Given the Beatles renewed popularity, I've been listening to their songs once again. And I still love them. Most of the non-drug-induced songs stand the test of time. But I've also been reading a Christian book by Francis Chan entitled Crazy Love. The book is a call for people to experience God's crazy love for us...and for us to have the same for Him. Somehow on one of my recent runs, thoughts from these two subjects got mingled.
On March 4, 1966, John Lennon was quoted in the London Evening Standard:
Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.
This statement caused an incredible backlash -- especially in the United States, and especially in the "Bible Belt." Christians were offended and responded negatively. They banned Beatles' songs from radio stations; they held parties to trample and burn Beatles' albums and memorabilia; some even made threats against the life of John Lennon.
A few months later on August 11, 1966, the Beatles held a press conference to address the growing furor.
Lennon: I suppose if I had said television was more popular than Jesus, I would have gotten away with it, but I just happened to be talking to a friend and I used the words "Beatles" as a remote thing, not as what I think - as Beatles, as those other Beatles like other people see us. I just said "they" are having more influence on kids and things than anything else, including Jesus. But I said it in that way which is the wrong way.
Reporter: Some teenagers have repeated your statements - "I like the Beatles more than Jesus Christ." What do you think about that?
Lennon: Well, originally I pointed out that fact in reference to England. That we meant more to kids than Jesus did, or religion at that time. I wasn't knocking it or putting it down. I was just saying it as a fact and it's true more for England than here. I'm not saying that we're better or greater, or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is. I just said what I said and it was wrong. Or it was taken wrong. And now it's all this.
What was the point of what John said? He was commenting on the sorry state of Christianity (as he saw it). Look at it from his perspective. In 1966, everywhere he went he was mobbed by screaming young girls. Every concert the Beatles played was packed by a mob of ardent admirers. Lennon saw a passionate fervor in his fans, a passion he found lacking in the "Christians" that he met. Was he really that far off?
In 2009, are Hanna Montana or the Jonas Brothers more popular than Jesus? What would a tween or teen say? Lennon suggested that if he had said "television" was more popular than Jesus instead of the "Beatles" then he would have gotten away with it. What if, instead, we inserted "college football" or "video games" or "golf" or "shopping" or whatever? How many things are we passionate about? How many things are we more passionate about than God? Would we drive several hours just to be with 90,000 other people for a 3 hour church service? Would we yell and scream and really show our passion? Would we take our entire family to a magic kingdom where we served God instead of ourselves? Would our joy come through? Would we put as much effort into worship as we do into having fun?
Now, I'm not saying we can't enjoy college football or Disney World. But reading Crazy Love, I find myself to be "thick and ordinary." I lose my focus. My sense of priority gets distorted. I need to be more aware of what is important to me. I need to -- as they say -- keep the main thing the main thing. I need to ask myself these questions: "What do others see as my passion? Is there anything to me more popular than Jesus?"
