I have nothing against Chris Pratt. Let me make this clear…I don’t even KNOW Christ Pratt. I’ve never met him. The only understanding I have of his theology comes from a few video clips. This single article will reveal more information about my own faith than I even HAVE about Chris Pratt’s faith. My commentary is not personal. I’m discussing a topic that just happens to have a picture of Chris Pratt’s picture next to it.
I’m willing to bet that YOU don’t know Chris Pratt any better than I do (if you’re reading this and you gave birth to Chris Pratt, feel free to chasten me in the comment section). Which means that you’re no more qualified to rebuke me for criticizing Pratt than I would be for criticizing him. And…as I said before…I’m not criticizing Pratt. I don’t even KNOW him. (See paragraph above.)
It is vitally important for Christian people to communicate that our solution for all our problems is Jesus Christ. It is also important that we remember the reason Jesus visited this planet was to redeem us and not just to make us “feel better.”
It would be a tragedy for anyone who doesn’t care for ‘Christian music’ to believe that listening to that type of music is a requirement. It would be equally tragic for anyone to possess a faith constructed entirely from the lyrics of contemporary Christian music. Remember….I’m NOT TALKING ABOUT CHRIS PRATT.
I’m talking about you.
You should stop gleefully sharing Pratt’s words as if they are sacred texts. I understand you’re excited. Chris is famous and he claims to be a Christian (remember…neither of us knows him) and it’s super-cool when celebrities lend their star-power to legitimize your beliefs. But that’s not what’s happening here. Pratt isn’t testifying about Jesus. He’s testifying about his musical preferences.
There’s nothing wrong with that. If he likes Christian music, more power to him. But you know (so does Chris) that listening to Christian music is NOT a requirement for joining the church. And listening to Christian music doesn’t change the condition of your soul. It is Jesus who does that.
I know this makes me sound like a grumpy old man. While grumpiness is my right as an old man I assure you, I’m not feeling cranky. I just want to make sure that we’re calling people to follow Jesus and not our man-made religious rituals. Our identity is in Christ, not in Casting Crowns. (Shout out to Casting Crowns who I’m confident will agree with that last line.)
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
(1 Corinthians 2:1)
One Response
I understand your point. However, I don’t think Chris Pratt was talking about salvation or Christian theology. He was simply saying he went for a run listening to Christian music and it made him feel better. I don’t think a lot of Christian music is even biblically sound but listening to it does make you feel better, unless you start thinking about it biblically and then you just get irritated.