Out of Egypt:

with god on our side?

Yeah, this still about sums it up.

Leave it to Dylan to get to the heart of the matter in a few brief stanzas.

Are you a Dylan fan?

Posted by: Joanna S. at September 27, 2007 10:17 AM

I find it ironic that Christians would laud a song with such a degraded view of God.

Posted by: Jared at September 27, 2007 4:52 PM

It's not a critique of the true God, but of God as used to justify our own views. I find that a very Christian critique - the God of Americanism is not the same as the God of the Bible.

Posted by: Evan Donovan at September 27, 2007 10:25 PM

And yes, Joanna, I am a Dylan fan, though I don't know as much as some people.

Posted by: Evan Donovan at September 27, 2007 10:26 PM

I don't know. I can appreciate Dylan as a songwriter, but man, I have to change the CD after only a few tracks. Something about his voice that just grates. I think it's the relentless downswing that closes every single freaking line.

Posted by: funke at September 28, 2007 8:08 AM

It seems to me as Christians, we should (like Dylan) question when someone tells us we should do something destructive because "God's on our side." I remember some studies I did on rhetoric in the Civil War, and both sides were convinced that they were defending the promised land against the heathens/infidels/whatever you wanted to label your previous neighbors and friends.

I found this great book the other day (I wish I had bought it and could remember its name!) that begins with Dylan's songs after his conversion to Christianity and traces the way his preconversion songs often mirror the same kinds of moral concerns that are explicit in his later songs. It was fascinating!

Posted by: Joanna S. at September 28, 2007 8:27 AM

Evan, is that what Dylan says or what you say?

Posted by: Jared at September 28, 2007 8:54 AM

What I say. But it's a legitimate reading of the song (if not the only reading of it).

Posted by: Evan Donovan at September 28, 2007 9:28 AM

That's how I've always read it. He doesn't say anything derogatory in the song about God, just about what people have used God "on their side" to excuse (surmising that even Judas could have used a self-righteous excuse to justify his sin). BTW, the book's title is "Dylan Redeemed."

Posted by: Joanna S. at September 28, 2007 9:45 AM

I need to expand my music listening. There are too many artists that I don't pay enough attention to. Dylan is one of them

Posted by: Carrie at September 28, 2007 1:30 PM

The ending sort of negatively flavors the whole song, imo.

Posted by: Jared at September 30, 2007 12:51 PM

I think the first part of the song makes more sense with my interpretation. I don't know what to do with the last part, exactly.

Posted by: Evan Donovan at October 1, 2007 8:18 PM