Monday Morning Music Ministry

8-3-26

I am going to share an old song, and its lyrics. Anyway it seems like an old song – 1979, which makes it seem like “Old Testament days” for me, because I am old. It was a Christian radio hit, Oh Buddha by the Imperials.

First, I will share a story that presents a slight intersection of mine with this great song.

When Oh Buddha was a hit on Christian radio, my wife and I attended a revival in Madison Square Garden in New York City. I believe it was R W Schambach, whose ministry I still revere; or Kenneth Copeland, whom I followed at the time. It was very well attended, and protesters were on the sidewalk outside the Garden.

Today, those protesters might be Black Lives Matter types, or feminists, or Muslim extremists; or (very likely in Manhattan at that time) militant Zionists. The small group of protesters rallied against the thrust of the revival inside the Garden. They chanted for Buddha, or Mohammad, or Reverend Sun-Myung Moon (“Universalist Church”), or an Eastern mystic via chants of Hare Krishna, or some arcane gods or “religions” of the time.

It was a modest and quiet demonstration. But the emerging crowd of revival-goers circled ‘round them and were not exactly arrogant… but however were confrontational. Someone started singing the contemporary radio hit, and scores joined in:

Well, old Buddha was a man And I’m sure that he meant well, But I pray for his disciples Lest they wind up in hell.

And I’m sure that old Mohammed Thought he knew the way, But it won’t be Hare Krishna We stand before on Judgment Day.

This was, as I said, a hit song in the Christian community of the day. Do you know it? Me, I see nothing wrong with its theology – for, despite its novelty-category aspects, it speaks Biblical truth, and Christ’s hard message. If we care about the souls of others, it is a doctrine we should follow. Peoples’ salvation is at stake.

The song was recorded by the Imperials, one of the legendary quartets of Christian music. It was founded by the great Jake Hess, whom I was privileged to know, when he left the Statesmen Quartet; and through the years its personnel included giants like Henry Slaughter, Gary McSpadden, Armond Morales, Jim Murray, Terry Blackwood, Larry Gatlin, Sherman Andrus, and Russ Taff. For a time the Imperials sang backup for Jimmy Dean and even for Elvis.

But on the evening I recall, the song was not sung as a novelty tune, but to attack. The group of revival attendees was mocking, not ministering. I felt moved to rebuke the crowd singing that song, but not self-righteously. (I mean my putative motivation, not theirs.) Our job as Christians – our duty, our command, in fact – is to persuade others to be strong in their faith… or that we be dedicated to sharing, encouraging acceptance, and fostering the embrace of the Gospel’s saving grace.

Jesus is the incarnation of God among mankind. He was sent to be our stand-in for the punishment we deserve – His plan that by believing in Him and His sufficient sacrifice, and that He rose from death and ascended to return to the Father – and we will therefore spend Eternity in Heaven.

To believe otherwise; that is, to let others believe that their idea of a new home in Glory, to Heaven forever, can be anyone’s random idea… is to consign those people to oblivion. Or to Hell. That is not indifference. It is not dismissive. It ought not to be done in mockery nor even in cruelty. Do you hate someone that much? Is ridicule more important than sympathy, than love?

I don’t hate anybody, So please don’t take me wrong. But there really is a message In this simple song.

You see, there’s only one way, Jesus, If eternal life is your goal And meditation of the mind Won’t save your soul!

As I said, I did not feel self-righteous that day, when rebuking the folks I had spent hours worshiping with. And I have the same impulse now; Christians should. Let us reach out – whenever we can, however we can, as often as we can – to those who don’t know the message of salvation!

And, by the way I plead to us all about this priority: It is not only Buddhists or Hindus or Muslims or Confucians or mystics or agnostics or atheists we should care about. There are friends and neighbors and co-workers – people we know and see and talk to every day; maybe even relatives – who might not fully know the Truth; or have “backslidden” or fallen away. Yes, it is a common condition. Maybe folks who are seated in the next pew from you on Sundays!

Well, you can call yourself a Baptist, And not be born again. A Presbyterian or a Methodist And still die in your sin.

You can even be Pentecostal, Shout and dance and jump a pew! But if you hate your brother You won’t be one of the chosen few.

Because it won’t be a Baptist Who’s sitting on the throne; A Presbyterian or a Methodist Who’s calling us home.

And it won’t be a Pentecostal Who plays that trumpet tune, So let’s all just live for Jesus Because He’s coming back real soon!

Amen!

It won’t be old Buddha Who’s sitting on the throne, And it won’t be old Mohammed Who’s calling us home!

And it won’t be Hare Krishna Who plays that trumpet tune, And we’re going to see the Son, Not Reverend Moon.

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Click: Russ Taff – “Oh Buddha”