August 2005 WUGGIE'S MUSIC, MEDIA AND MORE!
WUGGIE'S MUSIC, MEDIA AND MORE!
Ratings System:
++ Christian - made specifically by Christians for Christians
+ Secular - but contains nothing offensive to most Christians, probably made by Christians trying to exert influence in secular media.
M Mature content. Not necessarily offensive, but parents should be careful before allowing exposure to children and pre-teens.
X Mature content. For mature teens, firm in their convictions and morals, who have received much parental guidance.
XX Contains very mature, problematic content. Parents should seriously consider restricting exposure to teens.
XXX Completely offensive. Not only should teens be restricted, but adults may want to question their own exposure.
Remember, my reviews are strictly my opinion, and no substitute for your good judgment
Please send me an Email (Mwuggazer@RedeemerBirmingham.org) or call me (248-644-4010) with requests for reviews!!
Brian "Head" Welch / Cry / +
This month we have much to celebrate in Christian music. Regular readers will know that Korn is one of the absolute worst bands out there in terms of negative influences on our teens. I have to admit I placed myself in the category of people who just gave up on Korn. Fortunately, somebody out there was praying for them, and God certainly never forgets one of His beloved. Welch was the lead guitarist of Korn for 13 years until he quit the band earlier this year, and surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. It began when he became increasingly dissatisfied with his life of rock and roll excess, and "Chasing the almighty buck." Riches and fame were oppressing him, not setting him free, and he found himself addicted to methamphetamine. Then a friend "dragged me to church" where he realized, "God was calling me to come to Him. God saved my life." Welch is now out of rehab, out of the band Korn, baptized, and embarking on a solo career as a Christian performer. He is working on his first CD, but has already released a single, "Cry". I bet his testimony will be a powerful witness to the saving power of the Gospel. "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." -Luke 15:7
Mariah Carey / The Emancipation of Mimi / XXX
The single, "We Belong Together" is benign, but the rest of the red-hot CD glorifies recreational drug use and sex. Read the entire review in the April issue at www.RedeemerBirmingham.org.
Jessica Simpson / In This Skin / XXX
Jessica's Manager is also her father. He is also a Baptist Pastor. Two years ago, Jessica told the media that she would never use her body to further her career. Promise broken. Looks like dad has been more manager than father or pastor. Jessica is a poor role model for Christian girls. Three X's for the CD, and another Three for her part in the upcoming movie, "Dukes of Hazzard" just for breaking her promise. Hey Jessica, call Brian Welch.
Foo Fighters / In Your Honor / XX
When they're not busy fighting foo, these guys are making good music with bizarre but clean lyrics. Too bad they put that one song, Hell, on the disc. Makes me mad. It's a song that elaborates (if only slightly) on the secular slag phrase "See you in hell". The phrase is meant to position Christians as judgmental and poke fun at what secular society sees as something that is not very real. God's Word assures us that hell is very real, and hardly something to be taken lightly. The song is a flippant response to a subject that secular society would rather laugh off than takes seriously. A teen who is firm in their convictions about the reality of hell isn't going to be corrupted. For everyone else, it's either a conversation starter or negative influence.
Gorillaz / Demon Days / +
Don't be fooled by the name of the disc. My guess is these guys are Christians, and they get it. They sing against sex drugs, immodesty, violence, and they preach about clinging to God. The song, "Last Living Souls" is an inadvertent response to the Foo Fighters song. Sometimes their lyrics are a little edgy, so they might not be right for the pre-teen set; and the music is definitely a little weird, so they are going to have limited appeal. On the other hand, I love Gorillaz, so what does that say about me?
Various / Now 19 / XX
Regular readers know that I regularly pan the Now discs. The problem is that the gems are sandwiched onto the disc between Eminem, Gwen Stefani, Ludacris and others. The cool thing is that they put the new Relient K song, "Be Me Escape" on this disc, so lots of non-believers will be exposed to this red-hot Christian band.
Summer Christian Releases
Thousand Foot Krutch / The Art of Breaking / ++
Hard rock fans love this band. They can head-bang like the best of them, and their lyrics are pure. The Art of Breaking is their second disc, and its probably even better than their first, which has been pleasing Christian teens and their parents for 2 years.
Jeremy Camp / Restored / ++
Camp won the Gospel Music Association's Male Vocalist of the year award last year. It's sophisticated pop much like Mercy Me, or Sting.
Why Failure is an f-word to teenagers
For many failure-sheltered teenagers, the hardest thing they've ever had to face is getting rejected by their first- choice college or university. In fact, according to a report in U.S. News & World Report, the college application process is the first experience of failure for many students.
According to U.S. News reporter Marianne Szegedy-Maszak, today's teenagers fear failure more than previous generations because they're ''highly driven, successful, and the recipients of an aggressive self-esteem agenda enforced by well-meaning parents and schools.'' In the name of positive, encouraging support, adults have unwittingly stolen a childhood treasure from their kids.
''This generation of parents has been so focused on doing things for their children, so worried about their children not being happy or successful, that these children are not allowed to fail along the way." says Ruth Peters, a Florida clinical psychologist and author of Overcoming Underachieving. 'And depriving children of the experience of healthy failure is doing them a terrible disservice.''
Karen Reivich, cc-director of the University of Pennsylvania's Resiliency Project, says adults have gotten things backwards. ''They think a child must grow up succeeding, and when they succeed they will feel good about themselves.'' The truth is, says Reivich, that ''healthy failure and healthy frustration'' produce what psychologists call ''mastery'' in young people.