Glenn Beck highlighted a video on his show this morning, and frankly I just about fell over. It's since been taken off YouTube.com but I'll keep looking for another link. (Found it: see the video in this post.) The ManifestObama.com website says "this site is no longer here," but it's still disturbing, nonetheless.
(This just in: The ManifestObama.com site is down, but you can see still the cache of the page. It comes to you from the touchy, feeling, reveal your inner wisdom, New Age site, Wisdomology.com.)
The video, from ManifestObama.com, used the worship song "Sanctuary" as a soundtrack to dozens of people saying the name, "Barak Obama," with the following copy scrolling across the screen (thanks to P.J. Gladnick at Newsbusters.com for the transcription):
Between now and November 4...
Let's spend one minute a day...
Envisioning Barack Obama...
As our President...
Prepare your heart to fill with hope...
Prepare your mind to embrace the change...
Envision Barack victorious on election night...
...Taking the oath of office...
On Inauguration Day...
Believe that this great moment in American history is already a reality...
Say the words to yourself...
To your family...
To your friends and neighbors...
Say it to the world...
Your vision is a sacred trust...
You are a sanctuary of a sacred vision for a renewed America...
Envision it...
Say it...
Feel it...
Believe it...
Make it our reality...
Manifest Obama, America!
It's not just that they use the worship song "Sanctuary" in a political promo that bothers me. It's that they makers of the video have declared Obama as that sanctuary! In fact, it's some kind of New Age thing.
You've got to be joking.
The song is a worship song sung to God, asking for our hearts to be a sanctuary for worship to the Almighty - not a song for Barak Obama. Here are the lyrics to the song "Sanctuary":
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving, I'll be a living
Sanctuary for You
It is you, Lord
Who came to save
The heart and soul
Of every man
It is you Lord
who knows my weakness
Who gives me strength,
With thine own hand.
Lead Me on Lord
From temptation
Purify me
From within
Fill my heart with
You holy spirit
Take away all my sin
The CCLI license lists John W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs as the authors of this song. I wonder what they'd think of their song being used to proclaim a political candidate as "the sanctuary of a sacred vision" and his political platform a "vision of a sacred trust." In fact, I wonder if the people in the video even knew their short "Barak Obama" would end up in a video profaning a worship song.
But what do you think? Is it appropriate for a political candidate (even if the video was created by Obama supporters and not officially by the Obama campaign) to use any worship song as promotion? And have Obama followers taken on a weirdly cult-like attitude, or is it just me that thinks that?
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kurt taube. Obama would never support this. Oh and how about the kids marching military style chanting Obama's name. And the creepy school teacher and the little kids and the song she had them singing. I have yet to see this egomaniac come out against any of this stuff. Get ready all the naive people like you. I am handicapped and have two aides who are from Liberia and they watch Obama and they see The nut president Taylor from their country who caused a civil war and slaughtered thousands of people. Interesting how they are thinking about going back home they are so worried about mister super ego. Heck Todd Porter I have yet to find anyone talking about John McCain and Sarah Palin in a cult-like manner. Obama has 90% of the media talking about him in a cult-like manner and McCain gets insulting by them several times a day. So if this doesn't scare you then I know for sure someone else who is following someone around using your words "cult-Like".
Oh, David, please tell me that Michelle Obama really didn't say "Everyone has a hole in their heart that only my husband can fill". That's creepier than the video!!
Joanne
host of the GS blog
Joanne,
as I just said in your other post about this, there is much fault to be put on the authors of this kind of musical pablum as there is to be put on whoever put this video together.
You couldn't do this to a Thomas Dorsey hymn. Or any of the hymns from a decent church hymnal.
But, water down the music, water down the message and water down the faith so that everyone can sing it without being offended, and you no longer have a "Christian" song, you have an "inspirational" song.
And if these people thought that this inspirational song would make a nice Obama campaign song, I don't see the problem with it. Especially because I don't hear word one about God in there whatsoever. And don't tell me it's implied. Nothing is implied.
Please, CCM world, do me the following favors:
1) listen to some bands that have made GREAT music. Act accordingly.
2) listen to some bands that have penned GREAT lyrics. Act accordingly.
3) Do not release any more music until you can find another Christian band that was at least as interesting as the first Starflyer 59 album or anything by The Prayer Chain.
Thank you.
I'm a little late in reacting to this promotional video/audio, but it has been bothering me ever since I heard it on a local talk radio show, that was also very upset that a praise song was used in a political way. This song is a prayer of dedication and worship to the only One who is worthy of our worship - the Everlasting Father, The Holy God, The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.
When I heard it (and I only heard it the one time) it sent shock waves through my body. What is this veneration of a public official, a political candiate? If McCain/Palin had used something similar we would have heard cries of right week fanatiscism, violation of church/state etc etc.
The fact that this was pulled from u-tube and can't be found, shows that it was obviously not a wise move to "put it out there."
How our country needs God's help - may we humble ourselves and pray and seek God's face at this critical time. I keep thinking of the quote by Alexis deToqueville when he came to American from France during the days of early democracy to check it out and said "America is great because she is good, when she ceases to be good, she'll cease to be great." With the crises we're in, the greed at the top level of government and in business, I fear we have stopped being "good." God help us.
Jerie, not sure if you followed the link, but you can see the video here:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/gospelsoundcheck/2008/10/heres-the-manifest-obama-sanct.html
Joanne
host of the GS blog
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