Tokens: Justice Songs

Last night my family (plus Chaney's lovely girlfriend) attended the Tokens program at Lipscomb University. "Justice Songs" was the title of this show - the fifth installment of the Tokens series. Previous Tokens programs include: "The Christmas Revolution" (December 9, 2008), "The Politics of Jesus" (September 9, 2008), "Jubilee: Land, Greed, and Grace in American Folk" (May 27, 2008), and "The Appalachian Longing for Home" (February 19, 2008). Each program was recorded live, and you can listen to excerpts from the four 2008 programs online, and a clip from last night's program will available soon.

Lee Camp, Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics at Lipscomb, was inspired to create Tokens after attending Garrison Keillor's New Year's Eve show in 2006 at the Ryman Auditorium. (Ironically, my family also attended that show, and we have a framed Hatch Show Print hanging on the wall of our den to commemorate the event.) A long-time fan of Keillor's Prairie Home Companion show, Camp wondered what would happen if someone took that format and tethered it to theology. After all, Camp observed, theology is often most succinctly communicated through music.

Since I've been spending a lot of time as of late pondering exactly what it means to "act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before your God," "Justice Songs" hit the spot theologically for me. The evening featured so many memorable moments: Brother Preacher's meandering sermon that made me laugh until I had tears in my eyes (you've got to hear his line about Jesus' golden sombrero), Odessa Settles's powerful rendition of "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord," the skit by the Tokens Radio Players about the English Only amendment (Would you like to order a baby donkey roll?), a prerecorded interview with Will Campbell about his famous book Brother to a Dragonfly, the music of the Most Oustanding Horeb Mountain Boys, and a prerecorded interview with Brad MacLean about his work with death row inmates. And did I mention that Vince Gill, Sonya Isaacs, and Buddy Greene sang, too? The ensemble's rendition of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" was breathtaking.

You can see Tokens yourself on June 25 at 7:30 p.m. when Camp and company present "Stories We Live By." Go to their website www.tokensshow.com and get on their mailing list so you won't miss another show.