The Uncontainable God

I love the music of the Indigo Girls. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers-- the multiple Grammy winning acoustic alternative-folk-rock duo from Atlanta-- are best known for their piercing harmonies, poetic lyrics and smooth guitar riffs reminiscent of Dylan but with a flavor all its own.

I was first introduced to their music in 1989, and have been hooked ever since. I've seen them in concert 3 times, each of which was mesmerizing to say the least.

Over the years some Christians have expressed disapproval of the Indigo Girls because of their lifestyles and lack of affiliation with a formal church. While I understand their concerns, I will always stick up for these girls for this reason: Their music was a major factor in my own coming to faith.

The first Indigo Girls song I heard back in 1989, contained these words:

We go to the Bible
We go through the workout
We read up on revival
We stand up for the lookout.

I thought to myself, "Hmmm. . Maybe I should check out the Bible." And so I did, for which I am glad.

Soon thereafter, I bought their album Strange Fire and heard these words:

Hey Jesus, it's me. I'm sorry.
I don't remember all I said.
I had a few-- no, too many
And they went straight to my head
And made me feel like I could argue with God.

I thought to myself, "Hmmm.. maybe I should try talking to Jesus, and apologize for being such a stubborn sinner." And so I did, for which I am glad.


In recent years I have had the privilege of meeting and conversing with Emily Saliers (the woman in the above picture) on two separate ocassions, both of which were in churches where she performed with her father, Dr. Don Saliers. Emily is friendly, soft-spoken, uninterested in being a celebrity, and oddly comfortable in church, though she has had many differences over the years with organized religion. Dr. Saliers is a Methodist minister, Seminary professor, accomplished musician, and a wonderful man who loves his daughter. A friend of mine and I shared coffee with him one morning at the Starbucks on the campus of Emory University. When I told him that Emily's music played a part in my own coming to faith, he smiled, said "that's interesting," and reminded me of a line in one of the great hymns of the church, "Everywhere man can be, thou God art present there." His point: God refuses to be contained within labels such as "sacred" or "secular", but makes himself known in ways that surprise many.

On one of the most recent Indigo Girls albums, Emily sings these words:

There is fire and there is lust
Some will trade it all for someone they could trust
There's a bag of silver for a box of nails
It's so simple, the betrayal
Though it's known to change the world and what's to come.

Yes, the Gospel is indeed known to change the world. And don't be surprised if someday you are reminded of this fact by someone you least expect-- a grungy activist rock star who doesn't spend a lot of time in church, for example.