The Gospel According to Bob –By Mike Jones, the Underground guest writer Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of article on the faith of popular musicians. For those of you who don‟t know, Bob Dylan used to be (or still is depending on who you ask) a Christian. Way before RUN D.M.C. was down with the King, Bob Dylan was friends with Jesus. It seems like most people go gospel after they‟ve fallen off the map (Bushwick Bill, Candy Stanton, Michael McDonald, Smokey Robinson, all the members of KORN, except for the lead singer), but Dylan went gospel in his prime. He released two and a half “gospel” albums after his conversion in the late 1970s. Slow Train Coming and Saved were explicitly gospel, and “Shot of Love” had some gospel songs and some secular songs. The music he produced was a strong witness for Christ, so much so that people thought Dylan had lost it. “Years ago they said I was a prophet,” Dylan said during a performance at the Orpheum in 1980. “I used to say, „No I‟m not a prophet.‟ They used to convince me I was a prophet. Now I come out and say Jesus Christ is the answer. They say, „Bob Dylan‟s no prophet.‟ They just can‟t handle it.” Even John Lennon, shortly before his death, recorded a diss song about Dylan‟s conversion (as recorded on Gotta Serve Somebody, and subsequent albums), called “Serve Yourself.”
In contrast to Dylan‟s message of submission to God, Lennon penned the words, “Act by oneself. Nobody can help you,” according to an exhibit at the John Lennon museum in Japan.
Read the rest of the story here: http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2009/04/gospelbob/
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