
My partner and I were teenagers in the 1970s — the heyday of the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) church movement. Many of the largest churches in the United States were IFB congregations and numerical church growth across the movement was normal and expected. Exciting times, to say the least. People looking for certainty were drawn to IFB churches and their rules. Having been born into and schooled in the IFB church movement, Polly and I were obedient church members. Our morals, ethics, and worldview were shaped by what we heard from our pastors and Sunday school teachers, and later, at Midwestern Baptist College, our professors. While we, at times, chaffed against the rules, conditioning and indoctrination taught us that obedience to the rules was expected by God, and disobedience brought chastisement, punishment, and, at times, death. As a result, we didn’t experience many of the things — good and bad — that “normal” teens did in the 70s.
Take music. We were taught that “worldly” music was sinful; that listening to it would corrupt our minds and lead us to commit all sorts of sinful behaviors — mostly sexual, in nature. Rock music, in particular, was demonized. IFB churches would have preachers such as Bob Larson and David Benoit hold revival services focused on rock music and its influence on teens. These services were used to scare the hell out of teenagers, warning them that listening to rock music would corrupt them and lead to hellfire and brimstone. As a result, we rarely listened to rock music. Oh, we had AM radios in our cars, but the records (and later cassette tapes, 8-track tapes, and CDs) we owned were, without exception, southern gospel or choral music.
After marriage and having children, our approach to music “liberalized.” We added contemporary Christian music and Christian rock to the mix, but still no secular music. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that we started listening to “safe” secular music. Over time, our tastes and desires changed, but it was not until we deconverted in 2008 that we stopped regularly listening to Christian music. I will still occasionally listen to Christian music, but Polly has no interest in revisiting our music pasts.
Think of all the awesome music we missed out on from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. The good news is that post-Jesus we are free to listen to all sorts of secular music. I tell people that, in many ways, Polly and I are living our youthful years for the first time. Free from the IFB church’s oppressive rules, we are free to indulge in the Devil’s music — without guilt or fear.
In recent years, we have started attending secular concerts. Lots of fun, for the both of us. That said, we tend to be the oldest, or some of the oldest, people in attendance. Last Friday, we attended a concert in Fort Wayne by The Fray. We had an awesome time. Packed house, numbering 2,100 in attendance. We were surrounded by people ages 20-40. One thought I had during the concert was that the concert was a lot like a church or revival service. The excitement and raw emotions were palatable, and song after song spoke to our “hearts.” The difference, of course, was that there were no threats of judgment of Hell, no offering plates, no altar calls — just fellowship with people from diverse backgrounds and beliefs.
The opening act was a new band called Verygently. We laughed through their song, Jesus Girl, as only former IFB church members could do.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Got the preacher up front and I’m chilling in back
And I’m bored as hell
In a collared shirt that I got from the Gap
With the shoes as well
It’s been a few years and I feel real weird here
Free sip of wine ’cause they don’t sell beer here
Talking in tongues, I was just about to run
Then well, well, well
[Chorus]
I saw Jesus girl
A tall glass of holy water
Swear she had a halo on her
Jesus girl
With her cross necklace and braids
Holy shit, I think I’m saved
I still don’t believe in God
But I’ll give everything I’ve got
To Jesus girl
[Verse 2]
Now I’m back every Sunday thinking ’bout one day
Asking her out
Still chilling in the back, but I’m learning how to act
Like I’m into it now
I might get baptized just so she’ll see me
Bible verse tat, John 3:16 me
Sending up a prayer if you’re really up there
I’d love to get down
Chorus]
With Jesus girl
A tall glass of holy water
Swear she had a halo on her
Jesus girl
With her cross necklace and braids
Holy shit, I think I’m saved
I still don’t believe in God
But I’ll give everything I’ve got
To Jesus girl
[Bridge]
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na (Jesus girl)
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na
[Outro]
Yeah, my whole life turned around
I was lost until I found
Jesus girl
Compare this song to a Christian song also titled Jesus Girl.
She’s just fifteen, but she acts older, much older,
And she won’t listen to what all the kids told her, when they told her,
She knows what they want, but she knows what she needs, and it’s not the same,
She won’t give in, you see.
She’s a Jesus girl, oh yeah, (oh yeah, oh yeah)
Well, she’s a J-J-Jesus girl, (oh yeah, oh yeah)
And she’s a Jesus girl.
She knows what’s right and what’s wrong, she knows what’s wrong,
She reads her Bible and she’s strong, she’s so strong,
She’s telling all her friends that there’s a better way,
No more broken hearts, no lonely nights or days.
And she’s a Jesus girl, yeah, yeah, (oh yeah, oh yeah)
Well, she’s a J-J-J-Jesus girl, (oh yeah, oh yeah)
Well, she’s a Jesus girl.
She jumps and shouts for Jesus, she loves Jesus,
She keeps her eyes on Jesus, on her Jesus,
And when she jumps and shouts, her eyes are on the Lord,
Well, she’s a Christian, yeah, but she’s never bored.
And she’s a Jesus girl, oh yeah, (oh yeah, oh yeah)
Well, she’s a J-J-Jesus girl, (oh yeah, oh yeah)
She’s a Jesus girl.
Polly and I plan to continue listening to the Devil’s music. How about you? Did your music tastes and experiences change post-Jesus (or post-Evangelical if you are still a believer)? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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