St. Dylan [updated]

Bob Dylan probably did more to spread the message of Christ than Billy Graham, Billy Sunday, or any other famous evangelist.

Want me to prove it?

Quick: Quote any sermon you’ve ever heard.

[crickets]

Okay, ever hear this?

How many times must a man look upBefore he can see the sky?Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man haveBefore he can hear people cry?Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knowsThat too many people have died?The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the windThe answer is blowin’ in the wind  

…or this…?

We got so much in commonWe strive for the same old endsAnd I just can't waitWait for us to become friendsI feel a change coming onAnd the fourth part of the day is already gone 

…or this…?

Old lady judges watch people in pairsLimited in sex, they dareTo push fake morals, insult and stareWhile money doesn’t talk, it swearsObscenity, who really caresPropaganda, all is phony 

…or this…?

Once upon a time you dressed so fineYou threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?People’d call, say, “Beware doll, you’re bound to fall”You thought they were all kiddin’ youYou used to laugh aboutEverybody that was hangin’ outNow you don’t talk so loudNow you don’t seem so proudAbout having to be scrounging for your next mealHow does it feelHow does it feelTo be without a homeLike a complete unknownLike a rolling stone? 

…or this…?

The line it is drawnThe curse it is castThe slow one nowWill later be fastAs the present nowWill later be pastThe order is rapidly fadin’And the first one now will later be lastFor the times they are a-changin’            

…or this…?

Maggie comes fleet footFace full of black sootTalkin’ that the heat putPlants in the bed butThe phone’s tapped anywayMaggie says that many sayThey must bust in early MayOrders from the D.A.Look out kidDon’t matter what you didWalk on your tiptoesDon’t try “No-Doz”Better stay away from thoseThat carry around a fire hoseKeep a clean noseWatch the plain clothesYou don’t need a weathermanTo know which way the wind blows 

…or this…?

Through many dark hourI’ve been thinkin’ about thisThat Jesus ChristWas betrayed by a kissBut I can’t think for youYou’ll have to decideWhether Judas IscariotHad God on his side  

…or this…?

Oh God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”Abe says, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”God say, “No.” Abe say, “What?”God say, “You can do what you want Abe, butThe next time you see me comin’ you better run”Well Abe says, “Where do you want this killin’ done?”God says, “Out on Highway 61”

…or this…?

Oh, the leaves began to fallin’And the seas began to partAnd the people that confronted him were manyAnd he was told but these few wordsWhich opened up his heart“If ye cannot bring good news, then don’t bring any”

…or this?

You might be a rock ’n’ roll addict prancing on the stageYou might have drugs at your command, women in a cageYou may be a businessman or some high-degree thiefThey may call you Doctor or they may call you ChiefBut you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeedYou’re gonna have to serve somebodyWell, it may be the devil or it may be the LordBut you’re gonna have to serve somebody 

Bob Dylan probably did more to spread the message of Christ than any evangelist even before he formally became a Christian and to people who would otherwise be resistant to the gospel.

All of his music, all of his lyrics were informed by a strong Biblical point of view, and it was clearly evident even before he formally announced he was a Christian that Robert Allen Zimmerman had spent a lot of time reading and meditating and thinking upon the message of Jesus Christ.

His songs stick in everybody’s head. They’re not the watered down papulum of Contemporary Christian Music, they are not the bland platitudes of Christian publishing, they’re not the soulless / gutless crap that represents most Christian attempts at pop culture.

They’re sincere. They’re raw. They’re from the heart. They’re searching. They’re yearning.

They’re not afraid of asking questions.

And they tell you the answers are something you have to seek for yourself.

And that you will not be excused for failing to search.

People take Dylan’s songs into their hearts, they echo through their lives. They sing them day in and day out.

They live.

Every sermon is dead and buried as soon as the congregation walks out the door.

The gospel -- if the congregation was fortunate enough to have a pastor who could impart some of it through his plethora of words -- lives.

Not in memory verses, not in concordances, not in apologetics, not even on the printed page, but in the heart, in the mind, in the soul.

They just gave Bob Dylan a Nobel Prize for literature.

You don’t get that for empty threats and pointless propaganda.

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“Blowin’ In The Wind”© 1962 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1990 by Special Rider Music

“I Feel A Change Comin’ On”© 2009 by Special Rider Music and Ice-Nine Publishing

“It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”© 1965 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1993 by Special Rider Music

“Like A Rolling Stone”© 1965 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1993 by Special Rider Music

“The Times They Are A-Changin’”© 1963, 1964 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1991, 1992 by Special Rider Music

“Subterranean Homesick Blues”© 1965 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1993 by Special Rider Music

“With God On Our Side”© 1963 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1991 by Special Rider Music

“Highway 61 Revisited”© 1965 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1993 by Special Rider Music

“The Wicked Messenger”© 1968 by Dwarf Music; renewed 1996 by Dwarf Music

“Gotta Serve Somebody”© 1979 by Special Rider Music