Saturday, September 22, 2007

Radiohead Critique of Christian Individualism?

This is a post that a friend of mine from Iowa posted (Pastor Wayne) on his blog. It’s pretty thought provoking…or much more simple. You be the judge;^)

I've been a fan of Radiohead since the late '90's, but I hadn't seen this video set to the Thom Yorke song, "Rabbit in Your Headlights." I'm tempted to give this video a very Christian spin, even if Yorke et al. have no desire to carry any Christian freight.

The video reminds me of the parable of the Good Samaritan in that we have a man "on the way" - a powerfully biblical metaphor in itself. This man is a babbling schizophrenic, yet he almost appears to be praying - perhaps schizophrenia reveals more about true humanity (homo laudens) than we might be led to believe. On two occasions he seems to shout out the word "Shema!" The Hebrew word for "Hear" or "Listen," as in THE Shema - "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one!" (Dt. 6:4) In other words, through his insane babbling, he has a message of prophetic critique. (Echoes of Zarathustra, perhaps?)

But this is a beaten and pitiful man. The juxtaposed phrases "Rabbit in your headlights" and "Christian suburbanites" as he's being pummeled by traffic presents a rather forceful critique of a Christian individualism more concerned with its own self-preservation than demonstrating the self-sacrificial love for another seen in our Lord. 

I also like the redemptive moment of him shedding his old self and his victory over the powers through a renewed cruciform humanity.

Or maybe it's just about rabbits.

[HT: Wayne [http://carrifex.blogspot.com/2007/09/rabbit-in-your-headlightschristian.html]]

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