Derek Webb goes into the concept of peace a little more and talks about pacifism.
Derek Webb gives us a deeper look at the concept behind The Ringing Bell in the second installment of our interview. He also talks a bit about pacifism.
Suite: The idea of peace on this is more of the concept of peace as a whole rather than against the war in Iraq or any one thing, would that be correct?
Derek: Yeah, absolutely. I have not up to this point, and can’t imagine any time in the future, pigeonholing myself from a time standpoint. I’m not dealing with a particular administration, a particular time in history, a particular war, a particular conflict. I think that you can do that and personally I do think a lot about those things.
But in terms of the music that I’m making, I think there are broader concepts at play here that do I believe speak into these more specific moments and these specific people. I’m much more concerned with looking at the broader concepts because at some point, hopefully, the present conflicts will evolve or change or whatever and you don’t want to run the risk of being totally irrelevant in a couple of years when things evolve and change.
I’m really interested in looking at the broader issues because I think when approached that way it does speak to the more specific moment but it doesn’t just speak to that. I’ve never intentionally dealt with any kind of specific moment or regime or anything like that.
I’ve got some friends that definitely think I have. I can’t tell you how many people, when asking about my last record, Mocking Bird, tell how clearly I was going after President Bush or the war in Iraq or things like this and I’m like wow I totally don’t see that. (laughing) that was totally not my intention. I would never do that. I don’t know. I try to be careful, to be as clear as I can about that now adays.
Suite: Would you consider yourself to be a pacifist? It seems like you strive to be a pacifist but failing because we’re all human, the human side always gets the better of us.
Derek: Sure. You know what, I would say that my initial instinct to that question would be no. The reason I would say no is because I hate categories. And I hate loaded terms, terms that if you ask ten different people they might have ten different definitions about the word. And I don’t’ want to agree with to a word that I don’t even know what someone else’s definition of it is.
If someone came down here from another planet and the planet they came from the word “Christian” meant a person who eats babies or something and they ask, “Are you a Christian?” and I say, “Of course I am,” without even qualifying what the term means for them . Then I would be saying that I was a person who eats babies, which of course I’m not.
You can’t really so easily put a term on yourself, yet during a lot of my life I’ve really been quick to do that, theologically, philosophically. I always really liked terms because I’m a detailed thinker. I like to have things cut and dry. I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older that you can’t, that’s really just not how the world works.
So do I believe in the idea of peace? Do I believe that war is not an ideal situation? That we should really strive to live in peace with one another? Do that even as a follower of Jesus as I’ve been commanded to do? Do I believe that there’s a day coming where there will be no more war there will be more violence, there will be no more conflict? There will be no more poverty and hunger and sickness and wanting?
Yes. I do believe all of that. If in your definition of pacifism, that’s what that makes me, then I, for all purposes here, I am. But for a lot of people it means a lot of things. So I’m really reluctant to agree.
Derek Webb Interview Part One: Derek talks about the title of his new CD and writing songs.
Derek Webb Interview Part Three: Derek expands on pacifism and tells us about his graphic novel.
Derek Webb Interview Part Four: Derek talks about using different mediums to communicate a concept.
Derek Webb Interview Part Five: Derek talks about his courtship and having fun.
Derek Webb Interview Part Six: Derek talks about reuniting with his friends in Caedmon's Call
