FEBRUARY 2008 Hello, I'm a journalist with Columbia News Service, which is a news wire
service syndicated by the New York Times. More than 400 newspapers and I'm interested in writing a cultural trends piece on Christian goths. I'd like to explore this perhaps unlikely union of subculture and Christian faith and would appreciate your input. If you or anyone you know would be interested in contributing to this story via a brief phone interview, pictures or anything else you think might be of value, please let me know a phone number at which to reach you and a good time to call. As I'm working on deadline, sooner is better than later. I'm also available all weekend anytime. Thanks for any interest and time you may have. Regards,
Hello and thanks for responding, Here are my questions. If at all possible, it would be great if you could get back to me on them today or early tomorrow. Many thanks. 1. It seems many mainstream Christians have quite a problem with this phenomenon if they are aware of it at all. For example, some of the first comments on this blog: Click here. Is it important to defend yourself or the Christian Goth (CG) community against criticism or rejection by mainstream believers? Or is it enough knowing God accepts you? David: My pastor is a mainstream pastor and my home church is a mainstream church. Before I launched Gothic Christianity, I spoke with my pastor about it and he encouraged me to follow my heart in the matter. I told him I envisioned a day when goths would be regular at our church and he told me he envisioned a day when goths would be integrated in and comfortable with every subgroup in the church. So, while “many” mainstream Christians have inhibitions, many also do not. Christianity, for me, is about love and inclusion. Christ died for everyone, and the epistle of first John describes God as love. I think the Christians that reject people groups or exclude them have some “defending” to do for their behavior more so than Christian goths. However, I do believe it is important to give an answer or make a defense when asked to do so and I have been asked to do so many times. Some of the posts in the non-fiction and the newsletter archive sections of www.gothicchristianity.com were written for this purpose. I think dialogue is healthy and helpful. It is good for the Christian goth to think about and defend his/her position and it is good for the mainstream believer that has questions or concerns to express them and receive a loving reply to those questions or concerns. So, yes it is important to defend the Christian Goth (CG) community against criticism or rejection by mainstream believers. We are all part of the same family and I’d like to do the best job I can do to address the concerns of the mainstream community. 2. Doesn’t being a CG separate you from many others in the Christian community, and if so, create divisions unnecessarily? In other words, is it more important to express one’s individuality or help to create unity among Christians? After all, Christians could reasonably splinter off into hundreds of small subcultures (break-dancing Christians, EMO Christians, etc.), but doesn’t such a focus on an arguably rebellious aesthetic detract from the Christian message? David: The argument could be made that any demographic characteristic could be used to separate me from others that do not share that demographic. We are responsible for our behavior and the choice to include others or separate from them is always just that, a choice. I choose to function within communities, the Christian goth and the mainstream of Christianity. Therefore, for me, the fact that I am a Christian goth is not divisive nor does it necessitate my separation from anyone else. It is very important to express ones individuality but that need not be done at the expense of “unity.” Unity is not agreement on all points. Rather, Christian unity is based on the finished work of Christ at Calvary. Christians are one because the Spirit of the living God lives inside of each one of us, not because we agree or because we share a common culture. As to my focus, my focus is Christ, my culture is gothic. 3. Christian communities that borrow from a pre-existing subculture, like punk or heavy metal, have been around over the years. Yet, CGs seem to be very well-organized and inter-connected, esp. as a web presence. Why is that? David: Goth has not only survived as a subculture but thrived on the internet, as if the internet sustains and breathes new life into goth daily, I think much of the connectedness was facilitated or made possible by the internet. Every success I have had is in some way attributable to an internet connection. The web is an absolutely miraculous tool for communicating with and connecting people of similar interest. 4. What is some of the rejection or hostility you or someone you know has experienced from other Christians? What about from non Christian Goths? How did you/they respond? David: Rude and/or ignorant people exist in both the mainstream goth and the mainstream Christian communities. The kind of “hostility” I have faced from both groups is generally based on erroneous stereotypes. Some believers cling to erroneous stereotypes about goths and some goths cling to erroneous stereotypes about Christians. The following are some accusations I have heard about goth: These stereotypes are based on ignorance and they are pitiable. I’ve also heard goths tell me I can’t listen to certain bands or go to certain places because those bands or places are not “Christian” and I’m “not allowed” by my religion. Once again, they have an image of what it means to be a Christian in their mind that is false. It is my duty to love and embrace people where they are and assist them, with my behavior to see Christianity and goth in a new way, perhaps a way they never thought possible. If I succeed then those that cling to false stereotypes experience an epiphany of sorts that can perhaps be life altering. 5. Describe a typical Bible study or church service given for/by CGs.
Any significant differences in tone, music or Biblical subject matter David: The cultural trappings may vary but the message and focus is the same: we gather together in His name, to worship Him, and to love one another. 6. Does it matter what you wear or listen to or how you present yourself to the world as a Christian? Could one be a Christian nudist? David: It matters very much how one behaves. When a person identifies as a follower of Jesus Christ, that person must step aside and allow Jesus Christ to live and shine in them, and through them. Love is practically expressed in our behavior toward other people, toward every person that comes into our sphere of influence. 7. On some of the CG websites, Bible verses that are displayed seem to have been chosen for the way they fit into a Goth aesthetic (Sorrow is better than laughter? Ecc 7:3, etc) What do you say to people who claim this is selectively interpreting the Bible to get what one wants out of it? David: I am a bible scholar, and a seminary graduate with twenty years of mainstream biblical exposition and teaching experience. I cannot answer for other gothic Christian sites but I have done my very best to adhere to the highest possible interpretive standard at www.gothicchristianity.com. If someone would like to discuss a specific instance of the generality you have just made, I’d be happy to do so. As a rule, I disagree with your assumption. I have not been “selective.” I allow the scripture to speak to me; it is the authoritative rule of faith and conduct. 8. What is one of the biggest disagreements or obstacles, if any, among the CG community presently? How is it being addressed? David: Many of us are excited about and focused on the events that draw us together, events like the Asylum of Mercy at Cornerstone www.asylumofmercy.org or the Unified Underground www.unifiedunderground.com. For the most part, we prefer to focus on that which draws us together rather than that which divides us. 9. Which were you first, a Christian or a Goth? David: I have always had a gothic leaning and way of looking at my world, and I was raised in a Christian home though I did have a dramatic encounter with God at the age of 14 after a personal crisis, or “dark night of the soul.” 10. What is your favorite Bible verse? David:
Sorry if that’s a lot of questions. Answer what you have time for. Thanks again for your time and help. Regards, |