Into the Fray

Owen —  October 2, 2008 — 8 Comments

I spent a significant portion of the past few years overseas, and so I’m not always up to speed on American pop culture.  As such, I sometimes feel like the man from 2002.  I first heard the band The Fray when I returned to America a year ago, and they were already well-established.  I must admit, I wasn’t a big fan when I first heard them – I’m not really into Emo or anything close – though they have grown on me.

The Fray

The Fray

I randomly came across this article last week, I didn’t know they were a Christian band.  It’s worth a read and explains some of their origins:

The band members’ lives were largely formed in Denver churches where they helped lead worship, and in the Christian school three of them attended. Slade, 24, and guitarist Joe King, 25, were several years ahead of drummer Ben Wysocki, 21, at Faith Christian Academy. Wysocki and guitarist David Welsh, 21, played in the same worship band.

They have an interesting take on how they choose to label themselves and share the Gospel:

The band avoided Christian record labels, saying God called them to the secular market instead. “I feel he would be disappointed with us if we limited ourselves,” Wysocki says.

Slade says he used to “write all Christian lyrics” until he had an epiphany while working a shift at Starbucks: “None of my friends outside the church understood any of my songs; we had a different set of vocabulary,” he says. “So I went home and threw away all those songs.”

Slade says he used to “write all Christian lyrics” until he had an epiphany while working a shift at Starbucks: “None of my friends outside the church understood any of my songs; we had a different set of vocabulary,” he says. “So I went home and threw away all those songs.”

“If I handed somebody a double grande mocha latte and told them, ‘Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,’ they might throw it back on me.

“If we grow up in the church, it’s easy to think it’s our Christian duty to preach to every single person because God is the most important thing. And he is, but I’m a musician first. This is my job. We’re not pastors. We’re not preachers. We’re not even missionaries.”

Slade likens his job to any other. “If you’re a painter, paint, but you don’t have to have Jesus in every picture. Paint well, and if you paint well enough, they might ask you why you do that.”

I was most glad to see them talk about facing the pressures and temptations that any famous band would:

The recent changes include learning to deal with the temptations that often accompany fame—including female fans who are looking for more than just an autograph.

The men say they take the temptations seriously and serve as accountability partners for one another. If any member of the band were caught with a woman, Welsh jokes that the other guys wouldn’t just reprimand him: “We’d skip right to murder.”

“There’s also this subconscious pressure,” says Welsh, the only unmarried member of the group—and he’s getting married in a few weeks. “You don’t want to disappoint yourself and the three guys you’re spending most of your life with.” He adds that their years of friendship make it easier for them to speak frankly with one another.

Still, they admit that one of their biggest struggles is staying grounded in their relationship with Jesus.

“We’re all just learning that there are a lot of more proactive things that need to be done,” says Welsh, adding that with time on the road, they’re rarely able to attend their home churches. “So,” he says, “a lot of that now falls into our hands.

Do you listen to The Fray?  Do you agree with their take on doing one’s job well, and letting the Gospel come in after that?  I get what they’re saying, but I’m afraid it borders on a kind of mentality that pushes evangelizing to the back burner, when in fact, it is our Great Commission.

The Fray’s most famous songs are Over My Head, and How To Save A Life.

Owen

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8 responses to Into the Fray

  1. quote:
    “I feel he would be disappointed with us if we limited ourselves”

    comment:
    I feel God would be disappointed if we limit Him in our lives! I think, the whole attitude of Christians should be about limiting ourselves as much as possible…in fact dying to ourselves, for the glory of God.

  2. quote:
    “None of my friends outside the church understood any of my songs; we had a different set of vocabulary,” he says. “So I went home and threw away all those songs.”

    comment:
    The Bible does say that their eyes and ears are closed that though they hear they do not understand. Does this mean that we should not proclaim the truth just because most do not understand? If you tell them something that they already understand than what’s the point in telling them? Why are Christians influenced by those “friends outside of church” instead of being influence?

  3. quote:
    “If I handed somebody a double grande mocha latte and told them, ‘Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,’ they might throw it back on me.

    comment:
    Well are you willing to suffer for the sake of the cross or would you rather be the nice guys who no one has any problems with? Of course, we should be wise to know what to say and when to say it. However, the Bible does say that they will reject you and persecute you! In fact if you are living the way that Jesus lived you should expect this type of reaction from those who reject Him. Non believers are hostile to the light because it shines into those dark places in their lives which they rather not expose. We should not put it out just because it makes them uncomfortable. I think sometimes it’s a matter of just exposing them to the light slowly instead of blurting out “Jesus Loves you”. It takes more effort on our part….maybe first show them how Jesus loves and then they’ll be ready to hear it. But they do need to hear it!!!!! How will they know if no one tells them?

  4. quote:
    “I’m a musician first. This is my job. We’re not pastors. We’re not preachers. We’re not even missionaries.”

    comment:
    I think that being a Christian means that Christ comes before all. We are followers of Christ FIRST and then everything else (including our jobs). As followers of Christ, we should be like Him, or better yet allow Him to live through us. If He does than in a way we are all musicians, pastors, preachers, healers, evangelists, and even missionaries. We will be all that Christ is!

    If we say that we are only musicians than we are really limiting what God could do through us. Of course, each one is gifted in certain areas of service, but how terrible would it be if everyone just focused on their one gift and ignored everything else. What if all of the sudden our preacher decided that he will only preach…forget the compassion, worship, the sick, needy….etc?

    Practically speaking a person is not defined by his job!

  5. quote:
    Slade likens his job to any other. “If you’re a painter, paint, but you don’t have to have Jesus in every picture. Paint well, and if you paint well enough, they might ask you why you do that.”

    comment:
    I believe that the best painters are artists inspired by that which is close to their heart. If you’re a Christian to whom Christ is the reason for living, if you are someone who lives and breaths Christ how can you paint anything else but that which gives Him the Glory!

    And what if they don’t ask?

  6. I have to admit that I do not know this band or ever heard of them. I don’t know their music or how well they do their job, but reading quote after quote I was just stunned by how this group of Christian musicians think. Are they really Christians? If they are, it seems like they like the title, but not the responsibility that goes along with it.

    I have to say that it’s possible that I’m mistaken. Maybe the quotes provided were taken out of context. I’m hoping that I am wrong and they said many other things that balance out those statements that I did see.

    “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves FULLY to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV

  7. Did you read the whole article? You can get it here:

    http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2006/thefray-0706.html

    You’ve given us a lot to respond to :)

  8. Victoria Visotsky October 5, 2008 at 12:51 pm

    lena, I agree with everyhting you wrote, i was actaully thinking along the same lines while i was reading? One of the biggest things that bringsup a red flag was when Slade says “I’m a musician first. This is my job. We’re not pastors. We’re not preachers. We’re not even missionaries.”

    ….so you’re saying that if i work an office job, i’m a clerk first, not a missionary, which is why i don’t have to witness to every person? Should we leave the preaching up to the pastors? if that’s what Christ specifically told us to do and we don’t do it, what’s left for us to do that’s actually worthwhile? Sing songs that mean nothing just because something that means anything isn’t understood by everyone? Aren’t we not supposed to conform to the world? Wow, i wish i could meet this guy….to set him straight.

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