Styles

Popular

I think that I have lived through three cycles of country or western style being popular. When I was child in the eighties, Barbara Mandrell had a popular song called “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” which I guess pointed at a boost in popularity at that time. 

But, the first time that I recognized this phenomenon was in the early 1990’s. I call this the 8 seconds of the pure country era. Rodeo, and especially professional bull riding, was becoming more popular with the Bull Riders Only tour then later the PBR. Musical artists such as Garth Brooks, George Strait, and Reba McEntire were among the largest celebrities in the world. Hollywood was producing blockbuster movies such as 8 Seconds, Pure Country, and Tombstone. All of this was because even people who were not themselves residents of rural areas or involved in farming and ranching lifestyles were attracted to the form and the fashion.

The second period that I will point to is the middle to late 2000’s. This was less broad and impactful but in this timeframe country and western styles became even more mainstream. Many artists from popular shows such as American Idol chose to go into country music rather than the pop genre. RFD TV and other media outlets were catering to the market. This could probably be called the millennial era of popularity. 

The latest era that I have noticed is actually happening right now. I called this the Yellowstone Era. It is not just the popularity of the show but the accessibility of social media. Figures like Dale Brisby, and thousands of other accounts, are making the everyday exploits and shenanigans of the rural and ranching lifestyle entertaining and publicized.

My point is that this is not just true with regard to Country as a genre of music or style of apparel. Rather this is true of many other things in our lives. There is an ebb and flow to the seasons of our lives and to the interests and focus of our society. Yet, we are what remains genuine throughout these seasons. Remember Barbara Mandrell’s song from earlier? Those who can look back and see that during these periods they bought a pair of boots or a straw hat but only for those periods of popularity aren’t really country people. Just like someone might buy some JNCO jeans and go to Ska or heavy metal concerts in college but they don’t continue in that lifestyle. What is really true is how the person lives their life over time, not just caught up in a style for a season.

This can also happen spiritually. Many people cycle through different spiritual beliefs without establishing bedrock principles and a source from which to anchor their soul. In this condition, they become easily swayed about by every new teaching. In this text (Ephesians 4:11-14), the Apostle Paul is calling on believers to grow up into maturity. I don’t want to sound like the cranky old man blaming everything on youth, but we can see that often these culture swings are closely associated with youth culture. So often, these movements among larger populations in terms of spiritual beliefs also happen among younger demographics. But as people who have come to trust in Christ we do have an anchor for the soul which is our hope in Christ (Hebrews 6:19-20)! Also, we do have a source for truth and reality which is the word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Paul also dealt with something like this phenomenon when he proclaimed the gospel to the pagan culture of Athens. They, much like our modern culture, had an insatiable appetite for that which is novel and alternative (Acts 17:21). So what did Paul do in this environment? He proclaimed who God is, as Creator, Ruler, Judge, and Savior! So many styles, fashions, and cycles may come and go but eternity is founded on the rock and the rock is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)! So today, if you are separated from God by the guilty of your sin, don’t remain there because of unbelief but rather trust in Jesus and be secured in your soul!

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