A good friend of mine recently gave me a book to read, "A Violent Grace", by Michael Card. I highly recommend this to everyone. Below is an excerpt.
The cross seems to have disappeared from the Christian art and music of our time. Worse, it has disappeared from many hearts and minds as well. I must confess that my own ministry, which began with a singular focus on the cross of Christ, has slowly shifted towards more popular and palatable themes. I used to relish the criticism that I was "preaching and singing about the cross too much".
In fact, the key verse for the first ten years of my ministry was, "I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." ( I Cor. 2:2 ) Lately, though, I've noticed that it seems to be easier to get things done by avoiding such criticism. My early critics were right: It's hard to sell songs about a crucified man. Better to sing, preach, and write about the positives---peace, prosperity, and easy grace. To a society obsessed with abundance and acceptance, the Good News minus the cross ( which is no good news at all ) does seem to keep the coffers and pews full. What are we to do? Where are we to stand if we long to stand for Christ? I believe that if we are to maintain Biblical Christianity in the new century. we must refocus our attention on the cross.
For him who has ears to hear, let him hear!
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