A little over a year ago, Andrew Hozier-Byrne posted a video for his debut tune, “Take Me To Church.” Known simply by his middle name, Hozier (“hoh-zee-er”) is a 24-year-old Irish singer/songwriter/musician who is quickly becoming a force in the music world. This Gospel-influenced track quickly went viral on social media, charting at #1 in Ireland, and is now climbing the U.S. Charts. The song challenges the church and the long-held doctrine of original sin, raises much-needed awareness of violence against the LGBT community, and promotes boundary-free sexual expression.
Next Tuesday, Hozier’s self-titled debut album will drop here in the U.S. Then, on the following Saturday, he’ll perform on Saturday Night Live. Hozier is music’s next big thing. It’s only his music that is sure to go viral, but his worldview as well. I always say, culture is both a map and a mirror. “Take Me To Church” maps out belief and behavior for listeners, especially the young and impressionable. It also mirrors values, attitudes, and behaviors that are already deeply entrenched in our cultural psyche. Some of these beliefs and behaviors need to be promoted. Some of them need to be challenged. As with all cultural artifacts, there’s a mixture of truth and error.
So, are you ready for Hozier? Are you getting the kids you know and love ready for Hozier? We need to be teaching our kids how to engage critically and Christianly with everything they encounter in the world, especially their music and media. In an effort to help you pull this off, I’ve written a 3(D) guide to “Take Me To Church” that filters the song through our three media evaluation steps of discover, discern, and decide.“ You can download this free pdf here. Talk about it with your kids. They will be seeing and hearing alot more of Hozier. They will be processing and thinking about “Take Me To Church.” Will you help them process and think to the glory of God?
Walt,
That was the first I had heard of the artist and the song, and it sure was a powerful song/video. I think I will be talking with my teens about it Sunday night in our small group. Music plays such a strong role in teens lives and this singer songwriter does not hold back any punches. Original sin and no boundaries sex, how could this not be an interesting discussion? Thanks for sharing.