Showing posts with label Slow Train Coming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slow Train Coming. Show all posts

Monday, October 24, 2016

Surprising to Many, This Music Icon, Bob Dylan, Practices Messianic Judaism - TOBY JANICKI CHARISMA NEWS


Bob Dylan's conversion to Messianic Judaism years ago met with cultural resistance. (Flickr )

Surprising to Many, This Music Icon, Bob Dylan, Practices Messianic Judaism

TOBY JANICKI  CHARISMA NEWS
Recently it was announced that Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In light of this, I thought I would share about the connection between Bob Dylan and Messianic Judaism.
For many years the background (or "wallpaper") on my computer's desktop screen was a blurry picture of a man in desperate need of a haircut, wearing tefillin [worn by Jewish men during daily prayers]. People often say, "Cool picture, but who is that?" When I tell that it's Bob Dylan at the Western Wall attending his son's bar mitzvah, I get a mixture of reactions that range from "I didn't know he was Jewish" to "Who's Bob Dylan?"
I was first introduced to Bob Dylan at, of all places, a Christian summer camp. Although I was too young to realize the impact Dylan had had on the culture and politics of the 1960s, I thoroughly enjoyed his anthemic songs such as "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Blowing in the Wind." 
When I got home from camp. I was pleased to find a few of Bob Dylan's records among my father's record collection, but what surprised me the most was the gospel album entitled "Slow Train Coming." Unbeknownst to me, Dylan had produced three gospel albums from 1979 to 1981 after a born-again experience through which he said Jesus came and visited him personally. I immediately wondered whether he was still a believer.
Along the way I found the book Restless Pilgrim: The Spiritual Journey of Bob Dylan, coincidentally at my father's house. In it, the author describes a man who has often been misunderstood on his biblical faith journey. The entertainment business would not accept the fact that their cultural icon had become a believer in Messiah Jesus.
While Dylan preached to his crowds in 1979 about the need to repent and turn to the Lord, it was him that fans and critics viewed as Judas. It is not surprising that after only three gospel albums, which included three years of relentless persecution from the media, Bob Dylan hid his face from the public eye. Author Scott Marshall writes in his book of these years:
Perhaps the second verse of Dylan's 1962 song, "Mixed-Up Confusion," best summarizes the situation: "Well, there's too many people/And they're all too hard to please."
Yet besides the newspaper critics and the fans, probably the biggest obstacle that Bob Dylan faced was trying to be a believer in Jesus and still actively practice his Jewish roots. As difficult as this is for Jewish people today, it was even harder in the early 1980s. To most people it was either belief in Jesus or Judaism:
Seemingly, every foray into the Jewish arena is interpreted as flat-out return to Judaism, a renunciation of the truth of Jesus Christ that he confessed more than two decades ago.
Here's a great example of this apparent dichotomy. In the fall of 2001, Dylan spent the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, at an Orthodox synagogue in Encino, California. Then he began his tour in early 2002 with the overt gospel tune "Hallelujah, I'm Ready to Go," a song that speaks of a "wonderful Savior to know." The next night he opened with the song "I Am the Man, Thomas." This song covers the story where the Jesus reveals Himself to a doubting Thomas and declares:
"Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have yet believed" (John 20:29)
For Dylan, it was not an either/or scenario between Judaism and Christianity. He was comfortable with a world that drew from both. 
As I read the story of Dylan's spiritual life, I began to appreciate him more and more. I saw a man who struggled with his identity much as we do today—stuck in between Christianity and Judaism. As with Dylan, many misinterpret the actions of those in Messianic Judaism as either too Jewish or too Christian.
For me, in Dylan's words I often find the heartbeat of a man who at times seems to know the Master better than I do:
"Even so, as far ahead of the pack as Dylan traveled, there's something almost first-century about him. It's not hard to imagine Bob Dylan sitting under the teaching of the Master on a Palestine hillside, listening attentively, questioning respectfully, analyzing thoughtfully. Could it be that this is where Dylan has been getting his insights all along?"
Over the years, Dylan has continued to infuse the biblical text into his songs. It is estimated that between 1979 and 1990, 67 out of the 80 songs he wrote contained allusions to the Bible. As a person, Jesus Himself was not known to answer questions in a straightforward manner.
So too, with Dylan, who dodges them left and right. He has developed it into such an art that any imitation of this style is often labeled "dylanesque." It seems the only way to find out what's in his head is to listen to his music:
If it's really all right there in the music, then Bob Dylan is without a doubt a man who continues to express faith in Jesus while holding on to his Jewish heritage. 
Toby Janicki is a teacher, writer and project manager for First Fruits of Zion (ffoz.org). He contributes regularly to Messiah Journal and has written several books including God Fearers: Gentiles and the God of Israel. You can reach Toby atoutreach@ffoz.org.
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Friday, May 20, 2016

Bob Dylan's Handwritten Letter Reveals Strong Christian Faith - MARK MARTIN/CBN NEWS CHARISMA NEWS

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan's Handwritten Letter Reveals Strong Christian Faith

Bob Dylan (Paul Townsend/Flickr/Creative Commons)

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A handwritten letter that reflects a strong Christian faith by music legend Bob Dylan is up for auction.
Boston-based RR Auction is offering the item, written around April 1980 to a friend named "Steve."
Dylan writes, "We are up in Toronto singing and playing for about 3,000 people a night in a downtown theatre—the Spirit of the Lord is calling people here in their beautiful and clean city, but they are more interested in lining up for Apocalypse Now than to be baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost."
Dylan is probably referring to the film, Apocalypse Now, which hit theaters in 1979. The artist played in Toronto in 1980. 
Dylan goes on to write to Steve, "Wanna thank you for that Bible as it is helpful in discovering a few phrases from and shedding more light on what the King James Version reads—God will lift up your heart as you begin to realize that 'He thru Christ has reconsiled (sic) man unto Himself' (II Corinthians)."
The singer-songwriter's letter is filled with references to Christianity.
"You will be strong in the Lord and seeing that looks are deceiving, you will work miracles that way—He has called you to be a saint and your responsibility is to him and him alone," he continues. "Be praying and not looking back no more—press on toward what is ahead—I send love to you and will pray for strength and more strength for ya (sic)." 
Dylan concludes the letter with a bold profession of faith: "Always in the name of Jesus Christ Son of God, Manifest in the flesh."
Dylan, who is a Jew, accepted Jesus Christ as his Messiah in 1979. Two of his albums,Slow Train Coming and Saved, have overtly Christian lyrics.
Rumors surfaced in the early '80s that Dylan renounced Christianity. However, in an October 2012 blog on Godreports, Dan Wooding writes that Al Kasha, a Messianic Jew who led Dylan to Christ, believes the singer-songwriter never lost his faith.
In the blog, Wooding says Dylan's album, Tempest, released in September 2012, is filled with Christian lyrics. 
"I am absolutely thrilled that Bob has shown through this new record that he has never lost God's calling in life. He's never given up," Kasha said, referring to the album.
"I get upset when people think that he has because you don't write all these songs just out there," Kasha continued. "It takes time to write them and they're all about Christ so I've said this in the past - the media has hurt rather than helped him."
Robert Livingston, executive vice president of RR Auction, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the letter "is incredible." 
"It's rare that you see handwritten letters from Bob Dylan on the market," he said. "You may see notes or lyrics but not real composed letters like this."
The items up for auction include the letter in "very good to fine condition" and the original envelope. Livingston said the items belong to a Boston collector.
"This remarkable letter offers enormous insight into Dylan's thoughts during a critical period of his career," a description on the auction website reads. 
Reprinted with permission from CBN.com.  Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., All rights reserved.
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