Superbowl Halftime report

David Alexander reminds us of the greatest halftime show ever, and offers a link so you can download it and watch it all over again.

That said, here are my musings over this year's show:

The Rolling Stones make the Super Bowl halftime. Ain’t it amazing? Do you think anyone would have guessed in the 60’s that these guys would have been playing halftime at the Super Bowl?

It makes it even more amazing that one of the main reasons they were selected is that they are “safe.” After Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” two years ago, the NFL has been overwhelmingly careful not to let such a thing happen again. So last year Paul McCartney was the show. Now, the Rolling Stones.

While I am far from an expert on the history of the 60’s, I find it ironic that either McCartney or the Stones would accept the label of “safe” today. As I remember it, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones epitomized all that was wrong with the world just 40 years ago. Now, the same fellows represent safety, decency, family-appropriate entertainment.

Has society really changed so much that indecent has become decent? That what was once counter-cultural is now mainstream?

I first noticed this trend back when cable channels first started multiplying. Various Christian groups jumped on the opportunity to buy syndicated episodes of some older series. Some of these older series I remembered Christians complaining about when they debuted.

In Jesus’ vision for the church, I don’t think he intended for us to accept that “acceptable” today means “something from at least 20 years ago.” Rather, Jesus called his people beyond our lives being about some “safer” version of what the world offers.

I am not saying that Christians ought to oppose the Rolling Stones now just as many did in 60’s. I am saying that what is “Christian” is determined neither by pop-culture, nor by stands against pop-culture.

What is Christian is determined by what brings glory to God and what draws others God-ward.