The Stampeders: "Giant in the Street"

This group, named after the Calgary Stampeders football team, had a number of hits in Canada during the early seventies. The group benefited from Canadian content laws where the nation's broadcasters had to play thirty percent of their music content from Canadians. Even so, they had solid melodies and great musicianship.

This album cut was on The Stampeders' album "Carryin' On." It's about people believing the evening news rather than being skeptical. Check it out here.

Like that rumored giant in the song, people often believe what they hear rather than investigating the matter for themselves. We see this demonstrated in Matthew 16:13-16 (Bible in Basic English). "Now when Jesus had come into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he said, questioning his disciples, 'Who do men say that the Son of man is?' And they said, 'Some say, John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.' He says to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Simon Peter made answer and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Here's an Old Testament example of how a rumor nearly started a war. Joshua 22:11 and 12 (BBE) says, "And news came to the children of Israel, 'See, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have put up an altar opposite the land of Canaan, in the country by Jordan on the side which is Israel's. Then all the meeting of the children of Israel, hearing this, came together at Shiloh to go up against them to war."

Later in the chapter, we find that this altar was a memorial to the two-and-a-half tribes of their faithfulness to God. Once people heard the truth, they calmed down.

We also see in Acts 22:27-29 (BBE) how the Apostle Paul's enemies jumped to conclusions. "And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the Temple, got the people together and put their hands on him, Crying out, 'Men of Israel, come to our help: this is the man who is teaching all men everywhere against the people and the law and this place: and in addition, he has taken Greeks into the Temple, and made this holy place unclean' For they had seen him before in the town with Trophimus of Ephesus, and had the idea that Paul had taken him with him into the Temple."

And if Christ hasn't returned by Monday, I hope to post about the Kent State incident and how Neil Young immortalized that tragedy in a song.