By JJT (written for ThinkChristian.net)

Morris’ ballad locates the true root of violence, both in the world at large and in our hearts.

In response to the Sept. 30 mass shooting in Las Vegas, upstart country artist Maren Morris unveiled a fascinating ballad, one she originally wrote with Tom Douglas and David Hodges after the 2015 Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church massacre but had not yet released. The song, entitled “Dear Hate,” features a duet vocal with Vince Gill over sparse acoustic guitar and piano instrumentation. It’s a beautiful piece of songwriting and a stellar performance. Morris has pledged that every penny she earns from the song will go to the Music City Cares Fund, which was recently established to assist the victims of the Las Vegas tragedy.

“Dear Hate” comes from an artist who has previously said that playing music on her car radio is her only church, yet the song speaks from a deeply theological perspective. All manner of tragedies, from the Civil Rights violence of the 1960s to the assassination of JFK to the terror attacks of 9/11, are connected back to the biblical account of the Garden of Eden. Hate is described as a “snake in the grass” and is recognized as being both color-blind (universal) and deeply personal (“You could poison any mind, just look in mine.”) It is seen throughout history as a corrupting, but vulnerable force. In faith, the song looks forward to an ultimate victory over hate when “love’s gonna conquer all.”

These days, “hate” serves as a more culturally acceptable synonym for the real culprit: sin. It is sin—the choice to put self and pride over and above God’s loving plan—that leads to hate. What is it about the word “hate” that makes it so much more palatable than the concept of sin? Maybe the difference is that hate is something we can tell ourselves is separate from us, something that good people reject. The problem with the word “sin” for modern ears is that it sounds harsh and judgmental. Yet unless we are willing to see the violence and destruction around us as the obvious result of sin in this world—and that the same sin infects each of our hearts (which Morris acknowledges)—we will never really come to place of understanding and healing.

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