Before we'll go deeper into this particular news item, let's quote the complete
report (emph. CRC):
"Mindless Self Indulgence have been asked by iTunes to change the
genre that they are filed under. Presently MSI is filed with their distributor
as 'Religious/Inspirational' because of their devout fan base and cult-like
following (currently having shipped 180,000 CD's in the last year
alone).
Apparently this has angered some extremely conservative Christian
organizations who have filed complaints with the digital music giant to get
the band's music removed from that category. Several Christians seemed to have
purchased the seemingly offensive material, on faith, even though it clearly
was marked as being explicit material.
Part of what seemed to annoy them was how well MSI's album, "You'll
Rebel To Anything", sold, reaching Number 27 on the iTunes
Christian/Gospel charts!
When asked what he thought of this controversy, MSI's singer, Jimmy Urine
had this to say: "It was iTunes, not us, that interpreted
"religious" to mean Christian/Gospel. What is offensive to some
people is obviously inspirational to others. To our fans this IS inspirational
music. I have no intention of changing the genre listing of this album."
(SOURCE)
Now, it can very well be that Mindless Self Indulgance (MSI) is indeed a
group that makes anti-Christian works. A quick look to their pages would reveal
that in a few seconds, actually. But, as the Dubroom visitor who drew our
attention to the news item, pointed out:
"Now what does this say about those deeply involved, influenced by the
Christian music industry,.... that they will purchase anything that is moving
to or is on the top of the charts? Very strange" (SOURCE)
Sure, one could argue that the band MSI is quite popular and therefore their
success on the "Christian" charts would simply be the result of the
MSI fans buying their music, but on the other hand the news item itself seems
to make another analysis.
An analysis, that says Christians and other consumers of the products
created by the "Christian Industry" don't "test the
spirits" at all, but will simply buy everything presented to them as
"Christian". As the apostle Paul wrote:
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached,
or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another
gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him]. (2 Cor.
11:4)
This is indeed a mentality we see in the Christian Industry. The Christ of
the Christian Industry is not the Christ of Scripture. This is clear. It is an
industry, that first. An industry where the Christian Faith has become the
product. And in that industry, the customers are used to be the kings.
"The customer is king", as the saying goes.
The Christian Industrialists, who like to market their products as
"bible teachings" and all of that, only emphasize this mentality.
Their "teachings" are to be "consumed" rather than judged,
in clear contradiction to what the bible actually says about teachings and
listening to these teachings.
The "Christian Industry", it cannot be said enough times, is a
satanic caricature of the Body of Christ. And we see it everywhere.
Like the Dubroom visitor pointed out, we also see this in the mentality of
the consumers. They indeed do not test the spirits, they do not judge, they
simply buy "on faith" whatever is listed as "Christian" or
"Religious".
And so, here we have another sign of the fact that the Christian Industry
has nothing to do with the real Church, real Christianity, and the Message of
the Bible.
Jesus Christ wants us to be active, not passive. When someone brings us a
teaching in His Name, and that could be said about all the products in the Christian
Industry, we should test and judge these teachings. We should not just he
hearers, but doers. As the apostle James said:
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own
selves. (James 1:22)
You don't have to be a professor to realize that the mentality of the
customers/consumers of the Christian Industry is described in the scripture.
Once again we see how the consumers in the Christian Industry would bear
anything which the Christian Industry tells them is "Christian".
Basically, what they are saying is: "we just want to be hearers
(listeners), so don't make us have to do something (like protesting against
I-tunes".
They will in fact start to protest when they are actually being forced to
judge for themselves, to come out of their "listening mode", when it
turns out that not everything listed as "Christian" is in fact
Christian.
They will start to tell I-tunes: "Take us back to the situation where
we do not have to think for ourselves but will simply buy whatever is listed
for us to buy".
Indeed, like the apostles say: another Christ, a consumer's mentality.
For too many people, Christianity has become a certain Industry and
Christians have become consumers in that Industry. They have become merchandize
in the hands of the moneychangers. And you can point out to everything that
simply proofs how the Christian Industry fulfills all these prophecies: some
have deceived themselves into believing that being a Christian is nothing more
than being an avid costumer of everything the Christian Industry has prepared
for their thoughtless consumption.
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