Born This Way - Comments About The Video

Walt Mueller writes:

Lady Gaga has said that the video is the story of the birth of a new race. . . a new race that is all about no prejudice, no judgement, and boundless freedom. The video serves as a kind of creation narrative ala Gaga. . . a creation narrative that sets the stage for a world of unity and togetherness. . . where Gaga serves as creator, sustainer, redeemer, and lord.

Our pressing task is to understand and deconstruct Lady Gaga, her music, and the movement she's inspiring. We must walk carefully through this landscape, taking the time to look carefully at who they are, what they believe, and what they worship. Where they are right, we must affirm that. And where they are lacking understanding and direction, we need to gracefully step into the gap with a compelling, well-informed, and Biblically-based apologetic to answer the heart cries that scream for redemption.

After watching this video, I'm thinking that many of us will identify the main issue as the homosexual agenda and same-sex attraction. Yes, these are issues that must be addressed. But it's much, much deeper than that. This is simply one more expression of brokenness. . . a reality that we all share as human beings. Today, my great concern regarding Lady Gaga's message is our increasing tendency to write off any and all challenges to what we've accepted as the status quo of our lives by saying "Hey, I was born this way." Ultimately, it's about our understanding of the human heart. If I was born this way and that justifies anything and everything I do, then we have no need for a proper understanding of original sin. In a world like this where there is no original sin, then all things are permissible and we have no need for a Savior. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was a waste.

I think Lady Gaga is right. We need more unity and togetherness. We need more compassion. But the unity, togetherness, and compassion we need is not the kind that says all things are permissible. It's a unity, togetherness, and compassion that is built around our shared understanding of our ultimate brokenness in a world where there is right and wrong. . . and a unity, togetherness, and compassion that flows out of our gratitude to the One who came to fix it, make it right, and then send us out to do the same.

Read the rest.

I am interested in this phrase from the video: "...a new race that is all about no prejudice, no judgement, and boundless freedom."

"No judgement" UNLESS I disagree with her views that is.  This is a vital distinction.  We have to be careful to winsomely point that to live in a judgmentless world is simply impossible.  You are "judging"
what I am saying even as you read this very sentence.  We can't escape it.  It is part of being human.  To not make judgements about things means that you would have to shut off your brain (impossible) and close your mouth (again, impossible for most of us).  You would be resigned to simply saying, "I don't know" over and over again.

Does this mean that having views, opinions, and beliefs that are different from one another means that we'll necessarily kill each other?   Of course not.  This is the lie that is perpetuated in our culture. The question then becomes, which worldview makes peaceful disagreement actually possible?

For more on this, check out chapter three from Reason for God by Tim Keller.  If you don't have this book yet, you really need to pick it up.  For only $7.50, it will do nothing but bless you and enable you to have great conversations with people who don't know Jesus.