Jesus Christ Superstar

 Those of you old enough to remember this pseudo-Christian rock opera phenomenon from the 70's might appreciate what I have to write here. Those of you who are newer to the planet but still profess Christianity and claim to be Christian musicians might enjoy this post also. At least I hope so.

Jesus Christ Superstar is a concept album with music by Andrew Lloyd Weber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Concept albums were popular for a time in that decade of Pink Floyd, Yes, Led Zeppelin and The Who, each of these groups plus quite a few others releasing music that was thematically coherent more or less. It was a brief hurrah on the contemporary scene that displayed a mentality and unity of idea forming sound much like the classical geniuses of earlier centuries. Think of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart as examples. To be sure, stage musicals were nothing new and even cinema was chiming in with works like Gone With the Wind and My Fair Lady, etc. But pop rock musicians reaching out to the unwashed masses groomed during the Woodstock era was quite a different thing. And I think I may be able to explain why this happened and why it's not happening now on a grand scale that everyone is aware of.

There is a very popular Christian apologetic book that came out a few years called, Total Truth, by author and lecturer, Nancy Pearcey. In it, she deftly explains in great scholarly detail and panoramic vision the many reasons behind the fracturing of society on all levels and the discord that it produces not only religiously but also scientifically, artistically, philosophically and in other areas of human endeavor. This is the enemy's work, no doubt, but we, before we are redeemed individually through the shed blood of Christ, all knowingly or unwittingly dance to the devil's flute music. 

Pearcey brilliantly explains how this polarization of ideas paralyzes us all as humans being estranged from the unity of the Godhead. That's why so many are confused in today's world--lack of consensus morally and spiritually. "If it feels good, do it" was the anthem cry of my generation and look what's it brought us to. The only hope is that of Christ returning and having all the 'colors bleed into one' as pseudo-preacher Bono once sang. The song falls short for those of us who have found what we are looking for--our identity in Jesus, but it's still a good song in many ways. And I think U2 at least tried to revive the genre of concept albums in the 80's before almost every new album release became a collection of splinters thematically. After all, art is supposed to reflect life but better yet, it should glorify God.

Official U2 video