The theology of Johnny Cash

Fascinating piece on the Man in Black's ideology as expressed through his songs at Campus Progress. It's an enticing prospect, that Cash wouldn't have approved of country music having become "the de facto soundtrack of the Bush Administration" (mostly because, as a Cash fan, I want to agree with him). Not sure if the analysis is balanced enough to be believed (this is from CAP, mind you), but I think a certain part is right on:

In the true Christian spirit, Cash treated all the people he sung about like the highway patrolman treated his brother. Cash never denied their terrible deeds; Lord knows he’d done his share of bad things, too. Nor did he apologize for them. But he never shook a Bible at them either. They were human, just like him – deeply flawed and prone to sin.

I think the propensity of the so-called christian right to judge people, and to advocate punishment, is perhaps their most troubling aspect to me. You know, the whole casting the first stone thing just doesn't seem to be part of their ideology, but it's always struck me as one of the most important parts of christianity, one of several remarkable philosophies that make the whole thing so valuable. From all I can tell, Cash's songs fall pretty close to that ideal.