My Review System:
 

++  Patently Christian

+  Conforms to Christian morals and values

M Mature content

X Mild objectionable content

XX Objectionable content

XXX Offensive content

 

 

Sara Bareilles  / Love Song / M

Love Song is a great new song by this great new artist.  Her image is clean, girl-next-door type who made it on her talent alone.  She inspires young people everywhere to pursue their dreams, especially if their dream is in music.   The only beef I have with her is that she writes a blog on her website that is a little less squeaky clean than her music.  She is a self proclaimed ‘potty-mouth’.   Mind you, her version of a potty-mouth is the same as a what a fourth grader might think.  She’s not dropping F bombs, but she does use that ubiquitous phrase: omg. 

 

Jordin Sparks / Tattoo / M

There is nothing objectionable in this song.  It is perfectly clean.  It is, however, painted with the kind of American pop spirituality that I can’t stand.  Dip your brush into these lyrics:  “The truth is a stranger / Soul is in danger / I gotta let my spirit be free / No need to worry about everything I’ve done / Live every second like it was my last one”.  While there is nothing immediately objectionable, and all that sounds nice and spiritual and positive, there are some real problems.  Popular American Spirituality says, “You have to find your own truth.”, and, “Being a spiritual person is about finding yourself.”  Pop American Spirituality is about freedom of the person, independence of the soul, and the greatest value is placed on the individual and his/her needs, feelings, and comfort zone.  This is not the spirituality of Christianity.  Christianity says, “There is one Truth, revealed in Jesus Christ.” and, “Being a spiritual person is about your relationship with Jesus Christ.”  Christianity is about Christ, not me.  Christianity says that I find my true freedom in being part of Christ’s body of believers, his church.  Christianity is about unity, not independence.  The greatest value is placed on Christ and what he did for us.  As a Christian I sacrifice a part of myself (my independence, my needs, my comfort zone) to serve God and others.   

Ok, so is Jordin Sparks off limits for these reasons?  No.  But Sparks fans who are Christians should recognize the perception of spirituality that permeates Sparks and the whole of American culture.  We need to realize that Christianity is absolutely completely different. 

 

 

COULD THE MUSIC ON YOUR KID’S IPOD COST YOU $220,000?

The recording industry won a key fight last fall against illegal music downloading when a federal jury found that a Minnesota woman shared copyrighted music online and levied $222,000 in damages against her.  The jury ordered Jammie Thomas, 30, to pay the six record companies that sued her $9,250 for each of 24 songs on which the case was focused. The companies said she shared 1,702 songs online in violation of their copyrights.

If you are thinking, ‘that couldn’t happen to me’, well, you are probably right.  This is the first music downloading case to go to trial.  You probably wouldn’t be foolish enough to push it that far.  You would probably be more like the thousands of people each year who pay a small fine of a few thousand dollars when they are caught with illegal music on their computer.  That’s right, thousands of people a year pay thousands of dollars in fines because they have illegally downloaded music from the Internet.  Often the parents are oblivious to the fact that their kids have loaded the computer, and their iPod, with hundreds of illegally obtained songs.  The recording industry is generally sympathetic in those cases, agreeing to settle out of court for a fine of less than $100 per song.  Makes you wonder how many illegally obtained songs are on your computer, doesn’t it? 

HOW DO THEY KNOW?

Songs are often ‘shared’ on the Internet using services such as Kazaa and Limewire.  The services are free and legal.  They are legal because their main purpose is to act as file sharing services, a legal enterprise.  The services can also be used to share music in violation of copyright law.  Recording companies simply log onto these services and watch the traffic.  When they discover someone sharing a large number of songs, they contact the FBI.  The FBI verifies the claim, and issues a warrant to the local Internet Service Provider to obtain the user’s name and address of the computer in question.  In 1999 Verizon Cable sued the FBI claiming that such warrants were a breach of privacy laws designed to protect their customers.  Verizon lost the suit.  Ever since, the FBI has issued warrants and obtained the names and addresses of hundreds of computers a year.  In the next step the FBI obtains a warrant to come to your house, (yes, unannounced) and seize your computer.  Sounds like fun, eh?  Eventually you wind up negotiating with the recording companies on the amount of the fine.  No, you don’t get your computer back. 

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

First, check your computer for applications such as Kazaa and Limewire.  Delete them immediately.  Then look at iTunes.  How many songs are on your computer?  Where did they come from?  If they were purchased legally from iTunes or another online service, then they are legal.  If you own the CD, then the songs are legal.  If you can’t prove ownership, then the songs were illegally obtained, either over the Internet, or perhaps someone in your household ‘borrowed’ a friend’s CD and copied it onto your computer.  This is illegal.  Delete the songs immediately.

WHAT IF I JUST SHARE SONGS WITH FRIENDS?

If you just share songs with friends using CDs, then your chances of getting caught are negligible.  You have nothing to worry about…from the FBI.  Just because they can’t catch you, however, doesn’t mean it’s not illegal and immoral.  Sharing songs that you didn’t buy is stealing.  The courts have upheld intellectual property rights again and again.  Musicians have the right to be paid for their work.  As Christians we should recognize this and obey the law.   

Sometimes people say, “The musicians and the record companies are so rich already, it’s not like they are not getting paid.”  Firstly, that’s like saying “Kroger is so rich already, it doesn’t matter if I steal from the grocery store.”  Secondly, most new developing acts and young musicians are definitely NOT rich.  An artist often does not really begin to make money until their second or third CD.  As we know, most artists don’t even make it to their third CD, and hence never make any money.  Thirdly, even big stars employ dozens of working wage musicians and technicians who are certainly not rich.  Fourthly, let’s just go back to the fact that we are Christians, and we should obey the laws of the society we live in.  The root of illegal music is the desire to possess something.  When that desire causes you to break the law, it’s a problem.  It’s called, “Coveting” and “Stealing”.  No matter how many songs you download, you are going to find someone who has more.  When this jealousy mixes with the desire to possess that which you don’t have, it is a poisonous mix. 

ONE LAST THING

Lastly, you need to talk to your kids about illegal music downloading and sharing.  Teach them why it’s wrong.  Teach them to be content with the music they can afford to buy.  You’ll avoid fines, stay away from the FBI, and sleep at night with a clear conscience.  Best of all, you will have passed on good morals and high values to your kids.