Imagine.
I can only imagine, What it will be like
When I walk by Your side, I can only imagine
What my eyes would see, When Your face is before me
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory, What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You Jesus, Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, Or to my knees, will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
~ Bart Millard
Imagine there's no heaven, It's easy if you try
No hell below us, Above us, only skyImagine there's no countries, It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion, tooImagine all the people, Livin' life in peace
You may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us, And the world will be as one.~ John Lennon
Kellie and I watched some of the earliest seasons of American Idol… and it was thrilling. Grassroots talent bubbling up from nowhere to be thrust into the spotlight—Epic! After a decade’s absence, we picked back up with the current season to watch again. Again, epic. Again, troubling.
Tonight was the “Songs of Faith” episode where each of the remaining 14 competitors chose a song depicting their experience of spirituality. A large number of this season’s contestants are either worship leaders or evidence a strong background of faith. As worship songs filled the evening, many of the singers lifted their hands in praise. The Christian Post welcomed this as a public proclamation of Jesus, an evangelical pitch to the world. Vaguely inspiring and, again, deeply troubling to me.
When I watch these young talents, I feel their sincerity, their genuine desire to make their faith known in the world. I respect their naive hope, and at the same time, I know that they are being seduced by Empire. Even judge Carrie Underwood admits that Hollywood is a “self-serving business,” which is shorthand for Empire. Empire is delighted to co-opt spirituality as a means to sell power and influence, as it has done since the days of Constantine. And religion once again falls into its trap of trading soul for influence.
I’m not attacking American Idol… even though the name itself should give us pause. Idols are not favored in the biblical texts; by definition, they compete with the centrality of God. Tonight’s anthem How Great Thou Art was greeted with ecstatic applause and adulation that might better have been translated How Great I Am! And talent-wise, they are great. I mean, each one astounds me more than the last. But honestly, I resonated more with John Lennon’s lyrics than Bart Millard’s. I know nothing about Bart, and I imagine he’s a good dude… but I grieve to see Christianity get hijacked once again by commercialism. By the almighty dollar.
When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ~ Mt. 6:6
Imagine!
We might describe imagination as the imago Dei itself—the human capacity to envision a greater reality. Millard’s lyrics invite us to imagine crossing the threshold of death to behold God face to face. This transcendent moment deserves our awe and imagination. It defies our grandest creativity. Lennon’s lyrics, on the other hand, move me even more deeply: They acknowledge what Millard cannot—that religion itself has historically been the greatest divider, the greatest oppressor of all time. How is it that Jesus—the one who defied Empire at every turn—has now become the mascot of Empire?! This disturbs me to the core.
Contestants tonight sang both songs, I Can Only Imagine and Imagine. Both of them aspire to a higher reality than what exists in the world itself. Whether Christian or Muslim or Buddhist or Hindu, we all recognize the seeds of the sacred in our world, yet yearn for something more. Something more good, more safe, more uplifting than Empire. I will continue to watch American Idol this season and delight in the heart and talent these youngsters bring—their holy gifts in a world desperate for transcendence. At the same time, I lament that their innocence will irrevocably be savaged by the very machine that brings their brilliance to our attention.
Despite the visceral blend of consolation and desolation embedded in this viewing experience, I will not lose heart. I will keep searching for and savoring the seeds of transcendence scattered lavishly upon our humanity. I will kneel and give thanks, I will not take the spiritualized click-bait of Empire, and I will trust the simple purity of a melody hummed out of tune, lifted to the heavens unheard and unpossessed by human machinations.
finding our way home
What do you imagine? And how does your imagination help you snub Empire and yield to the Silent Sacred?
takeaway
Imagine beauty uncopyrighted.