My music tastes have changed a bit over the years. As a preteen I had a Lionel Richie cassette. On Saturdays I would drop it into my imitation Walkman and soft-rock out to “Hello” and “Stuck on You” as I mowed the yard. I’m not entirely sure what caused the change, but over time Lionel got pushed aside by people with names like Axel and Ozzy, and the color palette of my cassettes shifted towards that of Metallica’s “black” album. Speaking of which, Metallica has a new album, and the title track has some solid theology.
About a month ago one of our church members posted a link on Facebook to the title song from Metallica’s new album, “Hardwired… to self-destruct.” The machine-gun drumbeats and intense guitar that started the song were classic Metallica. The message of the lyrics, however, was classic John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement.
“Hardwired” communicates that the world is a mess, it’s only getting worse, and the reason is that we’re “hardwired to self-destruct.” John Wesley said something similar:
Is man by nature filled with all manner of evil? Is he void of all good? Is he wholly fallen? Is his soul totally corrupted? Or, to come back to [Genesis 6:5], is “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart evil continually”? Allow this, and you are so far a Christian. Deny it, and you are but an heathen still.
To summarize Wesley, if you believe people are inherently good, you’re a heathen. If you don’t, then “so far” you’re a Christian. Well done, Metallica.
The closing lines of “hardwired” ask the rhetorical questions, “Do you feel that hope is fading? Do you comprehend? Do you feel it terminating?” and conclude, “In the end we’re… hardwired to self-destruct.” Metallica’s song ends with hopelessness, but Wesley’s “so far” means Christian faith must go further. Sorry, Metallica, but still, nice start.
Wesley and the Methodists that came after him believed that we’re “hardwired to self-destruct,” but that a loving God intervenes. We believe that God infuses into our corrupted nature a bit of grace, an unearned gift that gives us the ability to act against our nature. With God’s grace and our cooperation, we turn away from self-destruction and towards self-sacrifice. Our actions help and heal. Hope spreads.
In these weeks leading up to Christmas, don’t deny the mess our world is in. But don’t get lost in despair over it either. Christians long ago chose to celebrate the birth of Christ in the season when days are short and nights are long in order to remind themselves of the promise of John 1:
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it… The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
Have a great weekend, and make sure to check out an album that’s even better musically and theologically than Metallica’s: the new Access EP, Songs We Sing.
In Christ,
Rich
Rich Rindfuss
Access Pastor
First United Methodist Church Richardson