Rockin' the Flock!

Product Alert:

Is nothing sacred?

My 14 year old son (a MUCH better Christian than I am) has been totally inspired by the Guitar Hero franchise. His guitar skills and interest are enhanced by exposure to some great guitar music on the original Guitar Hero and GH3. "Anarchy in the U.K.", "Black Magic Woman", "The Seeker", "Bulls on Parade" - just to name a few - offer a broad overview of musical styles.

Too bad many "Christian" companies feel they have to either sanitize what our kids see and hear or "God it up" so that it barely resembles the thing they were trying to achieve.

The music and game industries are just that - industries. As is the Christian merchandising industry. They wouldn't be making what they are making unless it turned a buck. Profit and altruism are generally mutually exclusive. I don't think the Digital Praise Corporation is producing a quasi-Guitar Hero game because it will make converts or better disciples - they are producing it because they hope it will make money.

As an aspiring guitarist my son needs to know less about Petra's "Backsliding Blues" and more about Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover" (as performed at this HS talent show - WOW!!!):


Or the hyper-guitarism of DragonForce's "Through the Fire and Flames":



Now those guitar skills are heroic!!!


I'll reserve my final opinion until I can actually test this product (hmm, I am soon to be the editor for a major denominations news sources.)

One final note - too bad it isn't compatible with existing Guitar Hero systems and controllers. It would have been really cool (and likely more profitable in the long run) if Digital Praise had partnered with Red Octane to produce a "Guitar Heroes - Christian Rock!" disk for their various platforms. There are lots of good rock guitarists recording on Christian labels - seems like that would have reached the broader audience that has already tapped into the craze and fame of Guitar Hero.

Admittedly, the song list for Guitar Praise (at the bottom of the project page) isn't bad. But why is it that "Christian" products feel the need to copy what "secular" companies have already perfected?

You're In the Money (COOL Lent: 2008)

5 Minutes of Caring: You're In the Money

I've done lots of speaking regarding the chasm that exists between what we in the US consider an "average" income and what most people around the world experience. Even the poorest people in the western world (N. America, Europe) are uber-rich in comparison to 90% of the rest of the world.

Just to check yourself, go to the Global Rich List site and enter in your income.

My pastoral compensation - including salary, housing allowance, benefits and retirement - puts me within the top 1% of worldwide wage earners.

We are indeed blessed with material wealth. And to those whom much has been given, much is required. Consider investing even a small amount in a micro-credit program such as Kiva - giving the chance for the poorest people in our world to establish businesses that will help them live sustainable lives.