the rambling missionary

by erika haveman

This past spring I got kind of hooked on a show called “The Voice.”  You know what I’m saying? WOW that show brought out some TALENT.  It was always fun to watch the young performers, who came from a slew of different walks of life, but nearly all were closely equal in talent and ability.  It was also fun when it got into the live rounds, and during the elimination episodes there’d be a guest performance.  One night it was announced the Florida Georgia Line would be performing.  I got really excited because I LOVE Florida Georgia Line.  For real, they are my summer jam.  Sun shining, breeze blowing, windows down, shades on, Florida Georgia Line blowing up my speakers in Madame Maxine (my car)…awww sweet summer.  I was really looking forward to their new song…until I heard it.

It was catchy enough. It sounded like some sappy love ballad that was sure to make me momentarily wish I had a someone I could spend summer nights with, to curl up into and watch the sunset over the romantic days we’d built for each other.  But as it got the chorus I just got straight up offended.

You’ve probably heard the song by now, and the words of the chorus go like so:

You’re holy, holy, holy, holy
I’m high on loving you, high on loving you
You’re holy, holy, holy, holy
I’m high on loving you, high on loving you

Just like the sound currently drifting in through my open window, I wish those lines were followed in your mind by crickets singing their nightime song.  What I mean to say is shouldn’t lyrics like this get those who love Jesus all rattled?  They got me all shook up real nice.

I understand that the guys are trying to put a clever spin on the word “holy” by making it an acronym for “high on loving you.”  Besides the fact that grammatically their lyrics makes no sense (to sing one line and say “you’re holy” but the acronym for “holy” is “high on loving you,” so really there you’re saying “you’re high on loving you”? Really?) it’s something as Christians that we should find offensive.

I also understand that the guys who make up Florida Georgia Line are probably not active Jesus followers, so I can hardly be upset at them over the decisions they’ve made, or contracts they’ve signed more likely.

Now that we’ve got those logistics out of the way, I want to challenge those of you who are Jesus loving individuals to understand something with me:

Only God is holy.

Look.  I know I’m overthinking this.  I also know that there are a lot more lyrics to songs out there that we could pick apart and find offense at.  I do know this.  There is a lot of trashy and wasted talent (shout out Beyoncé) singing songs that mean nothing of value and offend all sorts of people under the sun.  I know this.  But when God’s name is suddenly on the line (or a description as defined by Him and attributed solely to Him), being used in vain in a bigger way than a gut reaction of “oh my god!” then yes, I will take a stand against that (not the use of the line “high on loving you,” exactly, but altering the definition of “holy” and accepting it, even praising it).

Growing up I always thought the commandment of, “You shall not use the name of the Lord your God in vain,” meant that I should never say anything worse than “oh my goodness” when I reacted in shock or surprise to something.  I’m still not comfortable saying, “oh my god,” and even in writing it I am repenting, but I think that’s the most surface level we can get when we talk about using God’s name in vain.

You see for the Israelites, to use God’s name in vain wasn’t about throwing His name into an exclamation of delight or sorrow.  To use God’s name in vain meant to do something and justify it using God as a witness, to use Him or things defined by Him alone in ways that were never intended.  False prophets in the Old Testament are the finest example of people using God’s name in vain.  They claimed that they were speaking on God’s behalf when really they were just speaking for themselves.  Using God’s name in vain was much more serious with a much riskier outcome.

To suggest that anything other than God is holy is outright heresy, and to sing a worshipful sounding ballad of holiness to anybody other than God is shameful.  It’s offensive and it’s vain.

I know committing to not listen to a song on the radio is pretty well pointless (but if you want to, by all means do so and I will encourage you), so I’m not suggesting you stop listening to Florida Georgia Line (I will not be stopping so I wouldn’t expect any different from you).  But I do hope to challenge you a little bit on what you think of God, and what kind of credit should only ever be given to Him.  I also hope you’ll consider what it means to use His name in vain, because I know I’ve been guilty of that and I don’t think I’ve ever said “oh my god” (with the exception of the 3 times I’ve written it today).  I’m not calling FGL out here.  As long as they are not convicted, committed Jesus followers a Biblical standard is irrelevant to them.  I’m asking us to examine our lives and consider how we an ensure we only ever honour God as holy.  And honouring God as holy really should have nothing to do with getting high.

Not you, certainly not I, can be elevated to be so set apart that we are God.  I wouldn’t want that responsibility, thank you very much.  We need to be so careful what we put into our minds because it only takes so much crap going in before it turns into something we vouch for as acceptable.  We should never, ever accept it when somebody elevates another person to the place that only God has the right to have.  His holiness sets Him apart, and as much as He calls us holy, blameless, pure, righteous, it is only from Him, for Him, and to Him that we are able to ever exist as a people set apart.  Our set apart-ness requires our response of rejecting the pleasures and distractions that this world has to offer, and accepting the cross He asks us to daily bear.