I think I figured out what it is that's been disgusting me about most of the mass media aimed at Christians these days. It's bothered me for years, really, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. And now I think I'm starting to see it.

It's just too… nice.

The more I think about it, the more I see it. It's everywhere. We are the most churched society in the world, yet all of our nice churchy books and television programs and videos don't seem to be making as much of a difference in our nation as we think. And it's all because it's being marketed as a safe alternative to regular, secular media. I mean, think about it. Think about two Christian-themed movies in the general market, The Omega Code and Left Behind. Most of the Christian mass media would have us believe that those two movies are gentler, family-friendly thrillers that somehow did badly at the box office because of anti-Christian liberal bias in the media - rather than exploring the possibility that they were both just poorly made.

Think about Integrity Online, the ISP that filters out objectionable material on the server level so that you don't have to do the pesky work of determining for yourself which sites are worth viewing. I certainly understand the necessity for blocking porn sites from home computers, but doing it at the server level seems to be their way of ensuring their churchgoing clientele that everything they surf through will be clean-cut and controversy-free. It's basically their way of saying, "Trust us; we're nice."

Or if you really want to see what I'm talking about, go to a local Christian bookstore and look at the ridiculous artist-comparison charts on the walls. ("If you like Brandy, Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera then you'll love Out of Eden or ZOEgirl.") They exist mainly for the purpose of aiding parents in their attempts to find nice, safe Christian alternatives to the bands that their kids really dig. Instead of attempting to figure out why their 10-year-old idolizes Slim Shady, they can instead take a halfhearted glance at the convenient chart and pick up a Sackcloth Fashion CD instead. I mean, they're both White guys into hip-hop; it's the same thing, right?

It gets worse. I've actually seen Christian rap CDs on the shelves of Christian bookstores with little stickers that say "Parental Advisory: Non-Explicit Lyrics." Obviously trying to copycat all the bling-bling gangsta-glam joints that have dominated the rap industry over the last several years, the manufacturers probably put those stickers on in a simultaneous attempt to imitate authenticity while assuring parents that there wouldn't be any swearing on the album. But in their attempt to do so, they completely miss the true meaning of the word 'explicit.'

Webster defines something explicit as being "fully revealed or expressed without vagueness, implication, or ambiguity… leaving no question as to meaning or intent." So by proclaiming their lyrics as being non-explicit, they are essentially calling their lyrics vague, ambiguous, and lacking in depth and clarity. Sadly, they are often correct in that assessment. Over time, I've actually started to appreciate the 'non-explicit' stickers on these releases, because they at least alert me to the probability that this CD will probably not be something that I would want to spend money on.

And therein lies part of the problem, in my opinion. It reminds me of an episode from the second season of MTV's "The Real World." In it, the acerbic Black stand-up comic David is having a conversation with Jon, a White country singer and born-again believer. They're arguing about music, and at one point Jon tries to convince David that there are Christians who do rap music. David, skeptical of the very concept, delivers a mocking response that has stayed with me all these years:

 

The real irony is that, in the attempt to shield children from profanity, we have rejected the explicit and embraced the profane. And I can hear some of you thinking, hold on Jelani… how have we embraced anything profane? Well it's pretty simple, really. Webster says that to profane is to "treat something sacred with abuse, irreverance, or contempt."

How many of you have ever been in a worship service where the leader can't seem to finish a sentence without saying "hallelujah-praise-the-Lord-thank-you-Jesus"? And don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about when the anointing is in the place and the only thing people can do is just shout God's praises. No, I'm talking about when the service is dry as a bone and the only mighty rushing wind is the ushers passing gas in the back. In times like those, I've seen people on the platform leading worship, and by the looks on their faces you can tell it's obviously not going according to plan. You can see them struggling. You can practically hear them thinking, must… maintain… composure… It's like they're hoping that if they say "hallelujah-praise-the-Lord-thank-you-Jesus" enough times during the course of their testimony or whatever, then magically God will show up and everything will be fine. And of course, it never works.

You know why it never works?

Because their repetitive manner has rendered the words banal and unremarkable. 'Hallelujah' is supposed to be the word that represents the absolute highest possible praise to God. When we say it so many times that it becomes an afterthought, we have desecrated the very word we were supposed to consecrate.

It's like the bad habit we Americans have of saying 'thanks' every time we say no. If someone offers you a bagel and you hate bagels, you can't just flat out say no, it must be "No, thanks." The 'thanks' of 'no thanks' really only exists for the sake of social courtesy, to differentiate the declining of a favor from a rude personal rejection. And if we really want to show that we're grateful for the offer, we'll say "No thanks… but thanks anyway." In this sense, the concept of thanking is being profaned, since we treat it with such irreverance and commonality that the meaning is lost. And you know what our excuse is for doing such a thing?

"Well, I was only trying to be nice."

Again, therein lies the problem. When we value being nice above living a life that is consistent with God's Word, then we run into some of the same traps the Pharisees ran into. Jesus was not always a nice person. When He cracked his whip on the merchants and the moneychangers in the temple (Matthew 21, John 2), that was not a nice thing. As a matter of fact, there were plenty of times where he was downright explicit. When He asked the woman at the well (John 4:17-19) where her husband was and she said 'I have no husband' he didn't just say 'You got that right' and give her a nod. Nope, he cold busted on her, mentioning the fact that she had actually had FIVE husbands and on top of THAT, the man she was with was not even her husband. That is not a nice thing to do! Do you know how many social circles I would be exiled from if I tried to pull something like that?

No, Jesus was not always nice.

But he was always obedient.

And that's the real point of this commentary. Clearly, I do not advocate doing things that are disobedient to God's word. Clearly, I don't believe in provoking your brother to wrath by getting on his nerves. Clearly, I think it's important for parents to set limits on their children for the media that they consume. But all these things should be done in a sincere attempt to continually seek the heart of God and obey His will for our lives. And we cannot honestly do that if we're always playing it safe trying to live by what is socially acceptable.

I'm convinced that every major revival in church history will always be accompanied by controversy. In the body of Christ, disagreements and clashings are inevitable. The scriptures are full of instances where two or more of His servants disagreed on an issue, they hashed it out, and somehow God got the glory. We're never going to understand why certain people behave the way they do, nor will we be able to change them. That job belongs to the Lord. Our is simply to seek long and hard for what He wants for us, and then to knock ourselves out trying to go for it.

So I don't know about you, but I'm going for mine. I'm sick of being nice.

So now maybe you understand why I do what I do. Because for me, nice is just another four-letter word.