Bob Dylan and Christianity

My dad has always liked Bob Dylan. I never could stand to hear him sing his own songs, though I like listening to other people singing them. Lately, I've become a bit fascinated with him. I still don't think he sings well, but he's a brilliant lyricist and poet.

Though I'm not sure what his views are at this point in his life, I just learned that in the late '70's he converted to Christianity. (Apparently it was huge news at the time, but hey, I was just a fetus, so how would I know?) It was pretty unpopular with some of his fans and fellow musicians. A hit song of his during the time was called You Gotta Serve Somebody. Shortly before being shot, John Lennon recorded Serve Yourself in response to Dylan's song, with some pretty pointed, profanity-filled rants.

I find it interesting the way people react so strongly and viciously to professed Christian faith. This was apparently Dylan's experience. During the early '80's, Dylan refused to play his older secular works, and delivered declarations of his faith from the stage. I really like a quote of one that I found from him:

Years ago they... said I was a prophet. I used to say, "No I'm not a prophet" they say "Yes you are, you're a prophet." I said, "No it's not me." They used to say "You sure are a prophet." They used to convince me I was a prophet. Now I come out and say Jesus Christ is the answer. They say, "Bob Dylan's no prophet." They just can't handle it.