How WSKZ Chattanooga Aided My Sanctification

I am far behind the times when it comes to my musical tastes. Anything that was popular 20-30 years ago I only discovered in the past 10 years or so.  (Man, this REM band is really good. Have you heard this Man on the Moon song?)

There was a time when my listening ear was very limited to what came into it. I always loved the great pieces of what would be called “classical” music, such as Bach, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky. True, it was usually only certain segments from popular symphonies, mediated through Bugs Bunny cartoons, but I was exposed to it nonetheless.

Then came the country music phase from 1988-1994. Funny enough, this is when the genre really took off as a popular form of music that broke the boundaries of regional ties.  I'd wash the car listening to the Top 40 countdown on Saturday mornings and heard Vince Gill, Garth Brooks, George Strait, and other up and comers (Billy Ray Cyrus anyone?).

Mixed in was a little bit of what is known as CCM (Contemporary Christian Music).  I remember it well when a youth group friend of mine put in the Beyond Belief tape by Petra. It was 1991 and I was Armed and Dangerous, baby. There were other bands that I won't name here, but needless to say more and more tapes found their way to my tape player and the CCM genre was playing in the car. It was always good to constantly be exposed to truth. Sure, there were times when the radio would play something from the 50s or 60s, but nothing of the songs' content really hit me in any way.

That Christian bubble, at least as far as music was concerned, started to burst when I was working at the News-Sun. Yeah, the Flood CD (I'd upgraded!) from Jars of Clay played while I plowed away at my job of cutting and pasting the classified ads. No, really, that section was still using hot wax and X Acto knives. And by gawd I wielded that X Acto with precision.  (However, please be sure not to leave out the Legals!)

While doing some work on one of the Mac computers I wanted to listen to some music.  The person whose desk I was at had some CDs in the drawer and I picked one by this band called U2. I think I'd heard of them, but it was unfamiliar to me. I mean, I'd heard of Et tu, Brute in 10th grade English... I distinctly remember listening to "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" and really liking the beat.  Various images passed through my mind as to what the song may be about, usually associated with things from my life, as any good individualistic, listener-response interpretation would.

Another time I happened upon a CD on the Sports Editor's desk from the Steve Miller Band. I liked flying on that Jet Airliner. Sitting at another desk I made a discovery about Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride."  (Notice I never had a desk of my own or actually listened to my own CDs.)  Hey, this is the song they played in Star Trek: First Contact! Well, sort of. Just didn't know about cover songs at that point. More on that later.

While the door was cracked open by these albums it was 106.5 WSKZ Chattanooga that kicked the door open. Chattanooga's home for Classic Rock formerly introduced me to the genre over a two-year period of living in East Tennessee. Obviously I'd already heard plenty of the artists played on the station just by virtue of growing up in America. But like hearing about a really cool person your friends would like you to meet, it's never the same unless it's face-to-face. It's probably a good thing I found this station because I don't know how long songs like this could have sustained my faith:

So, how would a Classic Rock station aid in my sanctification? That was, after all, the title of the blog post. Well, it opened me to other worlds whose views were not Christian and biblically based.  That really goes without saying because it's deeper than that.  I already know a lot of the music speaks to what would not be good to living a godly life. Part of the sanctification process (being more formed into the image of Jesus Christ) is discernment and that is key to living the Christian life in the world.

Discernment means being able to listen to other forms of music (within reason) without going off the deep end and drowning in the world views they espouse. I liken it to those who respond to the call to stop drinking so much with "Well, Jesus drank."  They then raise a cold Bud Light, take a sip, and then stagger into the night (or the football stadium) to do who knows what. No, you see, that is stupid, for such person neither knows Jesus or anything about Jesus. There is no discernment. It's a worldview that uses Jesus to justify a destructive behavior, rather than Jesus himself justifying constructive behavior. But God wants to save the sinner from his foolishness, save the way he converses so the deep things of the heart can be revealed, and then save his beer of choice.  But I'm getting preachy.

WSKZ would often play songs by the Thunder from Down Under, AC/DC. No, it does not stand for Anti-Christ/Devil's Child or whatever other acronym people attached to it.  Now, I know AC/DC and sanctification don't usually go together, but stay with me. I couldn't help cranking up the volume in the Thunder Chicken whenever the station would play "Back in Black." On a trip to the famous MaKay Used Books store in Chattanooga I happened to stumble upon the Back In Black album. This is where I learned my other lesson: historical context.  I flipped the CD case over and was shocked to discover this album debuted in 1980.  1-9-8-0. I was four years old. Four.

So instead of watching the Price is Right I could have been rocking out to the awesome strumming of Angus Young? I felt cheated.  Not really. Hells Bells probably wouldn't have gone along with Plinko! anyway.  It was years later that I learned that this was one of the largest-selling albums of all time and the songs are still played in sports venues and in TV commercials.  The bell that tolls from "Hells Bells" is played in just about every 3rd or 4th down situation in college football to fire up the crowd for the defense. I left the store that day with the album as well as the book What Saint Paul Really Said by N.T. Wright.  Something must have been wrong with me.

Listening to Classic Rock also taught me about cover songs.  This valuable information probably saved me from future blunders. You mean "There She Goes" didn't originate with Six Pence None the Richer? Audio Adrenaline didn't come up with "Free Ride"? Whoops.  You see, as knowledge of the historical Jesus helps when talking about the use of alcohol, so knowledge of other historical contexts prevents embarrassment at parties. It also provides bridges to connect with other people. This opens me up to what other people think and, in turn, people are more open to what I think.  Perhaps being open to what Jesus wants for them.

So whenever the next drive takes you within a reasonable distance of Chattanooga, tune in to the large bandwidth of 106.5 and know that Rock & Roll ain't noise pollution.