Catchim says ‘the Auditor incorporate(s) “criticizing” people, when they feel they go “off-script”, with clearly “verbalizing” their criticism’ through their singing.

I remember having the privilege of being invited to speak at one of the biggest richest most successful Baptist Churches in my state. I wanted to make sure the songs we sang in the service reflected and reinforced the message I wanted to share, so I met with the band to teach them to play the song I wanted us to sing.

They quite liked the music, and were happy enough to play it, until I showed them the lyrics, when they suddenly became apoplectic, and point blank refused to play it. I told them the words were quite ‘sound’, ‘scriptural’, ‘biblically-based’ lyrics. But nothing I said would make them change their mind. They would not accompany me.

So in the end I had to sing the song, in this vast church, in my shaky voice, all by myself. Its called ‘Let Justice Roll’. I adapted if from the original version written by my friend Garth Hewitt. I’ll let you imagine how it went down in one of the biggest, richest most successful Baptist Churches in the West (western suburbs of Brisbane)

 

We’ve silenced our prophets,

We’ve shot down our dreamers,

Our lifeblood is money, we’re exploiting the poor.

Oh, the people of the West just love to invest

In the system that keeps the poor world poor.

We have no compassion; our lifestyle is evil;

Higher living standard – the God we adore.

Oh, the people of the West just love to invest

In the system that keeps the poor world poor.

 

Let justice roll on like a river

Truth like an never failing ever flowing stream,

Then tears of rage will turn to laughter

And people become what they should be.

 

We ignore the ways of justice

Though we talk a lot about it;

We victimise the stranger seeking refuge in our land.

 

Oh, the people of the West just love to invest

In the system that keeps the poor world poor.

 

Greed is our mother,

Silence is our father,

Our epitaph is written in frustrated tears of rage.

 

Oh, the people of the West just love to invest

In the system that keeps the poor world poor.

 

Let justice roll on like a river

Truth like an never failing ever flowing stream,

Then tears of rage will turn to laughter

And people become what they should be.

 

Let Justice Roll (

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After it was over I went to greet people at the door, where I was met by a very angry man, tearing my books to pieces and screaming I was as possessed by the devil.

Since that ‘disgraceful,’ ‘diabolical’, public audit of so-called ‘Western civil-isation’, I’m told the ‘people of the West’ have gone on to invest in ‘bigger and better things’.

Dave Andrews