“"Test the Spirits" (part 2)”

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Last week we considered an example of how Satan can use God’s words to deceive and destroy. By making subtle alterations to the message or the context, he can tempt even those who earnestly desire to know and serve God, if they still harbor yearnings for the world’s acceptance. That example was a poem from Scripture, twisted and set to music in a popular song, then invited into the church by unwitting Christians. This week’s example follows a similar pattern, but instead remains in the cultural sphere, with greater reach than the obscure Rastafari disco.

An Atheist’s Hymn

In 1965, folk rock band The Byrds released a single called “Turn! Turn! Turn!” which Pete Seeger had composed in 1959. The Byrds’ version became a number-one hit in the US and performed very well worldwide. Before the 60s were complete, four more covers of the song had already seen commercial success. This song was on to something.

While it was credited to Pete Seeger above, that’s not the full story. The song is almost entirely taken from Ecclesiastes.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

(Ecclesiastes 3.1-8)

Seeger used an older translation, of course, and reordered words where necessary to suit the meter, but not much more.

Well, isn’t that great? A popular—nay, several popular musicians acknowledged Solomon’s God-given wisdom, and caused the listening public to memorize a lengthy passage of the Bible! How uplifting! The problem is that it’s garbage. How can that be, when it’s the word of God? The key comes in the very few words added to God’s. In the first place, there’s the title: “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Perhaps this seems like a reference to the cyclical nature of human existence; but why the exclamation marks, and repetition? It is also sung, behind the more meaningful opening lyrics. But the more obvious point is at the end at the song. After the line, “a time for peace,” comes a final assessment: “I swear, it’s not too late!”

Not too late, for what? Well, “for peace.” It’s an anti-war protest song, urging the listener to “Turn!” from the present course. Due to his atheism, Seeger saw nothing beyond the physical realm. Amid the threat of nuclear war and global destruction, he preferred allowing oppressors to expand their realms, enslave, and kill more and more people, rather than risk war. One wonders why “a time for peace” appears to be the only line from the Bible that matters, to the exclusion of “a time to kill,” “a time to hate,” and “a time for war.” Perhaps the idea was that this time is for peace and not war; but if so, the claim is never examined, only asserted. On top of that, it’s worth noting that Seeger had originally protested against American involvement even in World War II—not until Pearl Harbor was bombed, but until his beloved Soviet Union was attacked by Hitler.

Even at the time, some others saw through the silliness. Satirist Tom Lehrer mocked,

It takes a certain amount of courage to get up in a coffeehouse or a college auditorium and come out in favor of the things that everybody else in the audience is against, like peace, and justice, and brotherhood, and so on.

(Tom Lehrer, “The Folk Song Army,” That Was the Year that Was, 1965, Warner Bros.)

Yet, the protest song movement in general, and this song in particular continued to have wide appeal, even today. The source of the lyrics is taken as evidence that the song is profound. If you poke around the internet you’ll find that nearly every reference to this song mentions the lyrics’ biblical origin, and most comments by random individuals do the same, in reverential tones. But the author had undercut the Scripture, by ignoring the inconvenient parts, and adding his own imbecilic commentary. The point of “Turn! Turn! Turn!” is very simple: war is bad. This message resonates, but it’s far too simplistic. As Solomon wrote, there is, in fact, “a time for war” (Ec 3.8). Far more serious thinkers than Seeger and his ilk have addressed the question of war. For example, Augustine of Hippo wrote, “Peace is not sought, in order to stir up war; rather, war is waged, in order to achieve peace” (Letters, 189.6).

§

Much like some Christians foolishly laid hold of a Rastafari abomination on the grounds that it was mostly from the Bible, many people—Christians, or not—to this day enjoy an avowed atheist’s misinterpretation of Solomon’s ode to the balance of life, and welcome an absurd message into their very souls, thinking it’s “the pure spiritual milk” of God’s word, which promotes salvation. But it’s a perversion, illustrating how gullible we can be. Even before the close of the first century, the Apostle John warned Christians,

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.

(1 John 2.18)

God’s Word—both written and incarnate—has been misrepresented, altered, and turned into an idol countless times. Be careful whose interpretation you believe.

Jeremy Nettles

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