There is an article in the latest issue of Books & Culture about one of my favorite bands, Tool. A Bigger Tool Kit (Theology from a prog rock band) by Roger Freet contrasts the meditative lyrics of “Wings for Marie” and “10,000 Days (Wings part 2)” from Tool’s 2006 release 10,000 Days, with the virulent anti-God lyrics of “Judith” from A Perfect Circle’s 2000 release Mer de Noms. I think it is an interesting read, but I particularly like this point from the conclusion:

An artist who explicitly rejects God, as many have done, nevertheless remains a “sub-creator,” as Tolkien said, a creator in the Creator’s image. We should be suspicious of our tendency to insist that God only shows up in the right places.

Read the full article at http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/005/12.34.html. My only slight niggle with the article is the claim that “[t]he band has been touring nonstop since May 2006 with shows booked through this September.” Perhaps there was a long lead time on the article, but drummer Danny Carey tore his bicep in February 2007, and a large portion of their spring / summer 2007 tour had to be canceled. They were supposed to play in State College, but that ended up not happening. Which is a major bummer — they put on a great show.