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Why I’m Not Protesting the Lady Gaga Concert

Some clarifications to start:

I’m not saying it’s wrong to protest her. I’m just relating why I’m not doing that.

I don’t think it’s a harmless concert either. I’m aware of much of the message of her music and life and I don’t think it’s eternally beneficial.

I am not talking about parents who don’t allow their children to watch it. God has given parents the authority to raise their children. As far as I’m concerned, if you eat their food, drink their water, use their internet, order their maids around, then they get to call the shots. If you don’t want that life, go live on your own and make your own rules. (Honestly, there are tons of less privileged people who would love that kind of life.)

I’m only talking about protesting the upcoming concert and why I’m not doing that.

 

How dare you not pander to my every whim! What gives you the right, aside from you clothe me, feed me, shelter me, and provide for my education?!

 1. It’s after the fact.

I don’t buy this talk of Lady Gaga’s concert bringing a tide of filth and sin into our country. First of all, it’s not like the songs and their messages haven’t made it here already. So that’s not the concert alone. Secondly, our country is plenty sinful on its own without her concert. Is the concert really going to cause people to morph into rampant sinners?

Here’s a question: Is Lady Gaga’s popularity causing people to live a certain way? Or is she popular because people are already living a certain way? In other words, her music has an audience partially because it hits the core sinfulness of people who want to reject God and His Kingdom. A concert didn’t cause that, and stopping a concert won’t fix it. We need something else.

 2. It’s inconsistent.

Does Lady Gaga’s music contain elements that do not honor God the way He must be honored? Yes. Definitely. But then again, what doesn’t? Why are we protesting this concert in particular?

Did we protest Katy Perry when she kissed a girl and liked it? Did we protest Beyonce with her music and movements? Were the Black Eyed Peas paragons of virtue? Why didn’t they draw this much flak?

For that matter, where were these protests when the Spice Girls came and sang Two Become One? (Or did we think that was within the confines of marriage? Heads up, the Backstreet Boys are coming in June to tell people to Get Down.) And what about Frank Sinatra who insists “I Did It My Way?” Are we gonna strike that off our list too?

We’re using a standard that’s different from God’s Word, the Bible, if we act inconsistently like this. It’s like there are “okay” sins and there are “protest-worthy” sins. Where do we draw the line?

Too often, we draw the line where it doesn’t exclude us. But anyone different from us, anyone who makes us uncomfortable, anyone who is “obviously a sinner,” those people have to be outside the line.

Where do we draw the line? And whose call is it?

People notice this double standard too. The mayor of Pasay said he’d allow the concert to continue, but he asked her to refrain from anything blasphemous or morally offensive. Someone commented on the internet asking what about all of the motels and prostitution that proliferate the area. And why stop at sex? What about corruption, laziness, etc.? That’s sin too, right?

How can we honestly condemn one act of sin while guilty of another ourselves? Once, when Jesus was preaching, people brought a sinful woman before him. Some religious people had tricked her and caught her in the act of adultery. Like any good lynch mob, this was lopsided from the beginning – the man was noticeably absent. Two people were in sin, the man was ignored, and they all condemned her.

Jesus, after writing in the dirt said, “Let him who has no sin cast the first stone.” In other words, let the ones who have not made any sin at all, be the first to condemn. In doing this, Jesus was not saying what she did was okay. He did correct her later on.

But He was also pointing out that sin is sin, no matter what sin it is. We must be careful what judgment you insist on others, because we bring the axe down on our own necks as well. None of us are sinless, so none of us can condemn each other. After he said this, he started writing on the dirt again, as each of the accusers dropped their case and walked away. He extended his hand to her, said He didn’t condemn her, and told her to sin no more. (You can’t miss that last part.)

no different from you and me

The story shows that while none of the people could condemn her, there is one sinless person though. And that person WILL judge. And that’s Jesus Himself. The Bible says, He will return to judge every action, word, thought, and motive. At the end of our lives, we all will stand before Him and give an account. Lady Gaga will. So will the Pope. So will you. And we would all fail.

But because He loves us, Jesus died the punishment we should have died. He took away the rottenness of all our sin – the sin in Lady Gaga’s music and the sin in your heart when you couldn’t forgive someone – all of it, when He died on the Cross for us. And to those who believe Him, He gives new life. And that’s the only dividing line between who’s in and who’s out. And anyone who believes will be in. Even Lady Gaga.

So here’s what we can do instead – we can make disciples. We can tell people about Jesus, so that they’ll believe. Then we teach them to follow Him so that they’ll do the same. Incidentally, that’s the very thing Jesus told us to keep busy with. (Matthew 28:18-20)

In the words of my friend, Ryan, when asked about what he was doing about the upcoming Lady Gaga concert, “I’m gonna do what we’ve always been doing. Make disciples.” 

Join the discussion

28 comments
  • Pastor Joseph… If I caould amen 1 million times, I would. Thank you for this post. 🙂 Amen! Amen! Amen!

  • Was typing my own blog entry about this and when I read this, I didn’t need to say more. God works amazingly. Obviously, brothers and sisters in Christ are one in spirit. Thank you for this pastor joe. May the hearts of those who proclaim to believe in Christ be opened and they might ask their selves, “What would Jesus do?” and that those who haven’t encountered Jesus yet be exposed to the truth of Jesus. God bless 🙂 Honor God, Make Disciples!

  • I was writing in my posts that instead of them doing these particular protests, I would suggest that people should just be guided and be taught to be more discerning about matters like these. I posted the link of this post so that my other friends can read it. What was written here Pastor Joe, was the things everybody needs to see as of the moment! 😀 I was actually waiting for this. 😀 I really had that feeling before that you will be writing about this soon. 😀 Amen to all things posted here. 😀

  • Hey Joe, it’s a very nice insight and eye-opener. Say hi to the family for me. 🙂 God bless!

  • grabe nakaka hiya yung arch bishop, tama bang sabihin on national television na “confirmed devil” -confirmed? seriously? without giving any reason. nakakahiya lang kasi parang ang bully ng mga pinoy. just because they dont understand her kung ano ano na sinasabi nila. makarinig lang ng name na “judas” sa song devil na agad. shame. grabe, nakakahiya kay lady gaga. naawa tuloy ako.

  • Amen ng mga 70 times 7. Buti pa po kau may common sense. Lumalabas na edukado kayo at hndi basta’t sumusunod lang sa doktrina out of fear or stupidity. Mabuhay po kayo!

    • Thank you. Actually, ito ang totoo at tamang doktrina na nakasula sa Bibliya. There’s something wrong with our faith if we end up hating people and driving them away from Jesus.

  • Well done Ptr.Joseph! These are what we all need to hear, know and do. Always keep busy working for the Lord. Let us all be busy sharing God’s LOVE 😀 Rah, rah, ah, ah, ah! Gaga, Oh lala. Gaga needs unconditional love. Make disciples. 😀

  • I definitely agree with your comment on the double standard that exists in our society. I told my wife one day as we were talking about the protests being held against Lady Gaga that these protesters should have also demonstrated their disapproval when an American heavy metal band named Lamb of God did a concert a few months ago. They should have likewise protested when all other mainstream acts performed here in the past.

    Randy from VCF Alabang

  • Hey everyone! Thanks for reading and sharing my blog. Thanks also for engaging in the discussion in an orderly and lucid manner.

    I won’t have time to approve (or disapprove) any new comments for now because our office is running a major event this week, and my wife and I are helping some friends with their wedding also this week. (Nagkuwentong buhay talaga no?)

    I do intend to eat this elephant one bite at a time and hopefully get to your comment soon.

  • Very well said. One way to honor God is to spend our time wisely than to waste time doing protests. Amen and amen, thank you for writting this.

  • Once again, I am moved by your post. I was thinking along the same lines when I saw the protests made by different groups on tv.

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