Save the trees and kill the children
One of my favorite musical groups is casting crowns. Back in 2005 the released their Lifesong album. Lifesong, of couse being one of the biggest songs in the CCM genre that year. One of the songs on that album that I liked from the beginning but never really put much thought into is the song “While you were sleeping.” It’s a song about how history repeats itself: how nation after nation misses what’s important. The first city, Bethlehem, welcomed the Savior of the world to the world, but yet still couldn’t make room for him.
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history as a city with no room for its king.
The second city, Jerusalem didn’t have room to hear what Jesus had
Jerusalem, you will go down in history as a city with no room for its king.
The song finally hits home when it turns its focus to the United States of America and how we’re so caught up in being politically correct that we are no better than the nations and cities who rejected Jesus and his teachings. One of my favorite lines in the whole song is:
…As we’re sound asleep by philosophies of save the trees and kill the children.
I didn’t understand the significance of that line the first few times I heard it. But I was in church today listening to the pastor’s message and it made me think of. How messed up is our society in that it will stand up for endangered animals or the preservation of wildlife and trees, but yet, that same society will stand up for the right to kill unborn babies? And what’s worse? People don’t see a problem with this thinking. It’s no wonder the song ends asking the questions:
America what will we miss while we are sleeping? Will Jesus come again and leave us slumbering where we lay? America will we go down in history as a nation with no room for its king?
