Kicking Up A Fuss

Who needs 'The Da Vinci Code' when holding a night of punk worship appears to cause as much contraversy:

"Punk strikes wrong chord

SIR Sunbridge Road Mission holds a "Punk/Rock Worship event" (T&A, May 4), I know that Sunbridge Road has always been a church of lively Christian witness.

I am old enough to have listened to preaching by Fred Mitchell, one-time Darley Street chemist and Sunbridge Road stalwart who died in an early jet airliner accident as he returned from visiting a missionary enterprise in China.

Many young folk will gladly rock and roll in clubs and also, if encouraged, in church. But punk?

The weekly supplement of a provincial newspaper recently carried a nasty, sneering photograph of Johnny Rotten, punk pioneer. An article appreciative of the punk movement referred to a ground-breaking punk song Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue.

I recall a 13-year-old lad whom I taught more than 25 years ago pleasant-natured, willing, though not very bright. He was persuaded, perhaps by an older punk enthusiast, to do as that song suggested.

His behaviour, his whole nature, changed. I hope that punk ideas and practices did not wreck his subsequent life.

Douglas Hartley, Irving Terrace, Clayton"

A few responses have been sent so we'll see if any get published:

"Sir, as one of the organisers of the Punk Worship event at Sunbridge Road Mission I would like to respond to the comments made by Mr Hartley. Rock and punk music are very closely associated but the fact is, that the phrase 'punk' is to do with one's lifestyle. It is common knowledge that being 'punk' is about going against the grain of the world and breaking from the mould of the world - not sniffing glue as in the Ramones song you mentioned. Therefore, the 'punk' element of the night was not only the style of the music, but also about going against the world's non-Christian standards and actually worshipping a living God. The fact that 'punk' is associated with negative connotations is what we want to change and that change started last Saturday. The theme of the evening was about going all out for God and not caring what the world says about you, about putting God first and understanding that God accepts our worship and praise in whatever format we offer it. It's about worshipping God with music and an attitude that is uncompromising, radical, militant and loud. Why? - because some of us were made like that!" - MaFt

"I read your letter with interest. I agree that the Sex Pistols are not a band that I would want preaching in my church. However, your argument may be a little dated these days - things have moved on quite a lot since 1978.

Punk has become a very community based scene, that actually does a great deal of good - charities such as the Syrenthia Savio Endowment and Take Action! are operated and funded by punks to help combat cancer, suffering, suicide and depression. Long before I was a christian I was attracted to the punk scene by the brotherly love often demonstrated within it.

If punk IS such a bad thing, then surely it makes sense to get these people into church, to tell them that there is a better way? If a nation a glue sniffing, rebellious youths began to serve God, wouldn't that be a dramatic change for the better in this world?

I agree that punk was founded in rebellion against the world order - but maybe you have forgotten that the founder of Christianity was nailed to a tree for being a rebel too." - Chris

"Hi, I have just read your letter on punk striking the wrong chord. Punk is and always has been about standing up for your beliefs, modern punk and hardcore music is based around politics, loving your friends, loving your family and making the world a better place, many of today’s hardcore punk bands are what is known as straight edge which means they abstain from alcohol, drugs and promiscuous sex so how is this a bad example to set to the youth of today?

Your ideas of what punk is somewhat upset me as you seem to have based it around one band that being the Sex Pistols and most likely one man namely Sid Vicious, Sid was a drug addict and battled many demons but to say every punk is like that is ridiculous, its like saying everyone who kicks a football is a cocaine addict because Robbie Fowler was.

As Christian Punks we try to show the world that there is another way, a better way to live your life, a life with God, we do this through a medium that people can relate to that being punk music.

I’m sure if you had attended the punk worship night at Sunbridge Mission you would have seen the positive effect that punk music can have on the world and I expect that your views would have been very different.

Please come along next time a punk worship event is held and see for yourself the good that it can do.

Thank you" - Steve

Laters

MaFt