuse of narcotics, and prostitution on a regular basis, not the theaters we have today, where you can attend a G rated movie and not even see an Ad for illicit behavior of any kind. Now for the progressives in the faith, this is a no brainer as to how to proceed in these days when it comes to watching movies. Considering anything you can see in the movies and worse can be found on your home computer or tv, coupled with the notable changes to the environment inside a movie theater compared to Mrs. White's day, one can make the statement that the principle of what mrs. White states, "guarding the avenues of your mind" and not the literal "don't go to movie theaters" should be applied here. Yet a sizable amount of believers in the SDA faith choose to stick to Mrs. White's literal instructions. So my question again: how do we as believers deal with context in the Bible, and specifically for those who read and follow extra-Biblical sources, how do you deal with context? Or a more telling question, DO you deal with context? Or are you a literal reader and believer of the Scriptures? PLEASE comment and further this discussion, I am extremely interested to here what you think.

From REAL WITH YOU to THE NAKED TRUTH

Real With You

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The Naked Truth

by Anthony “Tonéx” Williams II

Life's a masquerade filled with so many faces

Faces that aren't so real
Hearts that really can not feel…
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I know the truth now and I feel like crying—but I’m not sad,

And I feel like yelling—but I’m not angry,

I feel like screaming—but I’m not scared…

I remember how tight we used to be
And I want You to draw me closer to Thee
Lord, I try to live an honest life
So why do I try to fool God's people all the time?...
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I’m not afraid no more, and I got out alive, n****,

I peeled off layers of bulls*** & falsehood,

I peeled off years of slander and embarrassment…

Notice what it takes
And Lord I don't want to be fake
For there's another side of me
Lord, I've got to get it straight
And it's my desire to be more like You each day
But the enemy keeps trying to lead me further astray

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I’m wiser, I’m thicker, I’m sexy, I’m bold

I’m hot, I’m next, I’m saved to the bone

I’m prophet, I’m model, I’m singer, I’m actor

My swagger is corporate—my thug life is dapper

I got out just in time before I lost my mind

I’m good, I’m cool, I’m alright, I’m fine

CHORUS- I just wanna be real with You
I just wanna live a life that's true
I just wanna be real with You
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Yup I did it, I made it—the genius, the faggot,

The weirdo, the homo, the hobo, the magnet

Cuz I keep drawin’ yo a** back, you wanna see more

Give me 3 years; I’ll spark a revival bigger than William J. Seymour

Baptizin’ all the people that yo a** can’t reach

Use my hands to grab a basin and wash my enemies’ feet

Don’t judge a tree by the fruit—

You’ve gotta go to the root

There’s nothin else that y’all can say to me—it’s too late, GET OUT

Cuz you pollute the city like the smog in LA

I ain’t gay, I’m a real man. Come see me, I’m TONEX, n****!

And I am The Naked Truth.

As incredible as it may seem, on either side of the lines above are the words and thoughts of just one man.

We can never judge a person’s heart with complete accuracy, no matter how sincere or careful we are to observe.

But when Tonéx, a gospel artist, a Christian, says these words, we’ve got to sit up and assess what could’ve gone wrong.

How are lines such as these created? Who was or wasn’t there when these lines began to form? What events or occurrences could create such a drastic difference between who a person once was and who they are today?

He has given us his own struggles between the lines. This article is an attempt…to read the lines.

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Anthony Williams II, or “Tonéx,” officially arrived on the gospel music scene in 2000 with his first album Pronounced Toe-Nay. His music was far more progressive/worldly/rhythmic than even the more contemporary artists of the previous decade. He achieved moderate success with his first album, finally getting noticed after his second album’s single “God Has Not 4got” was a success on gospel radio stations across the nation.

Two years later, a 25-year-old Tonéx released his signature album, the double-disc Out the Box, which ultimately was his bold stance in taking gospel music beyond the walls of church standards and tradition. He took risks in sampling from secular music, including a portion from Michael Jackson and the theme song from the Family Feud TV show. But the risks paid off—Out the Box was the best-selling gospel album of 2004, and he was the recipient of six Stellar Awards and the Grammy for ‘Best Soul Gospel Album.’

But in the midst of his incredible four-year journey to the top of the gospel charts, Tonéx, as he later revealed, struggled with pornography, a troubled and downward-spiraling marriage, and a clear identity crisis that was reflected in his numerous hair and clothing changes. But in the midst of all of his success, none of these issues were dealt with—they just festered.

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And when 2005 came, all that was festering came to the forefront…and left his life in shambles.

In the course of one year, he buried his father, divorced his wife Yvette, and was sued for $1 million by his record company. The pain of this year caused him to enter an early “retirement” from the gospel music industry. In the past three years, Tonéx has released two albums straight to iTunes and performed across the world, but still the pain from all of his hurting was never acknowledged.

Tonéx won the tough battle to become a mainstream gospel artist. But with the increased fame and success of his career, he also faced greater and greater scrutiny from purists who saw his persona as being obtrusive to the gospel message. He managed to make it to the top of the charts singing his signature style of music—on his own terms—but he became a posterboy for conservatives when noting the secularization of Christianity as a whole. His greatest critic has by far been G. Craige Lewis of ExMinistries, who has openly attacked him in his DVDs and presentations. He and his followers have fought many of the artists in gospel that they believe to be “secularizing” their music.

Again, as he later indicated, Tonéx has been sensitive to people’s views and treatment of him, particularly relating to his sexual preference, for much of his life. As a musician in the Christian church, especially in the African-American culture, his behavior and eccentricities were always question marks to his character, regardless of the content of his music.

Despite this sensitivity, Tonéx has a swagger that is born of many sources. He is a musical prodigy with arguably the most incredible vocal ability in gospel music today. His dancing ability comes in a close second. He also has a sense of style (when not in excess) that makes him appealing to a mass market. He knew he had the goods. His talents enabled him to perform beyond the wildest dreams of most gospel artists and, seemingly, in his mind, placed him above being “boxed-in” with them. So as others offered criticism, his style of music didn’t get more reserved—it became even bolder.

His confidence had always been palpable in his music, but he then started to even verbalize it by praising himself in songs that should’ve been praising God. His talent and his confidence in himself became his first line of defense against the people around him.

So after his life came crashing down, all the boldness, confidence, and swagger he carried turned into venom. He raged against the sources of his pain—his ex-wife, the name-callers, and the haters. He decided to strip down the walls of discretion, much as his music attempted to strip down the walls of “church-appropriateness,” and send a message to the people who had caused him pain.

He released the angry, profanity-laced tirade entitled “The Naked Tr

uth” on YouTube, culminating in the loss of his Zomba contract, and the s

uspension of his CD project.

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So there’s Tonéx…a 21-year-old gospel artist singing about sincerity and opening up to God…

…and there’s Tonéx…a now 29-year-old (genre?) artist singing about being a survivor and shunning the haters he’s faced all his life.

Tonéx…a young believer seeking salvation…

…and Tonéx…a young believer spiritually, mentally, and emotionally disconnected from God and his church.

There are so many reasons Tonéx’s become Tonéx’s. But just like in the life of Tonéx, nobody cares to look back—everyone just looks at the mess-of-a final product and shakes their head. But why not instead choose to learn from this situation, especially since 70% of Tonéx’s between the ages of 18 and 30 are leaving the church? Why let someone who has an abundance of lessons to teach us about ourselves slip through the cracks?

Tonéx’s words in the song Real With You are haunting. They tell the story of a

young man who is seemingly trapped in a world of insincerity, a world where hearts “really cannot feel” a thing at all. He sees a need in his own life for change, and he doesn’t want to be the same masked man as the others around him. Whether a general or a specific sin, he saw a need for G

od’s intervention, in hopes that he could be “real” and “live a life that’s true.”

But his words in “The Naked Truth” are all about his confidence in himself. It’s as though he is trying to say that HE has Jesus, but the people around him were saying he didn’t, and his message to them was a metaphorical finger waving toward them in the air.

There was no interview done to complete this article. We cannot know for sure the condition of Tonéx’s heart, nor of his ex-wife’s, nor of the people he felt the need to embolden himself against through song. But we can still look at this sad fall from grace, even if just as human beings, to discover lessons that can benefit all of our lives.

Tonéx’s story is about loving others. Regardless of how people are viewed, it’s always less important than how they are treated.

Tonéx’s story is about loneliness. It’s difficult to find your way with God when the people around you don’t show Him to you.

Tonéx’s story is about suffering. Some people see their greatest works after suffering—others lose faith and find themselves spiraling back towards earth.

Tonéx’s story is about pride. When you can’t see yourself, and you try to control yourself, you can sometimes lose yourself, regardless of your talent and ability.

Tonéx’s story is about church folk. There is nothing more deflating than to come to a place where God accepts you as you are to find that no one else does.

Tonéx’s story is about family. It’s presence can cure an abundance of evils—it’s absence can generate an abundance of pain.

Tonéx’s story is about sincerity. When we fail to see it or acknowledge it (Real With You) and come to the aide of those who need help, we leave them bitter, vulnerable creatures. No one wants to be closed back up after they’ve opened up.

We don’t know how this story will end. All we can control is whether or not we choose to learn from it.

And I sincerely HOPE we do.

The truth about G. Craige Lewis (Pt.1) (An introduction and two fallacies)

Do you know who G. Craige Lewis is? You should, because what he is saying will probably affect you in one way or another, especially if you are a Christian. His extreme, partially inaccurate views and his legendary attacks on Gospel artists and Workers in the Ministry has become nothing short of a witch hunt. I have watched almost all of his videos and presentations as well as read his blogs and his website. While his goals I believe are noble, I think that the (mis)information he presents has been distorted and has been used as a banner for extremist fundamentalist within the church. The first thing that jumps out at a listener to his presentation is that he appears to be extremely homophobic. The second thing that jumps out at you is that he has no problem with calling people out by name, even when it borders on slander. Case in point, during his earlier presentations (the truth about Hip hop) he openly attacked R&B artist Jill Scott (on his website as well) as a part of the Islamic spin off 5% movement. Look here. Completely untrue. I have looked at all of her liner notes, attended her concert, and read her biography. She does not hesitate at any point to give all glory to God and goes so far at her concerts to specify on stage that she praises the "God in Heaven who sent his Son for us!" I WAS THERE. I heard this at the Ryman auditorium in downtown Nashville, TN. Jill Scott is a Christian who believes in Jesus Christ. Does she sing about Sex? Yes. Does she sing about Love? Absolutely. IF you want to attack Jill on being sexual, fine. At the same time, she makes public disclaimers that her music is for adults. It has it's place. But to make public claims that she is part of a movement in which her stated belief in God is transferred to the belief that the black man is God (5%ism) is completely untrue and should not be tolerated. This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this man. He also attacks pastor's and Bishops in the church who he feels are inappropriately rich and who are only preaching of prosperity. Whatever good he says is completely compromised by his methods of delivery. This whole movement started back when he claims he received a vision in 1990, and now has mushroomed into a noted underground phenomenon, with churches throughout the country bringing him in and helping him to sell thousands of his dvds. The problem I have with G. Craige is that while he appears to know what he is talking about, many of his reported facts are patently wrong. Two that jump to mind are the Jay-z "murder, murder Jesus" snippet along with the High school with 60% aids in South Carolina. The High School Aids story he told is a known hoax explained at this website. The Jay-z snippet played backwards has already been completely debunked as being a DJ remix by DJ Danger Mouse with words jumbled and reassembled taken from the original song "Lucifer" from the 2004 Black Album. Here is where G. Craige makes his claim, and here is where it is debunked by a music fan. Yet even after careful research and study reveal this discrepancies, people still invite him in and fall for everything that he says, hook, line, and sinker. We as a Church need to realize that a concoction fed to us consisting of a little truth mixed with a little lie still equals an assault on our Salvation. This kind of deception is even more powerful and dangerous then an outright lie, because at the outset of the argument, he comes with Biblical text and emotion, and then proceeds to pull the wool over your eyes. Parents come to these presentations and bring their kids, and he terrifies the parents and in some instances sensationalizes the truth. Now the parent feels like they "know" whats going on and in some instances they are just in the dark as much (or more) then when they first walked in to hear the presentation. Over the next few posts I will be peeling back the layers on this interesting man and share with you a few things you may not have noticed or known at all about him, his "ministry" and the claims he makes about Christianity, the Church, Gospel Music, and the people around the church.