Adrift on a Sea of Unreason

No, we won’t be needing reason anymore.

When I first heard (1990) the song below I was yet to be a believer. I liked its rather whimsical-sounding melody, its lazy pace, and its reminiscence of 1950s/1960s pop music while sounding modern. I didn’t pay much attention to the lyrics. But now I notice the lyrics, and I see them through a Christian apologetics lens.

I’m not really sure what the writer of the song intended with his lyrics. They could well by purposefully ambiguous. But I read them now as referring to those caught up in the over-emotionalism of what I term hyper-charismaticism. They go from conference to conference, ‘church’ meeting to ‘church’ meeting, searching for the next spiritual ‘high’ with a goal toward exceeding the greatest of their past. Doctrine is sidestepped in favor of experience. But what kind of spirit is being experienced?

We’re going ’round in circles
We have no single point of view
And like the clouds that turn to every passing wind
We turn to any signal that comes through

The Apostle Paul refers to these spiritually immature as being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph 4:14, KJV).

We pushed the empty frame of reason out the cabin door
No, we won’t be needing reason anymore

It stands to reason that such a discarding of reason is spiritually dangerous.

But the captain never told them what he knew

Who’s steering the ship?

My heart truly weeps for those caught up in this.

“Empty Frame”
(Lyrics Brian Eno)

So they rode the sea
It went on and on
They were years away
Though it seemed so long
But the captain never told them what he knew
As the poor ship laboured on through the endless blue

Oh, the storm was strong
And the ship was so frail
But they stumbled on
Raising broken sails
And they held the heavy sky on their open hands
And they dreamed of when their po’ feet would touch the land

Maybe we’re going round in circles
Where is this place we’re going to?
Does anybody know we’re out here on the waves?
And are any of our signals coming through?

We’re going ’round in circles
We have no single point of view
And like the clouds that turn to every passing wind
We turn to any signal that comes through

At the edge of the sea
Were the signs of the dove
But the wrong way out
And the wrong way up
We pushed the empty frame of reason out the cabin door
No, we won’t be needing reason anymore