As I was traveling through the mountains of NC listening to the radio, I heard a new song by Jakob Dylan. Some may know him from his 90's band, The Wallflowers. Others might know know him as the son of Bob Dylan. As I was listening to Jakob's song, "Evil is Alive and Well" the truth of his lyrics awakened my lathargic mind. They had a prophetic overtone to them that went deeper than the normal political commentary of today's culture and popular musicians. I appreciate the lyrics of such bands as Coldplay. They cleverly attack the political misteps of various leaders and interests groups and call out injustice(s) according to whatever standard of morality they subscribe to. But Jakob's lyrics were turned inward as well as outward. They warned the listener that something wrong lies within the heart of man. Listen to him:
"It doesn't always have a shape
Almost never does it have a name It maybe has a pitchfork maybe has a tail
But evil is alive and well
It might walk upright from out of the inferno
May be coming horseback through deep snow
It's ragged and fat hungry as hell"
"Evil is alive and well; Evil is alive, Evil is well
Evil is alive Evil is well
On your feet to the tower and yell; Evil is alive and well"
"May be too humble to want to speak
May have a blood soaked bird in its teeth
Smoked filled skies and bees in the well
Evil is alive and well
Maybe in a palace it may be in the streets
May be here among us on a crowded beach
May be asleep in a roadside motel But evil is alive and well"
"Evil is alive Evil is well; Evil is alive, Evil is well
On your feet to the tower and yell
Evil is alive and well It's well"
"Down in every ditch Up on every hill It's well
I've got my radio on Drowning the bells
When midnight's done and the day won't start
And All I ever gave you was a broken heart
It's hard to admit but it's easy to tell
That evil is alive and well"
I'm not aware of Jakob's religious beliefs but he certainly has caught on to the fact that we have not progressed beyond the evil within us. His call to individuals to go "up to the tower and yell" is refreshing and convicting. That is where the Interrelational Church comes into play. Nobody can critique you better than a intimate group of individuals who love you and share the same foundational worldview. The fractured evangelical church of today's America is not heard. It is not respected as it was earlier in the 20th century. Its calls for a universal standard of morality are not entertained by most politicians and social structures because it's own foundation is fractured with a thousand opinions and beliefs. Unity is not always a good thing, but an interrelational body of believers has more potential to call individuals and groups to accountability than the fragmented traditional church that does not even know it's members or what they believe. We all struggle with the evil that is within us. We all struggle with the evil that is in the world. Yet, if we approach the former as a community, then it will be significantly easier to approach the latter with a unified voice.
