A person’s artwork always reflects their philosophy and theology: even more so when that artwork involves words. I’ve noticed a number of Christian Music artists who profess Protestantism (or non-denominationalism which is essentially Protestant). Jeremy Camp is one who stands out.
I want to show songs where he promotes specifically Catholic teachings and then invite him to join us. A main thrust of Jeremy Camp’s songs invoke a sacramental view of reality – I sin but I need to confess it and do penance – rather than the separate view necessary to continue being a Protestant – my sins don’t affect my salvation since human nature is totally corrupt and God just covers it with grace. Another way to compare these views is to compare a chastity presentation from one who understands Theology of the Body (Sacramental) and someone who’s base is just “God says no.”
This Man
A core doctrine of Protestantism is that Christ paid the price once, for all, that it’s finished. Jesus was the substitution for our guilt of sins and died on the cross. This is the dogma of penal substitution. Thus, for a Protestant we are completely free from any suffering of the cross because Jesus has paid the price.
John Paul II presents a specifically Catholic perspective on sharing Christ’s cross in Salvifici Doloris #19:
“Every man has his own share in the Redemption. Each one is also called to share in that suffering through which the Redemption was accomplished. He is called to share in that suffering through which all human suffering has also been redeemed. In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption.”
The refrain of This Man is a more radical summary of Catholic teaching (personal note: having this song repeat in my head during a retreat was what started me on this blog):
Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands
Empty Me
In protestant theology man is absolutely depraved – so hell-bound he can’t be changed internally. Luther called the saved snow covered dunghills to express this. Grace covers and hides our sin but on the inside we remain completed defiled. Man can never be empty of himself – this sinful unworthy creature – God can only cover him up.
In Catholicism instead salvation transforms us from within. We are sanctified internally. When we confess a sin our guilt is removed, not covered. As such we are called to slowly become emptier of ourselves so God can fill us.
Now let’s see the refrain of Empty Me:
Empty me, empty me, fill me
With you, with you
This sentiment is echoed by the Sidewalk Prophets in Keep Making Me:
Make me broken
So I can be healed
[…]
Make me empty
So I can be filled
I Wait for the Lord
Protestants believe that grace is instantaneous – you accept Jesus and *boom* you’re saved. I remember being at a Franklin Graham event and he asked all the people to note the time (down to the second) they were saved. Now it’s completely done; we can’t ask God to make us any holier. You are either saved or not.
We Catholics don’t deny instantaneous grace. However, we have a lot of growth to go through from the moment we first believe till we enter the pearly gates. This time is a time of waiting on the Lord, waiting for him to make us holy. We can be saved or we can be 100% saintly; we believe there still is growth to wait on after conversion.
This song sings exactly what the title says:
I wait for you Lord
My soul waits
I wait for you Lord
I read most of Jeremy Camp’s lyrics and even in songs like Walk by Faith he never clearly stated Protestant Theology. Most of his songs present a theology acceptable to both Catholics and Protestants. Some others even tended to repeat the points of Catholic Theology I’ve brought up here. He has no songs that are explicitly Catholic – singing about the Eucharist for example – but his underlying Theology is Catholic.
My Invitations
First, if Jeremy Camp or any other Protestants are reading this: please examine the Catholic Church for what she really is – a relationship with Jesus – and not some of what you’ve heard. I’d recommend Catholicism for Dummies as a start as it’s the best start I know of. Don’t be afraid to tweet or Facebook message me if you have questions (make it clear you have questions not want an endless debate – If I detect the 2nd, I just stop responding).
Second, we Catholics need to realize the great gift that is out there in our Protestant brethren. We need to learn our faith so we can start with what we share and bring them to a fuller meaning. We need to help them see that as they seek the truth more deeply, they come closer to the Church. Debates can be endless – they’ve gone on for almost 500 years and might go on for 500 more. Focus on the person who wants to come closer to Jesus’ Church.
You seem surprised that Protestant musicians share some of the same views as do Roman Catholics. Perhaps this is because you have quite the narrow view of what Protestant theology is (easy to do though since there are innumerable views out there among Protestant Christians just like there are different views among Roman Catholics on certain dogmatic items). I thoroughly enjoyed your review of Jeremy Camp’s lyrics and how they share, in part, with Roman Catholic theology. Reading through the points you’ve made and the theological issues you brought up, I cannot deny that I agree with each of them, however, it seems that these “debates” between Protestants and Roman Catholics are just two groups pulling at different Scripture passages instead of using a holistic view of Scripture.
Starting with your first example, you cannot deny that the Protestant sentiment that Jesus paid the price for sins (Rom. 3:23-26), but you are also correct stating that this cannot be it. We are also called to suffer with Christ. Otherwise, why would he tell us to pick up our crosses and follow him if he did not mean that we are to suffer alongside with him. Shouldn’t both views work together instead of one against the other?
In your second example, I agree with you. Luther does come up with some funny ways of putting his ideas, but he missed the mark there. You put is so nicely, “As such we are called to slowly become emptier of ourselves so God can fill us.” Becoming holy is a process that we work at. Your third example goes along with this one. We might be saved instantaneously, but what kind of follower of Christ is content with just that? We are called to continually grow in faith and grow in holiness, not just be content with being “saved.” I know there are many Christians who seem content to be where they are, but I also know many who would be appalled at the notion that we’re good to go after that initial conversion without further growth. I’m right there with you!
I appreciate your invitation to examine the Roman Catholic church. I must put forth a question for you Fr. Matthew. How could Jeremy Camp be nailing theology on the head and get it right without having faith in Christ and without having a relationship with him? I hope that is not what you were implying. I pray for unity in the Church and for the debates between branches of Christendom to cease. Thanks for the article!
“You seem surprised that Protestant musicians share some of the same views as do Roman Catholics. Perhaps this is because you have quite the narrow view of what Protestant theology”
1. I think 75%+ of Christian music has theology that matches the shared theological heritage. Jeremy Camp has 20+ other songs which I found neither explicitly Catholic or explicitly Protestant.
2. I understand many of the differences but I was pointing out things that were against the fundamental beliefs of classical Protestantism (Luther & Calvin) and modern Billy Graham style Protestantism. given what I jsut said, I fosued on those things which have divided Catholic and Protestant Theology.
“Shouldn’t both views work together instead of one against the other?”
I think that was the point of the conclusion. I hope we can agree on all issues and become one Church again. As an example, I support the joint Catholic-Lutheran of 1999: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html
“How could Jeremy Camp be nailing theology on the head and get it right without having faith in Christ and without having a relationship with him? I hope that is not what you were implying.”
Definitely not! I was implying that many non-Catholic Christians see the Catholic Church as an institution not a relationship (I admit this is not universal but I’ve heard it from various Protestants myself). I don’t know if Jeremy Camp believes this (I’ve never interviewed him and I’m not psychic).
Thanks for the quick response! That would have been something if you said you were psychic! =)
Also, thanks for the clarification on what Protestant beliefs you were discussing.
Again, thanks for the interesting and thought provoking review on Jeremy Camp’s lyrics.
I know that the views rhat have been shared concerning Protestantism are accurate, i was raised Protestant and remained so for my entire life until the past year when i was led to Christs church and became Mormon, my grandfather was a Baptist preacher and the things my dad and others instilled was that its okay to smoke, cuss, drink as long as you were not a drunkard, and have sex outside of marriage as long as you are committed to that person, its not people with narrow minds saying what they think but a fact that Protestants teach that we sin so just be an overall decent person and pray and attend church and all the things that we do but shouldnt will automatically be forgiven without having to try to not do them. As i said having been raised Protestant i and having been Protestant for 36 years i know this and it bothers me that people try to say because someone is a different denominations that they are being narrow minded when they state the truth, i have friends who are Catholic, Protestant, and many other denominations, if hearing wat you know is true bothers you and you feel ashamed do not try to turn it around as if they dont know what they are talking about, change it because it is not upset from misunderstanding you are feeling but guilt and shame because you know it is true.
Mormonism is not a Christian religion. I was a member of it for 49 years and finally woke up and left that cult.
Really interesting post, nice one Fr. Matthew! It’s cool seeing how subtle messages can slip through in music that maybe otherwise an artist would never notice?
Jeremy Camp is the son of a Calvinist pastor. I don’t think he would want to tell his dad that he would be leaving his church.
I am a little late to this discussion but would still like to comment. There have been a lot of names used the above article and subsequent comments (catholic, protostant, non-denominational, Baptist, even morman. And there are many more that were not named). All of them clamoring for space under the “umbrella” of the term Christianity. There are many different beliefs represented by threse names and in many cases misrepresented.
Christianity is not bound by a churches doctrine, but, it is bound by God’s own words, scripture, the bible.
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…”(Lit. “God-breathed”).
2 Timothy 3:15 “…and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 5:26 “…that He might sanctify and cleanse her (the church) with the washing of water by the word…”
The focus of our concern should not be whether Jeremy’s lyrics align with Catholic or Protostant beliefs, but wether they (or Catholic or Protostant or any other name’s belief) align with scripture.
What does the Bible say about the doctrines discussed in this article? This is were the real issues arise.
Contrary to the many opinions of man already discussed in this article and the following comments, God says in Ephesians 2: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. ”
Before salvation God says we are “dead in trespasses”. But, when a spiritually dead sinner, deserving of Gods judgement, recognizes their helpless state and trusts God’s Son, Jesus, for forgiveness, he or she is made “alive together with Christ”. There is a real, present (not future) transformation of a person’s spiritual state at the moment of salvation. Alive and completely forgiven because Jesus paid the price of sin. Alive and able for the first time to grow in a relationship and perform the “good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. ”
We cannot transform ourselves. It is a supernatural transformstion that we receive “through faith”. Faith in Christ Jesus apart from our own efforts, “not of works, lest anyone should boast.” We cannot contribute to our own redemption, for apart from being made alive with Christ, we are dead in sin. There is no inbetween.
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