Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Say the name of Jesus.

A newly released album sparked a very interesting conversation this weekend.
Over the past few months my brother, sister, and I have become fans of a Christian band called The Newsboys. We were talking about several new songs they just released when my brother said, “I just really like how much they use the name of Jesus.”
He went on to tell me how rarely he heard the name of Jesus when he listened to contemporary Christian radio. Usually the lyrics only talked of God, or Christ, or referred to “Him” when describing divinity.
Of course there is nothing wrong with this. When I write I usually reference God, but I do know that if I avoid the name of Jesus I’m missing the point of everything I believe.
Why are we so afraid to say the name of Jesus? I’ve seen some people in Christian media avoid that name in strange ways, even when directly talking about Jesus. I have felt pressured before to say or write “God” instead of “Jesus” because God is supposedly less offensive than Jesus. Do we really need to be reminded that Jesus is God?
When my brother ended by saying, “They are so comfortable with the name of Jesus it just makes their songs more powerful,” I think he completed the argument.

4 comments:

Thesauros said...

"Jesus" there's just something about that name.'

Ya, the Newsboys are good.

God Bless - See you there!

Anonymous said...

At the same time there are those who abuse the name of Jesus. That might be why a lot of people unconsciously shy away from using it.

There is also a distinction between Jesus and the Father. They are one in essence, unique in person. If Jesus and the Father were the same, to whom was Jesus praying in the garden?

For all that, the Newsboys are a great group.

Emily Ann Benedict said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Emily Ann Benedict said...

I agree, there are times when it is more appropriate to use the term Father or God. I am addressing more our tendency to shy away when it is entirely legitimate, even makes more sense to use the name of Jesus.
The abuse of Jesus’ name is rampant…let’s make sure it’s used correctly as much as possible! :D