The Man in Black

For the past two years or so I have been intrigued and interested in where people find faith or God in pop culture. Previous posts of mine have gotten at this when I have discussed film or music. However, pop culture is so much bigger than those two genres. Pop culture includes fashion, fads, art, and so much more. To help feed my interest in these areas of life I recently started reading a book, Don’t Stop Believin’: Pop Culture and Religion from Ben-Hur to Zombies, edited by Robert K. Johnston, Craig Detweiler, and Barry Taylor. In this work these editors, along with a multitude of authors, attempt to find theological words for 101 of the most influential pop culture happenings by tracing them through recent decades (starting in the 50s and progressing through today). So far it is a stimulating read because each entry is not terribly long and provides excellent food for thought. In order to further engage this work and the cultural items addressed I thought it might be appropriate to lift up one of the entries each week starting in the 50s. While this will take a bit of time to complete, it will not restrict other entries that may come to mind! So let’s look at the 50s with the legendary Johnny Cash.

The 1950s: Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash is heralded as one of the best musicians in country music by many people, though his musical talents also expanded to the genres of rock and roll, blues, gospel, and folk. Despite his musical prowess and success he faced a serious addiction to drugs, alcohol, and even attempted to commit suicide in 1968. However, from that experience he was able to articulate that he felt God’s presence with him in the darkest moments of his life. But does it take such extremes to find God? Maybe, maybe not. God’s presence is everywhere, we just sometimes turn blind eyes and deaf ears to that still small voice calling out to us. Sometimes it takes extremes to wake us from the stupor that can be the mundane of everyday life to realize that life is in fact full of the divine. And yet maybe we need to simply take hold of those ears God gives us to hear the divine’s melody in the everyday.

After his suicide attempt Johnny Cash tried to turn his life around by resisting alcohol and drugs, however it was a battle he waged for the rest of his life. But by the early 1970s Cash had become “the man in black,” which was in stark contrast to the flashy rhinestone suits and boots of many of his contemporaries. Barry Taylor reports on this distinct way of dressing as having deep meaning:

He wrote a song, “The Man in Black,” to explain his dress, saying, “just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back / up front there ought to be a man in black” He went on to sing that he wore black on behalf of the poor and hungry, the imprisoned, the elderly, and those betrayed by addictions and the “lives that could have been” (6).

One could say that Cash lived his faith and values on his sleeve in a clear and tangible manner. Do we dare do the same? And if so how do we it? I can think of two very visible ways in which some do this: tattoos and clerical collars. Tattoos, especially of the religious type, seem to communicate a Christian leaning in faith life. However, we all know that humanity lives in the paradox of being both saints and sinners and such tattoos may not accurately describe our faith or how we live it. Many reality TV stars have crosses on their arms or backs, but they can be seen doing some rather, well, stupid things. Wondering around drunk, engaging in meaningless casual sex, and fighting other people. It seems that in such situation the cross is relegated to an accessory. But there are other who do commit to a religious tattoo and live a less extreme life, but a life of the saint/sinner paradox none the less.

Yet, in my experience the clerical collar is the most tangible way people can see my faith, although it is a mixed bag. Some people have called me “father” or “padre,” others look at me and smile, some just look at me and scoff, and worse some look at me with suspicion. The clerical collar communicates different things for different people. But I like to think of myself in tune with Johnny Cash’s song for wearing black. I want my black shirt with a white tab to be a symbol of a God who stands up and acts on behalf of the poor, oppressed, sick, and suffering. A God who lifts up the lowly, scatters the proud, fills the hungry with good things, and sends the rich away empty (see Luke 1). If such a faith can be communicated by a man in black, I hope it can be communicated by me in a clerical collar.

Wearing our faith is a difficult subject to discuss because we all have our good days and our bad. And yet we are continually drawn back into conversation with God. My prayer is that God inspires us all to be so bold to wear our faith for the world to see as well as ears and eyes to witness God’s work in the world. But if we find ourselves struggling to find these instances of God’s presence, I hope we have the patience and imagination to awaken to that still, small voice calling us by name. 

Peace,
Tom