My colleague here at Fordham University, theologian Professor Bradford Hinze, recently asked the students in his undergraduate “Faith and Critical Reason” classes where they found talk of “sin” in their music. These first-year students came up with a very interesting list.

When he mentioned this to me, of course I wanted to share it here on Rock and Theology. He and his students have graciously granted permission to do so.  Professor Hinze tells me that the context for the list was that they had been discussing scriptural understandings of sin, and classical lists of sins, and that he invited the students, in his words, to “search for songs which they listened to when they considered how ‘I,’ ‘we,’ or the ‘world’ are messed up.”

He then posed some inventive theological questions:

“How do the sins named, described, and narrated in these song lyrics compare with the classic lists we have examined in Mark’s gospel, Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Evagrius Ponticus, Pope Gregory I, and Dante Alighieri? Is there overlap? Same sins, new stories? Any new kinds of personal sin? Are there instances of communal sin depicted in contemporary lyrics? Are there instances of global dynamics of sin (social structures, institutional patterns) identified? Do these songs provide a more comprehensive portrayal of sin than the classic lists?”

Here is the list. You can find many of these on Youtube or other song-related sites if you’re interested in the words or performances.

“Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” by Notorious B.I.G.

“Changes” by 2Pac

“Come on, come on” by Little Birdy

“Mother, mother” by Marvin Gaye

“Amsterdam” by Jacques Brel

“Where did my baby go?” by John Legend

“Dizzy” by Goo Goo Dolls

“House of the Rising Sun” sung recently by Tracy Chapman

“She’s not a girl who misses much” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

“The Freshman” by The Verve Pipe

“I love college” by Asher Roth

“One Song Glory” by Jonathan Larson in Rent

“Symbol in my driveway” by Jack Johnson

“Judas’ Death” by Andrew Lloyd Webber

“Stand Up” by Flobots

“1975 Ram’s Horn Music” by Bob Dylan

“Sic Transit Gloria. . . Glory Fades” by Jesse Lacey, Band: Brand New

“Can’t Tell Me Nothing” by Kanye West

“Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson

“Ghetto Gospel” by Tupac

“The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel

“Match Box Twenty” by Unwell

“Changes” by 2Pac

“Where is the Love? By Black Eyed Peas 11

“Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer 1

“Despair” by Envy [Zesubou—An Café

“What I’ve Done” by Linkin Parks

“Helpless” by Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young)

“Into the Ocean” by Blue October

“Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles

“Simple Plan” by Crazy Lyrics

“Heartless Bastard Motherfucker” by Frank Turner

“Call Me When You’re Sober” by Evanescence

“I Love College” by Asher Roth

“Who are You?” by The Who

“ABC” by Knaan

“The Dark I know Well” from Spring Awakening

“The Things That Hate Us” by Strictly Leakage

“Killing in the Name Of” by Rage Against the Machine

*

Are there any other songs that you would add, R&T readers?

Tom Beaudoin

New York City, New York, United States

Today, Rock and Theology happily posts this guest blog entry from David E. Orberson, who teaches theology part-time at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY, and is a Ph.D. student at the University of Louisville:

My wife, 12-year-old daughter, and I are excitedly making plans to see Journey in August when they swing into town as part of the musical lineup for the Kentucky State Fair. Journey is one of a host of 70’s and 80’s bands that continue to make a living on the Festival/State Fair/casino circuit. Many of these bands manage to maintain at least a modicum of cultural relevance through their inclusion in television commercials, movie soundtracks, and other 21st-century media such as ring tones, musical greeting cards, etc.

While Journey certainly falls into this category of “nostalgic acts,” they have managed to distinguish themselves in a few unique ways. First, their 1981 hit Don’t Stop Believin’ was used in the now iconic and controversial last scene of the 2007 Sopranos series finale. Shortly after this episode aired, Don’t Stop Believin’ became one of the most downloaded songs on iTunes. In addition, Journey also made international news when singer Arnel Pineda was plucked from obscurity to front the band in order to capitalize on the buzz created from the Sopranos episode. Longtime guitarist Neal Schon stumbled upon YouTube videos of the 41-year-old Pineda singing with his band, The Zoo, in the Philippines. Within a week, Pineda was rehearsing with the band and making plans for a tour. What made the story even more noteworthy was Pineda’s uncanny vocal similarity to longtime Journey front man Steve Perry. While Perry was not the band’s original lead singer, he was at the helm during the bands peak in the 1980s and left an indelible mark on their music and sound. Finally the band distinguished itself in 2008 when, with Pineda, they recorded an album of new material and released it exclusively at Wal-Mart stores. The album sold very well, especially for a nostalgia act without a record label, and was certified platinum, selling over 1 million copies.

But Journey makes terrible pop confection, and lacks anything resembling true artistic integrity or substance, don’t they? To put it more pointedly: they suck, right? That’s what the majority of my musician friends take great pleasure in telling me. Journey’s music is almost always panned by critics and looked down upon by those with discriminating musical tastes, among whom I count myself. Most critics acknowledge that their music offers a universal message of hope and serves as a sentimental soundtrack for high school romance, but fails to offer anything that approaches transcendence or true art. Despite all of that, I like Journey. Heck, I love them, and not as a guilty pleasure or in an ironic way.

While reflecting upon the opinions of Journey by “those in the know” I was reminded of the chasm that often exists between the theology found within the academy and the faith and practices of the “people in the pews.” I doubt that I am the only one who has heard graduate students and professors alike speak in condescending ways about the “unsophisticated,” “simple” or “childlike” theology of many at the congregational level.

Perhaps the fact that millions of people have been and continue to be fans of Journey can serve as a reminder about the subjective limitations that constrain any truth claims or judgments made about taste, art, culture, and even theology. As theologians, as those who are considered to be “in the know,” we should be vigilant that we do not become so accustomed to the rarified air of the academy that we lose touch with the beliefs and practices of the “regular” members of the congregation. Let us heed the call of those poets Cain, Schon and Perry, when they implored that we simply Don’t Stop Believin’.