This week we unveil the new colum for the INSIGHT section,
entitled "Christianity and Culture". Our Canadian writer, Jay Ewert,
has done a great job in writing columns that challenge us
spiritually, and will continue to do so weekly.

CHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE - INTRODUCTORY COLUMN
by Jay Ewert
Wherever we look, whether it be the entertainment industry, the
government, or the church, we see wickedness abounding. Movies that
center around sex, CDs which shout out profanities and hatred, and
Church leaders who allow homosexuals and lesbians to become members
of churches and even hold church offices. And yet, a lot of people
are unaware that our country is on the road to destruction.

When perverted movies such as Titanic and American Beauty are
released, become #1 in the Box Office, clean up the Oscars, and then
become immensely popular rentals, most Christians have either seen
the movies or have said something to the effect of, "Naughty,
naughty!" without presenting any alternative to the youth in the
Church. Where are the people calling for good movies? Not movies that
are about and for Christians, but movies that are clean, beautiful,
and classics, like A Touch of Evil, It's a Wonderful Life, and other
movies from way back when to more recent classics such as Chariots of
Fire. Unfortunately, most Christians are willing to give their
opinion, but not willing to help solve the problem.

Another problem is the fact that the Bible has ceased to be
our "Entertainment Guide" - a guide to what we should watch, listen
to, and read. Instead, we trust the ratings, even though they are
often misleading and completely incorrect. Those who are careful
about what their kids take into their minds instead lead them to the
local "Jesus junk-store" and give them their WWJD bracelets, Jesus
action figures, and other such nonsense, thinking that these things
are good substitutes for the secular entertainment industry. In
Sunday school they are given the same thing - VeggieTales video
replace the teaching of God's Word. While VeggieTales may be good,
they are not the doctrinal teaching that is needed for the young
people.

To echo the words of David in Psalm 13, "How long, O Jehovah? Will
you forget me forever?" As we witness the decline of our culture and
the death of the church we place our hope in vain things and try to
rebel against God. Up in the heavens, God is laughing at our feeble
attempts to replace him with something else, for He knows that it is
impossible.

Thankfully, there are people in the Church today who are standing up
for what is right and proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ. Men like
R.C. Sproul, Douglas Wilson, George Grant, and Gary DeMar are the
leaders of the Reformation that is desperately needed in our land.

As I have pointed out several times in this article, our culture is
in the dumps and needs to be rebuilt. My purpose in beginning to
write this weekly column, Christianity and Culture, is to help awaken
the minds of Christians around the world. It is a great task ahead of
me and it is my prayer that God will bless my writings and enable
them to proclaim His truth.

I am far from perfect and I expect that you may often disagree with
me. I ask that you would then communicate with me using the
cMusicBoard (courtesy of Delphi Forums) or by email as I would love
to hear your thoughts on my columns.

Soli Deo Gloria!

To discuss more about these topics, visit the cMusicBoard:
http://www.delphi.com/musicweb1/start

For more spiritual reflections, visit INSIGHT:
http://cMusicWeb.com/insight


AVAILABLE TUESDAY (on cMusicWeb.com and at your local store)

CRYSTAL CLEAR - JACI VELASQUEZ
Although Jaci has matured her Latin sound a bit, it's still the same
cheese-pop that she has made in the past.

STADIUM JAM - VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Worship Underground label has put together a collection of all
old songs, including tracks by Audio Adrenaline, Jennifer Knapp, the
Supertones, and the Newsboys.

OK, there's no PICK OF THE WEEK this time, but that just means that
you get to catch up on buyin all those previous picks...


AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER (on Christian MusicWeb)

ROCK: http://cMusicWeb.com/rock
Ardent Worship - All Together Separate [9/26]
Ardent Worship - Satellite Soul [9/26]
Ardent Worship - Skillet [9/26]
Learning to Breathe - Switchfoot [9/26]

ALTERNATIVE: http://cMusicWeb.com/alternative
Third Verse - Smalltown Poets [9/26]
Long Line of Leavers - Caedmon's Call [10/10]

POP: http://cMusicWeb.com/pop
Joy: A Christmas Collection - Avalon [9/26]
Where I Wanna Be - V*Enna [9/26]
Holiday! - Crystal Lewis [10/10]

WORSHIP: http://cMusicWeb.com/worship
Live to Worship - Lincoln Brewster [9/19]
SONICPRAISe - SONICFLOOd [9/26]
Glo - delirious? [10/10]

Click on the album titles on the genre page to order them and recieve
them on the release date.


CHRISTIAN HIT RADIO CHARTS FOR THIS WEEK
> Yeah! 3D jumps to #2 and Phil Joel is going
> down finally. No new songs this week, though.
1. Don't Look at Me - Stacie Orrico
2. Your Love, O Lord - Third Day
3. Into You - Jennifer Knapp
4. God is Watching Over You - Phil Joel
5. Dive - dc Talk
6. Good Life - Audio Adrenaline
7. Good Stuff - Newsboys
8. Tomorrow - Out of Eden
9. Jesus is God - Scarecrow and Tinmen
10. Where I Wanna Be - V*enna

SOURCE: CCM Update (http://www.ccmupdate.com/)


cMUSICWEB UPDATES
• Revamped - Insight
http://cMusicWeb.com/insight
• New Page - Lincoln Brewster
http://cMusicWeb.com/worship/lincolnbrewster
• New Page - Watermark
http://cMusicWeb.com/pop/watermark
• New Page - The Elms
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/theelms

This week we will be giving out all the info on the contests. We'll
be giving a copy of Switchfoot's "Learning to Breathe" next week,
plus we'll be giving away some Josh Harris videos at the end of the
month. As always, keep your comments coming!

Dan Ficker
http://cMusicWeb.com/
a different approach to music
ICQ - 43224317 AOL IM - dMusicWeb