04.00. What's Wrong With The Gospel?
What’s Wrong With The Gospel? by
Keith Green
Keith Gordon Green (October 21, 1953 - July 28, 1982) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pianist originally from Sheepshead Bay, New York. Green is best known for his strong devotion to Christianity and his unwavering efforts to stir others to the same. Notable songs written by Green and/or his wife, Melody Green, include "I Don’t Wanna Fall Away From You", "You Put This Love In My Heart", "Your Love Broke Through", and "Asleep In The Light", as well as the modern hymns "O Lord, You’re Beautiful", "There Is A Redeemer", and "Create In Me A Clean Heart".
Green was killed on July 28, 1982, when a small airplane leased by Last Days Ministries crashed on takeoff from a private airport referred to in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) crash report as Garden Valley Airport. Green had planned to give visiting friends an aerial view of the Last Days Ministries property. Two of Green’s children, three year old Josiah, and two year old Bethany, were on board the plane, as was pilot Don Burmeister, and friends John and Dede Smalley and all six of their children. All passengers were killed in the crash. Crash investigators determined that the aircraft was nearly 450 lbs. (202 kg) overweight with 12 passengers and only 7 seats. On November 27, 2001, Keith Green was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He was honored with the ASCAP Crescendo Award at the 28th annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards presentation dinner on April 3, 2006. Melody was present to receive the award.
Personal note: I never met Keith Green nor was I able to attend any of his concerts. I was introduced to him by subscribing to the Last Days Newsletter and reading his columns which led to my listening to his music. One of his albums, Songs For A Shepherd, was offered ’for sale’ at bookstores and through the newsletter for whatever you wanted to donate. Needless to say, bookstores didn’t care for this policy. At a concert in Tulsa, Keith called the students and faculty (and other attendees) ’snakes and vipers.’ Keith did what he felt God told him to regardless of what others thought of him. The news of his death shocked and stunned me. Besides my admiration for his Christian principles and go-for-God-at-all-costs attitude, I felt an additional kinship since he and I were born in the same year and married in the same year(silly reasons, I know).
I look forward to talking with him.
NOTE: The section divisions are there for easier reading.