Fair warning: this song contains strong language, especially near the end. Maybe not one for the church van.
The Background
Rage Against the Machine released “Killing in the Name” in 1992 on their debut album. It came out the same year as the Los Angeles riots, which followed the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King. Zack de la Rocha’s lyrics accuse people who abuse power behind a badge, and he goes further, charging that some of them share the same hatred as those who burn crosses.
The song is basically one riff, a handful of lines, and a whole lot of shouting. Tom Morello’s guitar sounds like a machine that has decided to file a complaint. In 2009, British fans staged a campaign to make it the Christmas number one, which it was. Nothing says peace on earth like a song about refusing orders.
Through a Christian Lens
I’ll be honest. I don’t love the language, and I wouldn’t play it at a potluck. But the title asks a question believers ought to sit with: in whose name are we acting?
Some of history’s worst cruelty was done in God’s name. Crusades. Inquisitions. Crosses set on fire on Southern lawns, not far from where I grew up. That last one is especially bitter, because the cross is where Jesus died for His enemies, not where His followers terrorize theirs. Using His name to harm people made in His image is exactly what the third commandment warns against. Taking the Lord’s name in vain isn’t only about cussing. It’s about attaching His name to something He’d never sign.
The song’s other big idea is refusing to obey when what you’re told is wrong. Scripture has examples. The Hebrew midwives refused Pharaoh’s order to kill baby boys. Peter and John told the authorities they would obey God rather than men. Obedience to authority is good, until authority asks you to betray the One above it.
Jesus gave us a better name to act in. Whatever we do, we’re to do it in His name, which means doing it the way He would. That rules out cruelty. It also rules out apathy.
Colossians 3:17 (KJV)
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
— JC
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