Bob Dylan Finds His Source

From the January 4, 1980, issue of Christianity Today:

There is little need to recount Scripture or to specify chapter and verse to substantiate the proposition that Slow Train is a Christian album. And while there may be inquiries about the surety of his commitment, Slow Train is testimony to Bob Dylan's completion into the Christian faith.

Slow Train Coming is more than a testimony to Bob Dylan's completion into the Christian faith: it is a call into the bars, into the streets, into the world, to repentance, to "the man on the cross … crucified for you. Believe in his power, that's about all you've got to do!" Bob, Jerry Wexler, and Barry Beckett have taken outreach and made it happen in the raw musical vernacular of the roadhouse.

Bob Dylan's credentials are impeccable. Who continually encouraged us to find the truth for ourselves, "Not to follow leaders" (not even himself,.in '"It Ain't Me, Babe")? Who suspected the status quo. the cool, the compromising ("Don't know which is worse, doin' your own thing or just bein' cool")? Who warned the complacent that the "times are a'changing," or cried for the realization of a mutual hope "blowin' in the wind"? Who painfully reexamined his talents and asked, "For whom does this prosper?" so that we might be strengthened in our own hope/thirst for righteousness'?

Not only as edification for the body, "Gotta Serve Somebody" must touch any listener just because it identifies so many of us: our jobs, our traits, our likes, our dislikes. How clearly in this context do we begin to see the single choice available at the bottom line: you cannot serve two masters.

As the blind lead the blind, the political activist has misread the reference to sheiks controlling America's power in Slow Train as a conservative political posture; it is, in fact, an accurate portrayal of the larger picture of world greed and man's subsequent dependence upon its luxuries and niceties as though they were life itself. Remember the line from Pogo: "We have met the enemy and he is us"? This is the ultimate war—the extension of our own battle for control in a situation that has been given to us. A man named Adam and a woman named Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and at once became "self-conscious," and hid from God. That seed of discontent and guilt has been passed down through the centuries and extruded through into defensive postures that bear no relation to turning the other cheek.

Juxtaposing seemingly unrelated characters and situations, Bob historically has spoken to us of a larger pursuit—a game bigger than local politics or the one-night stand. His John Wesley Harding album marked an adventurous step into the spiritual realm. And most Dylan aficionados are agreed that "My Back Pages" was the most revealing track from Another Side of Bob Dylan. It prophesied his dissatisfaction with himself and with goals that suddenly seemed too obvious and short-sighted. His search wound its way through his albums with occasional discoveries—like love, as revealed in a personal relationship.

Scriptural references were commonplace in Dylan songs, mostly Old Testament images. The allusions were rather strong, and there was no denying the power and authority of lines like "the first will be last," in "The Times They Are A'Changing."

Our Father is leading this musician into areas that are unreachable by the pastel-suited, bouffant-haired, highly stylized `"gospel singer." No one can fully recognize the diversity of gifts or talents within the body of Christ. Bob's new album is a special success: not only for him personally, as God will contrive to work through him as a person; but also musically, as it reaches for the shadows. It beseeches a decision from the hardest hearted, the one who is hardest to find, the outlaw—that one who never committed himself for fear of being hurt. It is an inspiration to all brothers and sisters. Remain in your station.

I'm sure some of the thinking behind the request for me to write about Bob Dylan's new album, "Slow Train Coming," was the assumption that because Bob and I shared the same times we must have shared the same space. Therefore, to provide the perspective in which to discuss this record. I must recount the Dylan-Stookey "relationship."

I met Bob in Greenwich Village in 1960, when he sang at the Gaslight, a coffee house (remember those?). His impact on me was considerable: the first night he was a singer of traditional ballads: the second night he was an innovator, using the folk idiom to speak in parables. Following his performance that second night, I asked him if he had heard of the counterfeit ticket scam that resulted in the sinking of the Bear Mountain Picnic vessel, when holders of all tickets (real or fake) boarded the ship, heedless of its capacity. The next night he returned with "Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues."

We had sporadic contact from 1961 to 1967. There was the Newport Folk Festival, where Bob's electric presentation was welcomed by a crowd thirsty for the perception and content in his music.

Then Woodstock, 1967: I'm looking for truth; Bob is recovering from a motorcycle accident. He graciously allows a friend and me into the house to ask questions of the universe. He is totally honest with me, kind—and suggests I do some Bible reading. Thanks, Bob.

1968, Dylan's movie time: I'm a seeker in monk's clothing, cavorting with Tiny Tim and Howard Alk and a winterscape. I end up on the cutting room floor.

Again 1968: Bob returns from the Holy Land; there is excitement in his voice. He has slides. I have slides. We have families. Some maybes are exchanged.

1974. I've moved to Maine. Bob passes through with the Rolling Thunder Review, close enough to attend. I don't.

People speak of the " Dylan enigma"; I see growth. The "basement tapes" are so scriptural I can't believe that everyone doesn't know who the Mighty Quinn is or in which "book" too much of nothing transpires.

1979. I hear a rumor: Dylan's a Christian. I hear of a personal encounter that speaks so eloquently of a changed heart I know the rumor must be true. I hear "Slow Train."

Musician Noel Paul Stookey is best known as Paul of Peter, Paul, and Mary, whose personal spiritual odyssey was described in Christianity Today's issue of May 19, 1978.

Related Elsewhere

Christianity Today's other articles on Bob Dylan include:

Watered-Down Love | Bob Dylan encountered Jesus in 1978, and that light has not entirely faded as he turns 60. By Steve Turner (May 24, 2001)

Bob Dylan: Still Blowin' in the Wind | Christianity Today reviews Dylan's work before the singer's conversion to Christianity. By Daniel J. Evearitt (Dec. 3, 1976)

Not Buying into the Subculture | Slow Train Coming reveals that Bob Dylan's quest for answers has been satisfied. By David Singer (Jan. 4, 1980)

Has Born-again Bob Dylan Returned to Judaism? | The singer's response to an Olympics ministry opportunity might settle the matter once for all. (Jan. 13, 1984)

Noel Paul Stookey's page offers information about the artist's touring schedule, recordings, and other projects.