Diverse City - tobyMac

[lostnumber]

Hi

I had a question about tobyMac's song Diverse City:

"They call us Diverse City, we're colorful good
It's like a freak show in your neighborhood
So, if you wanna praise you can come on down
Cause this freak show's leaving the ground"

From Dictionary.com:

freak show
–noun 1.a display of people or animals with unusual or grotesque physical features, as at a circus or carnival sideshow. 2.any ludicrous, bizarre, or dehumanizing occasion, function, performance, etc.; grotesque, circuslike event: endless interviews and auditions that became a ridiculous freak show.

Is tobyMac describing the church of Jesus Christ as members of a freak show? It troubles me to think that tobyMac - a popular Christian artist - views God's people in this way.

 

[TheThrill]

I believe it stems from his DC Talk "Jesus Freak" days. I don't believe he's intending to describe God's people as grotesque or inhumane per se. The premise of "Jesus Freak" being that the world finds Christians (believers in Jesus Christ) to be 'freaks' -- i.e. abnormal, strange, etc.

As with a lot of slang (seems to be more often found in rap and hip-hop, but not exclusively by any means), I don't think you can search to the dictionary for current interpretation.

 

[lostnumber]

The song is cast as an appeal to those outside to look at the diversity of those in the Christian denomination as a good thing which is absolutely true, but at the same time refers to it as a freak show.

If a non-Christian heard the song on the radio while channel surfing through a Christian broadcaster and heard "if you wanna praise then come on down cos this freak show's leaving the ground", what kind of message is that sending to outsiders?

Why would I want to be a part of a religion that is a freak show, it's members refer
to themselves as a freak show, that's leaving the ground which, to me, is almost an allusion to aliens (though it's probably a veiled reference to meeting the Lord in the air, of whom we hear nothing in this song).

The Bible describes Christians as free not freaks. I don't believe he's intending to describe God's people in the dictionary definition of the word, still I can't help but think of Colossians 4:5-6 in this instance.

 

[eves_adam]

I think you are interpreting the term freak a little too literally. "Freak" means a lot of different things. You can find four pages of definitions here:

urbandictionary dot com

In the context of Tobymac's Diverse City, "freak" refers to the term that closed minded people who are unaccepting of diversity would use to describe or view "diverse" people.

So, Tobymac is criticizing the closed mindedness and intolerance of racists and segregationists, rather than mocking Christianity.

In Diverse City "colorful" is good, whereas in the minds of bigots, "colorful" is a "freak" show. So Tobymac is using the term to criticize bigotry.

 

[ParaCristo]

freak can be used as slang for good...
like "Michael Phelps is a freak"
Like TheThrill said

Lost number....there is tons of slang in TMac's song
I seriously doubt that if a person listened to his music (hip-hop/pop) they would be offended by that slang...
especially considering his positive and Christ minded lyrics...

 

[ParaCristo]

***

 

[ParaCristo]

I think you are interpreting the term freak a little too literally. "Freak" means a lot of different things. You can find four pages of definitions here:

urbandictionary dot com

In the context of Tobymac's Diverse City, "freak" refers to the term that closed minded people who are unaccepting of diversity would use to describe or view "diverse" people.

So, Tobymac is criticizing the closed mindedness and intolerance of racists and segregationists, rather than mocking Christianity.

In Diverse City "colorful" is good, whereas in the minds of bigots, "colorful" is a "freak" show. So Tobymac is using the term to criticize bigotry.

you have it backwards.... he means a Jesus Freak

 

[rcorlew]

I love that song, crank it up real loud too.

To finish the rest of the chorus:

If you want to pray then come on down
'cause this freakshow's leavin the ground

This song talks of how God loves us all, no matter what, and all are invited to take the salvation He offers. God was anti-bigot before there was anything to be bigoted about.

 

[cbartgu]

Its class on the live DVD too

 

[Big Daddy Scott]

It's a play on words... The world sees Christians as freaks...