In this six-part Forum series, Morgan Allen will lead us in a theological reflection on scripture and our American condition, in companion with the life and work of Bruce Springsteen. We’ll draw on several texts, including the Gospel of Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, and Springsteen’s musical catalogue, autobiography, and recent one-man show.

This week's discussion: 

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (part 2)

This week, we will discuss the most fundamental of rock-n-roll values: freedom.  In the context of The Boss, we will first listen to “Blinded by the Light,” from Springsteen’s 2005 performance on VH-1’s Storytellers, and then compare its expressions of freedom with those from “My Hometown.”  Scripturally, we will root this conversation in Luke 2:41-52, which recounts the story of the boy Jesus in the Jerusalem temple, and Galatians 5:13-26, which begins, “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become servants of one another.”

We will end by anticipating our MLK weekend conversation about Springsteen and race.