In the March letter from Vital Signs Ministries, I briefly mentioned two secular music videos I believed had the potential to be life-changing, life-saving resources. And I still do.
However, a friend who I hadn’t directly heard from for a long time was concerned enough to call me last weekend with a disagreement about one of those videos. The two I mentioned in the newsletter were Nick Cannon’s “Can I Live” and Matt Kennon’s “The Call.” But my friend’s concern was only over Nick Cannon’s. Because of Cannon’s background and negative reputation, my friend thought he was a poor choice to use as a role model in any way...especially with young people.
I explained that I was only advocating that particular video (which is the re-telling of Cannon’s own story as a kid who was almost aborted) and that I didn’t think that was condoning elements of his immoral lifestyle. After all, in many other contexts, I quote and/or refer to non-believers when their remarks are relevant -- as did the apostle Paul, by the way.
Nevertheless, I listened to my friend -- a very sincere and godly man -- and admitted I could at least have attached a “warning label” of some kind when suggesting the Nick Cannon video had I known more about who he was. And not bothering to check that out was “my bad.” And after thanking my brother for his honest, and somewhat courageous, counsel, I told him I would pass along that warning now.
