Can A Christian Be Gothic?
Pastor Ed - Sanctuary San Diego
This is a personal question for me so I will address what being "gothic" means to me and why I have chosen to embrace this lifestyle. Let me start by explaining how and why I became a "Goth." I jokingly say that my dear friend Chase sired me to the "dark side" because he was the first one to introduce me to this culture. I became "gothic" during a time of extreme sadness in my life.
I was surrounded by others who were telling me to just be happy but I could not. I found solace in the dark sounds of Love and Rockets and Bauhaus. In The Cure I found honesty of emotion, something I desperately needed.
When I became "saved" I noticed that while I had the "light of the world" in my life, I was still an outsider. I could not adapt to the cookie-cutter Christian model. Eventually, I discovered Sanctuary and truly found it the right place for my soul. Now I am a Shadow Dweller, lurking with a candle, holding it out to others, sharing the light and the love of God to those who are also living in the shadows.
It is hard to understand the real meaning of who/what a Goth is if you are not a part of this scene. To me gothic is more than a fashion choice or a music preference. It is an attitude of how one views the world we live in. Some choose to look at life with a very shallow point of view, i.e.: "life is one big party and fun is the big goal in life." Others see it from a 'yuppie' perspective, looking for their identity in their work, money, possessions, etc.
Life from a "gothic" point of view is one that is bleak and somber, thus the dark appearance and style of dress. The world is dark to me because it's so far from God's holy plan and design, that it saddens me greatly. I express my somberness to the world by my style of dress and demeanor. I relate to the prophet Jeremiah regarded by most as the Weeping Prophet.
Being gothic to me is also being real with myself, real with others, and real with God. I do not hide behind a mask to hide who I am and how I truly feel. When I am happy I express it fully, and when I am sad I express that as well. Most Goths express their bleak sadness openly and I see that as an honesty of humanity.
I admire the culture for its open and honest expression of self, no matter how perverse or strange, because this is how God sees us. We cannot hide our sins from Him and it is foolish to think we can. In 'normal society', people seem so concerned with appearances; they hide their true selves in order to gain the favor of others.
This mask wearing is accepted, yet stark honesty is often shunned, even by those in the church. This is truly sad. You see, being gothic is more than a fashion statement or a certain style of music; it is a reflection of how one chooses to see the world. This world is lost, hell-bound, and full of people in complete denial seeking to fill that God-shaped void within them with everything except the Cross. It is a world lacking in honesty of self or honesty toward others.
If I were to be anything but 'gothic' in my views I would be among the mask-wearing hypocrites. So I wear black and tell others who will listen that the world is empty and bleak. Yet it does not have to be. Though we live in the darkness, we are not of it. Thanks be to God for that.