A story on the BeliefNet blog reported that a concert featuring the band The New Pornographers was scheduled to take place at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan in mid-October, but the Student Activities Office recently cancelled the concert because of controversy concerning the band’s name. In a statement, the Student Activities Office explained that “…after weeks of discussion and consideration, the irony of the band’s name was impossible to explain to many. The band’s name, to some, is mistakenly associated with pornography. Consequently, Calvin, to some, was mistakenly associated with pornography. Neither the college nor the band endorses pornography.” Calvin College often engages musicians that do not endorse a Christian viewpoint, according to the blog post, including bands with names like Barenaked Ladies, Jimmy Eat World, and LoveDrug. Apparently this time, the complaints over the name as a representation of what might occur during the concert were more than the school administration was willing to handle.
What do you think? Should the concert have been cancelled? Should Christian colleges adopt the “dangerous” work of engaging popular culture on behalf of its students?
