Lyrics
A Christmas planned, To home at last
An icy road, an awful crash
The skilled doctors saved her life but
This action leaves mom and dad abashed
Their dear child, their church may say “exile”
For blood work that is so reviled
They moaned to me that it’s not what they taught her
They didn’t ask, but here’s what I offered
Pre-chorus
I know you’ve spent more time at His house
So you may not care what I think
Are you so desperate to appear you’re righteous
That you’d risk a child gone in a blink?
No need to worry, it’s clear where you stand
Oblivious how your shame breaks her heart too
But it’s between your child and the carpenter
It’s nothing to do with you
Chorus
You can paint his words all over your walls
Read books about books ‘bout The Book til you lose the source of it all
Love one another, said and said again
The Carpenter didn’t delegate persuading to repent
The blood story came up again
“Baseless and misguided” said another friend
Then she launched into a dirge
Her daughter came out, such an awful scourge
Her family times could never have peace
I sensed an irony deficiency
She moaned to me that it’s not what she taught her
She didn’t ask, but here’s what I offered
Repeat Pre-chorus/Chorus
He said love your neighbor, Love one another
Think about that when you're tryin' to play God
Notes
I began writing The Carpenter in the fall of 2022 after having multiple friends confide in me that their adult children had come out as gay or transgender throughout the year. Those parents didn’t really ask me for advice, they mostly just mourned the situation that they clearly thought was disasterous.
It could be argued that I couldn’t offer useful advice anyway, due to the fact that none of my childen have placed me in the same situation. However, at least some of the angst of my friends came from a religious/scripture perspective. And when has personal experience ever been required to put forth some kind of judgement in that area?
I’m only kidding about that last question a bit. But I am a Christian, and it annoys me at times that my Christian perspectives are often not considered because I avoid the trite Christian platitudes that the “outwardly Christian” population tends to use.
For example, you won’t find me tagging “God is Good” after positive events that happen to me or the ones I love. I find it self-serving and an invitation to a much deeper discussion of how to label terrible things that happen to “other people.” I don’t have a problem with those who use it, it is just a different “brand” of Christianity than the one I practice. And, I digress a little (but only a little).
The first verse of the song discusses the situation of parents who are concerned about their adult child who is consenting to a blood transfusion to save her life. They raised their child to understand that blood transfusions are prohibited by their faith.
The second verse presents a mother that dismisses this first situation as “baseless and misguided”, as I suppose many people in the U.S. would. Then the mother dives into the mourning of her daughter coming out as gay, oblivious to the possibility that someone else may find her faith based concerns just as “baseless and misguided.”
Would those differing views of what is “baseless and misguided” be different religions? Well, no, they would not. The transfusion story is based on an acquaintance of mine whose wife died because the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept such action. Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian denomination, not a different religion. A character to call the concern about the gay daughter “baseless and misguided” could be drawn from the United Church of Christ, which has ordained LGBTQ+ pastors since 1972.
The Baptist comparison to the Jehovah’s Witness denomination is only the secondary point of the song. You can dismiss a wildly different denomination of the same religion as wackos if you like. You can even dismiss denominations not that wildly different, a disagreement on what’s right is why denominations exist, right? But after segregating enough people from your specific beliefs WITHIN YOUR SAME RELIGION, perhaps down to dismissing those even in your own church, what are the chances that your narrow view of everything is correct and others in the overwhelming majority of the same religion are just plain wrong?
Now consider that non-Christian religions are what nearly 70% of the humans on this planet follow. Whatever your view on a particular subject is, there is ample room for someone to consider your view to be baseless and misguided. Even a family member who shares your religion.
But the primary point is this. Even if you’re convinced your loved one is wrong, it is not your job to get them to repent. I even consulted with the pastor who married Karen and me before wrapping these lyrics.
The Great Commission instructs believers to spread the gospel. It does not instruct believers to make others repent. As my favorite pastor answered, “The Spirit convicts and repentance is the result of that conviction.” This assumes the believer is correct and repentance is even necessary, of course.
I included The Carpenter on my 2023 Christmas EP for several reasons. The primary reason for this is that it is a song related to Christ and the role of Christians. I love me some hippopatamus-centric secular Christmas music, but a modern song about Christ that isn’t simple praise music is an area I think is lacking and is very appropriate for the Christmas season. (There is nothing wrong with praise music, I simply like something meatier.)
The finale of the song is really the full spirit of Christmas, to my belief. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis in “Mere Christianity”, a Christian’s role is to put on the cloak of Christ and act as he would. Yes, that is a book about The Book, as the song would say. So to better summarize, actual scripture would state:
“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” - John 13:34
And finally a note on the responsibility of Christians to remember that commandment. The final line is changed on the Christmas EP from the original single recording clarifying that this commandment is our charge rather than the attempt to get others to repent. Maybe a little harsh. Maybe it needs to be.
“Remember that when you’re trying to play God.”