Christian Festivals

I am the first guy who wants to celebrate Jesus Christ and all He has done to change everything. He has done the impossible in forgiving me, and to think of how he has changed me from my youth to today is mind-boggling. I have miles to go in the become-like-Christ change process, and the older I get, the more it seems I need to change. So I love Christmas and Easter and the celebrations that come with these Christian holidays. To me, they closely parallel the Old Testament feasts.

Today I got a flyer in the mail advertising a well-known Christian music festival (you know the ones: "Cornerstone," "Sonshine," or in my neck of the woods, "Lifest"). It seems like some sort of celebration. Some of what takes place at thses kinds of events may build people up, but I have huge reservations about them. So without getting into a whole prophetic mode about completely avoiding these events, let me simply provide some guidelines that have proved helpful to me, should you decide to go:

1) Many or most of the band members are where you are in your faith or not nearly as far. They are just regular people who have musical gifts and a desire for others to support them financially, that's all (and they probably truly love Christ). So you'll hear strange and immature statements, you'll be appealed to on many levels to buy their stuff, and you may even be extremely disappointed about where they are with their doctrine. They are working things out a lot like you and me, so don't expect them to play the role of spiritual leaders. They aren't.

2) Taking your own children to an event like this will raise a billion questions. Be prepared to open up every one of your biblical values for discussion: what does the Bible teach about tattoos? Piercings? Drawing attention to ourselves with fashion, hair and other outward adornments? What's your problem with the Pentecostal movement? Why don't we read the Laymen's Newest and Bestest English Translation Study Bible for Teenage Girls Who Have No Siblings? You will be in a position to answer these questions and many, many more (which you should be answering anyways). That leads me to my next thought . . .

3) These events are no place for youth groups. The tent cities are raw and often downright crude (yes, I have unpublishable stories). Students will be told that their brand of Christianity outshines the "blue haired people" of their congrgeations. They will be told that their worship is better, their motives are purer and their prayers are richer (I have heard all this at these conferences!). They will be told that if they are really spiritual they will "sponsor a child" before they leave the festival for the weekend (and if they are with a youth group they will almost certainly not consult a parent before making this commitment). They will be told tons of stuff that they need to process alongside you, the parent. I tell parents I know that I wouldn't let my kid go to one of these events, but if they ever did go, I would be with my kid every second as they processed what they see.

4) In general here's a few of my very slanted opinions:
a. It would be better to find one concert of a band that has consistent and Christ-honoring lives and lyrics than to go to one of these festivals.
b. A festival like this will take one to two weeks to recover from within your family context if your student attends without a parent. They will come home with an invogorated sense that their way (in response to what they've heard at the festival) is the best. This produces independence from the family. Just be prepared for that.
c. These festivals generally do not attract unbelievers, because unbelievers are content with their own mainstream music. However, the festival may see evangelism as a primary purpose.
d. Keep close tabs on how much money you spend throught the event to determine if this is a good use of your funds. You will be surprised! For a family of 5 to get "5 day" tickets to the event I got information in the mail about, it would cost $461. That does not include lodging or food, of course.
e. To me, these events are no different than a Pop or Country music festival/concert. You'll sense less Christ and more entertainment; especially on the lesser-known stages. I do not say this because I am old (though I am--37) and can no longer hear the lyrics (I usually ask students to tell me what thery are saying), but because the music is more about poetic statements than saying what is true. They could do both, but often do not. To me it's not a Christ-focused event, it's an event that has less of a down-side than lots of other events I might choose to go to. It's "positive" entertainment.

5) Be prepared for extremely immodest attire all around you. That shouldn't surprise us (but I wish it did).

I know, you will appeal to something like this being better than other options they might choose (and you may be right about that). Me? I'll opt for Major League Baseball or a trip to the mall (seriously!).

If you always accept good, you will never become better. If you always accept better you will never become your best.