Casting Crowns: Secular world views Christians as 'crazy,' but we don't mind being canceled for Jesus
Grammy Award-winning band Casting Crowns recently released an anthem called “Crazy People” in which the group calls on listeners to embrace their faith in Christ even though it can appear "crazy" to the secular world.
“Crazy People” is featured on the band's latest album, Healer, released early this year. Recorded during government-mandated lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, frontman and songwriter Mark Hall said he wrote songs for the moment.
The band wanted their new album to feature Scripture-laden music that challenges listeners to “seek true healing from Jesus, the only Healer we need,” according to a statement shared with The Christian Post.
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In a new video explaining the story behind the song, Hall said those who walk with Jesus can be considered “crazy people."
He referenced the Apostle Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 1:18, which reads: "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, only seen through faith."
"We follow a God we've never seen. We pray to God we've never heard. And on faith, we put all the weight of our life in this God that we've never seen, that we know is real," Hall said. “Let me just tell you, that looks a little crazy to the world."
The second verse of the song touches on how Christians have been perceived in modern times.
“Who brings a Bible into a public school?/ Who shares a Gospel even when the world calls them a fool?/ And who's not afraid to go against the flow?/ Well cancel me and call me one of those,” the musician, who's also a youth pastor, sings.
Many churches across the country closed their doors in 2020 to help curb the spread of COVID-19. While gathering restrictions were still in place in some states in 2021, several churches defied ongoing restrictions on worship gatherings, and some filed lawsuits against their counties and states, citing discrimination against places of worship.
The backlash in the media brought negative attention to some believers and furthered the narrative that Christians should be canceled.
The chorus of the song says: “Crazy people trust in Jesus/ Followin' Him wherever He leads us/ Kingdom seekers/ Walk by faith believers/ Here's the church, here's the steeple/ Here's to all God's crazy people.”
Hall said that when writing the song, he chose Hebrews 11 to illustrate the "crazy faith" of the early Christians.
“I think all the people that we would consider heroes in the Bible, the things that they would do, the steps that they would take to follow a guy that they've never seen," he said. "The world sees that as crazy and I say, this world could use some more crazy!”
Hall, who pastors at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, concluded by saying: "We need some people to start loving people like crazy. We start serving like crazy. We start stepping out, giving, like crazy and being the people that God needs us to be to reach the people that God loves.”
The artist ended the video with a charge for his listeners.
“It’s going to take us stepping out of the ordinary and doing stuff somebody might just call crazy," he said. "Maybe it's time you get crazy!”
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: jeannie.law@christianpost.com She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
