"Sharing" The Gospel

I accidentally stumbled upon a Christian TV channel one evening where I was introduced to a seemingly sincere and humble group of singers called "The Crabb Family". I was blown away by the emotion and soul that comes across in their voices, but only caught the very end of their last song performed. Not being much of Christian music fan, I decided to do a little research on the group to see what their bigger hits were in order to download them to listen to the complete songs. I found that some of their earlier music is a little too hard-core bluegrass and wasn't really up my alley. However, some of their newer stuff was really appealing. I downloaded some tunes, burned a CD, and listened to it in my car, at work, and at home. I was slowly turning into a huge Crabb Family fanatic!

Last night, I was checking out their website www.thecrabbfamily.com, and I somehow stumbled onto an older article with a quote from Jason Crabb regarding a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the unlawfulness of piracy and downloading/sharing music files. Jason says "I commend the Supreme Court on their stand to protect individuals who draw their income from the music and film industry with today's ruling. I pray the world takes time to educate themselves on the subject of 'file sharing' and the depth of its effect on the world of music. Most people think when they 'file share' it only takes the standard $15 out of the Crabb Family's pocket, but they don't think about my father, who mainly writes our songs, our mother, our wives, our husbands, our children, the dedicated friends who run our office, our bus driver, and so on. This is our life, as well as our livelihood." (Article can be found at http://christianmusic.about.com/od/musicnews/a/aagmasupreme.htm)

At first, I was really ashamed of downloading their music based on his "sob story", but then as I got to thinking, my mindset changed. First, I admit to downloading their music, however, this sin resulted in several album sales for them by me. The year I discovered The Crabb Family, I went out and bought three of their CDs, and gave them to my mother and grandmother for Christmas. I wanted to turn more people onto this group, and increase their fan base. (Yes, I know I am the greatest fan anyone could have.)

Secondly, I can't believe that folks like Jason Crabb and Steven Curtis Chapman are throwing their two cents worth in on supporting piracy laws. The institution of God has created an ultra comfortable lifestyle for many artists and evangelists. I would presume that if an individual feels a calling from the Lord to enter the ministry full-time, they aren't exactly seeing dollar signs. I know alot of full time preachers that make ends meet, but don't have the financial luxury to live extravagantly. Money doesn't always accompany a life dedicated to "sharing the gospel". That's the way it goes. It's not fair, but it's life. And like I love to say, "Sometimes life just isn't fair."

If the goal of people in the ministry is to share the gospel, then they should do just that. "Share" the gospel. If file sharing software like LimeWire and Napster are helping you reach people that you wouldn't normally reach from inside of a church, I would think this would be a good thing. Actually, it's a great thing. If a non-Christian isn't watching TBN or shopping at the Christian bookstore, maybe downloading a Christian song is just the thing to aid someone in turning their heart toward the Lord.

My last point is that most non-believers aren't going to spend their precious spread-thin money on a CD of Christian music when they aren't sure what they are getting. I would think that people that dedicate their lives to the ministry of doing God's work would want to openly spread the good news, not charge admission to hear it. Mark 16:15 (KJV) says: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." If music is a way to minister to every creature, why do the artists care if they get paid to do so. Wouldn't it make more sense to follow the Lord's command for your life, and trust in Him fully that he will provide what you need? Sometimes what we need isn't always what we want.

Perfect example is that I (the bad, despicable Christian music pirate) found a concert that the Crabb Family is doing in Louisville on March 16th, and in turn, told all of my friends, family, and coworkers about. So far, we've got around 10 people going, and by the time March rolls around, we will have many, many more. Chances are that the folks that attend the concert (based on me "sharing" the news of the performance) will be compelled to donate in a "love offering" to the Crabb Family, and will more than likely give much more than that $15 CD would yield in profits.

You never know, I might even buy a CD after the March 16th concert. Or I might just continue rocking my pirated CD, knowing that in my heart, I did not download the music with an intent to hurt any member of the Crabb Family, nor their father, mother, wives, husbands, friends, and tour bus driver.

Is this lawsuit really simply a ruling that this country will penalize someone for wanting to hear a song for free? Is today's file sharing any different than taping a song off of the radio on an 80s boom box? Don't Christians complain that the government is taking God out of our country by removing the 10 Commandments from courthouses and outlawing prayer in schools? In my opinion, Christians that don't want people downloading their music are aiding this country in silencing the believers. People, wake up. Sharing the gospel shouldn't come with a cost associated.

(This blog is copyrighted and protected under the blog piracy ruling. Copying or sharing of this post will result in fines and/or prison time.) Just kidding...I had to throw that in there. Live and love, friends!