In great need of Christian advice....

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
N

NathanSea

Guest
#1
Hi there my name is Nathan and I'm a 19 year old from Canada and I have some questions hopefully some people in this community could answer for me. I'd like to say that openly at the beginning of this statement that although my father was a pastor and I was was raised by two fundamentally Christian/catholic families I do not share many of the the traditional values of my related counterparts. That being said I have always been in a state of existential crisis which has led me to be the person I am today. That being said I did not create a profile on this website to slander or speak blasphemy to anyone in all reality I with my faith had not been challenged the way it was and I do have a strong respect for Puritan lifestyles and deeply rooted persons within any religious denomination. So I come here humbly to ask for a sort of consulting not so much spiritually as much as discretionary.

For the past 8 years I have been teaching myself to write and perform music and the funny thing is that over this period I have became quite good at it to the point that I have the opportunity to record under a label in my city and begin having my music distributed, however given these circumstances I come here asking some questions in correlation to my writing/image/themes presented in my art and how true Christians such as yourselves may interpret my message.

First to explain my theme is I speak greatly of my spiritual and self crisis and battle with alcoholism and other self destructive behaviour. I'm not vulgar in my stated remarks although despite my upbeat and relaxing sound my lyrical content is quite contrary. I talk about being a sinner a lot and personal destitution between heaven and hell more as a contrasting ideal rather than a place of physical existence. My lyrics as face value often times come off as violent or rash but it's part of my process and in person I am really quite a pacifist and in no way do I condone violence against others. I have created an image for myself as a confused spiritualist self medicating and practicing no conducive behaviour and the sad part about it is I love my image.

My first question I would like to throw out there is if it would be offensive to the Christian community to refer to myself as an apostle? Because in all reality I am one just not in the traditional sense. My stage name is "Nate the Apostle" which is derived from my names origin from that of Bartholomew the apostle. I often times speak in themes of martyrdom and sacrifice and also my carried burden of spiritual dis contempt with myself. I consider myself to be an apostle in the sense that I am a messenger through my music. I believe music to be a divine privilege to be able to create and that I was gifted to do so intentionally.

My second stage presence is blues sounding and that of a character that sold his soul for sinful and materialistic gain and his fight and moral conundrum knowing that even if he is good and human he faces indiscriminate damnation. All music I have written is secular or worldly but is very Christian themed in its roots and spoken in the classic sense of the old cartoon representation of the "devil on my shoulder" approach. That being said would art like this be offensive to Christians aswell?

I would be happy with any feedback I could get on here and happy to discuss or further explain myself if I have caused any confusion to anyone having read this far. I wanted to come on here first to see how the Christian community felt about me and my art before I released anything and offended or concerned anyone, because that is the last thing I am about!

-Nate
 
M

Malcyboy

Guest
#2
Hi there, i will give my view on it and hopefully in doing so will help you out.

1.by definition there is no problem with term apostle

each of the twelve chief disciples of Jesus Christ.
an important early Christian teacher or pioneering missionary.
a vigorous and pioneering advocate or supporter of a particular policy, idea, or cause.
"a man once known as the apostle of free-market economics"

However in the terms of Christianity, there are no real apostles, simply because the world has full access to the gospel, so there are no proper apostles of Christ. Disciples on the other hand, yes, simply because a Disciple is simply someone under a discipline. So to others apostle may pose no issue, however to some staunch believers it will be a red flag to a bull because "there are no apostles today"

2. I would have to say be very very careful of this theme. Blues style is all fine and dandy, that is simply the musical composition. However you have to be careful with the stage presence, because in doing so you associate and become that character...much like in movies, an actor plays that character and we view him as good or evil based on the role rather than the actor. However the issue is that there is a spiritual connotation attached to the roles you play. There is difference between simply acting i.e. children performing the nativity. and someone on stage performing dressed as Satan. If you associate yourself as one who has sold your soul for sinful gain, you have to understand that spiritually your opening a door for demonic activity to attach itself to you and draw you into a place of doing things that this mere character would....

My suggestion? let your stage presence be your testimony, let your music tell your story from someone who once was lost in alcoholism and vulgar sin and in bondage and by the end of your show someone who is free and truly alive in his life
 
N

NathanSea

Guest
#3
Thanks for the response I truly do appreciate it. And when I speak of my character it is in a sense a detachment of myself manifested into an identifiably different character than myself. The character himself although speaking of demonic fellowship is not visibly satanic and I would be very careful if I were to ever use imagery along those lines in a show. The whole album is that of a concept so it tells a story of him being godless due to his decision to "sell" himself over. As the songs progress he begins to deteriorate as person then seeks spiritual retribution and although he goes unanswered through his story it ends rather opened ended and questioning itself kind of in a "one step forward two steps back" sense." I wouldn't consider ever using or performing sac religious acts or gestures on stage because that would cross lines that I wouldn't dare stepping a foot over. That being said the characters presence is rather sinister not in an outward fashion but rather inwardly. The character is a shotty alcoholic mess who is a womanizer and a narcissist. I'm not saying everything said is a direct image of myself, it's more of a gross exaggeration. He see the bad in himself yet fiends for the wholesomeness of others. Also thank you for the contemporary explanation of apostleship that was very informative and gives me more comfort with the idea of it. Like I said I do not wish to offend anyone that's why I am on here in the first place. I really appreciate your input here!
 
O

onehighvoice

Guest
#4
Thanks much for asking the question. I can identify that your heart is to be respectful of others. Much success in your endeavors!