The song “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath is, I think, not just one of the greatest and most enduring rock songs ever, it is also one of the best Christian songs written in the last 60 years. If you know the lyrics, you might agree; if you just had a knee-jerk reaction to that first sentence, you probably are unfamiliar with the words. Here is the message of the song: Verses 1 & 2 condemn generals for the death and destruction they create in their lust for war. Verses 3 & 4 condemn politicians who hide behind desks and send the poor to die, expendable pawns in the politician’s lust for power. Verses 5 & 6 warn those who wage war for fun that God will judge them, and Satan will have their souls. If this song were produced by Skillet or a Christian screamo band, it would be a big hit among Christian music aficionados. It is not. And, just as an aside, check out T-Pain’s version – it is amazing!
There are many secular songs that have deep theology in them; in fact, often deeper than a lot of drivel that passes for contemporary Christian music in recent decades. From Queen to Led Zeppelin to any number of pop singers, God often permeates the lyrics of seemingly non-theological songs. Meanwhile, you could replace your girlfriend’s name for God in most modern Christian songs and have an appropriate theme for Valentine’s Day. We are often too quick to categorize and judge things based on who is producing them, rather than what the content is. The divide between spiritual and secular is not as wide as some make it out to be. Like the Yin and Yang symbol, nothing is purely one thing.
“Crazy Train” (Ozzie Osbourne’s solo work) is similar. The words complain about people living as enemies, divided by ideologies and driven apart by a media that is out of control. His plea is that we learn how to get along before it’s too late. Sounds sadly familiar, and this was released in 1980! And Ozzie was no fool – he even pleaded within the song for people to listen to the words. He knew he was being judged on his appearance, not the quality of his music. He understood how shallow most of us are.
To be honest, I would rather sing these two songs in church than almost any Hillsong product; at least Ozzie and the boys were honest about it all being about the money. And while many Christian lyricists believe they are praising God (and they are), they often miss the opportunity to lift up God’s prophetic voice in their music. Ozzie spoke against the hypocrisy he saw in religion and government, hoping to change people’s understanding of what it means to be a community. He wanted people to act, not just speak. From where I sit, He is far more Christian than most people who make that claim. To see that, you have to look beyond the scary exterior to see where the treasure is. People who love God need to care more about substance and depth and less about what lies on the surface.
Prayer – Heal our judgmental minds and hearts, God of surprises, so that we can find You in all things. Amen.
Today’s art is Black Sabbath’s album cover, Paranoid.