Many Christians will not agree with the premise of this book. Some contemporaries may reject it vigorously. Skip to content. About the Contributors Roy B. You made some really good points in this article, Alan. I do my best to practice tip 2 as often as I can, and in doing so, I have discovered many extremely talented artists such as:. Being a worship leader, and musician, I often find myself bobbing my head to music. Weather good or bad it is in me! Music that is. However I find myself feeling discouraged by a good tune and horrible lyric.
I think that often times even as Christians we think that we need to proclaim our testimony or our so called message of what we think people need to hear. So we muster up whatever amazing chord progression we can that is catchy and what we think is worth listening to. Though some may have pure intentions others truly are just trying to get noticed. Honestly when leading worship I find myself looking at each song with a few questions in mind. First off we are created to worship!
Though many songs may be good for encouragement or inspiration we are ultimately to bring praise and honor to our King. So with all of this said it is my belief that if the song is focusing on the person rather than what the Lord has done and or is doing or simply bringing honor to Him then it is not worth the time of day.
Music can be a very powerful tool to draw people into the kingdom but that was not what it was created for. We should go back to where it all started and if I remember correctly they were songs of praise and adoration to the one and true Living God! I like this article, but wonder about standards of good, and the use of decent rather than groundbreaking music in Christian circles. My temptation is to dismiss them as derivative.
The CCM industry at best has encouraged the growth of bands like Superchick while denigrating truly innovative and politically unpredictable bands like Ballydowse. I am probably a minority of one here, but I for one do not believe there is such a thing as good contemporary Christian music. That stuff is so horrible that for my taste it is only questionably even music. Quite frankly, I will be surprised if CCM radio does not go off the air completely at least by the end of the year.
This is because Christian music is already a small market, and anything that drives listeners away is a no-no. The Christian bands that do make excellent music tend to be underground or outside of the mainstream. But they do exist. What they are looking for is music further from the nihilism or empty sensuality that pervades so much of our cultures art the better as well as the worse. Everything belongs to it, the sacred as well as the profane.
I do believe that there are distinctives, good and bad, of the experience of the Christian community, the body of Christ. I think that those distinctives are best portrayed by those who are a member of the Christian community. And while Christians can join the rest of the world making redemptive art, there is also a deep need for the more distinctively Christian stuff.
A recent example of this would be Back on Murder, by J. Mark Bertrand. As the story continues, it shows a fascinating portrait of a megachurch—its truly Christian values, its human resistance to those values, its pain and to a small extent its glory. Not every work of art by Christians needs to focus on these subjects…but Back on Murder seems a book that would not have likely been produced by someone outside of the Christian community. This is a really great article and brilliant discussion on top of that!
Amber, your comment was just perfect. I have an ongoing problem with this whole thing, because I would ideally like to listen to music that has a christian message and mentality. The problem is, I like music. It really is a massive part of my life. There seem to be no bands out there who are making music for the love of music by pushing boundaries and coming up with something new! I checked out most of the bands in the comments section and nothing there jumped out either sorry.
Saying that though, the only band I can think of is Fightstar… And Evanescence but I stopped listening to them some time ago. As for making a change, my partner is christian and the lead guitarist and songwriter in a progressive, alternative-type band. A few random thoughts in no particular order: 1. You have some standouts, but the pool is so much smaller.
Also, no wonder why some christian artists can have such explosive rebellious stages later on. Stop taking on the expectation that everything you say has to be explicitly about Jesus. Do you live the rest of your life that way? You only have so much time in the day. All this creates a lower level of expecation for christian pop. Be around truly creative people, and that may mean you have to put away the christian pop for awhile…or move to LA rather than Nashville.
I know, scary…but I lived there 11 years and never have known more mature christians with such resiliant faith as the ones who live in decidedly non-christian environs. And who knows? Someday you may move back home, see how much time christians there spend talking about christian pop, and be drawn back to a more innocent time. Just some thoughts.
And of course good old fashioned silence…if you can handle it. The Sidewalk Prophets are a perfect example. Also, the melodies seem very forced too. I myself am a songwriter and I could come up with melodies in one day. Finding the one that hits me in the right away and means something and might have the power to connect with other people is a completely different thing entirely.
Avoiding cliches and writing Christian music is hard, but hey, people have done it. When Christian musicians stop being influenced by themselves, and start writing songs that move the masses, like the Beatles, just for example sake, rather than trying to reach those already saved, there will be a transformation in Christian music. When they put their sweat into it like Led Zeppelin did, or angst like The Rolling Stones, or even Nirvana, people will feel it.
There are many of my Christian friends who criticize my view and tastes, but yet, I have not found many good examples of alternatives. Comments are now closed for this article. Get our weekly recap email for the latest from CAPC, delivered straight to your inbox. Menu Search Log In. Consider whether or not the music you buy is really worthy of praise. For many, if the CD is sold in a Christian bookstore it has already past their quality test.
In this age of iTunes, Amazon, and Myspace, there is no excuse for not listening to a CD or samples before you buy it. Be willing to search for something better. We are busy people. And the marketing from Christian labels encourage us to be lazy by pushing their artists and music on the radio, TV, and in magazines. Thankfully, we also live in a time where it is easier than ever to get access to quality, excellent, praiseworthy, Christian music. Yes, it will take time, and you may have to listen to a lot of awful music to find something worth supporting, but the simple truth is that as we find and support Christian artists who do make excellent music, we are actively reshaping the popular Christian music market.
Encourage musicians in your church to make good music. There is a temptation we can have when we meet people in our churches who make music to avoid criticism at all cost. These people are our friends, and they are making music to glorify God. How could we criticize the songs they write? Well, if we love them we need to speak the truth in love. Encourage them to keep making music, and when possible support them financially.
Go to shows. Buy their albums. Spread the word about them. But also encourage them to improve, to mature, to not be content with merely copying what they hear on the radio. If we blindly support those believers around us who make music, then we will perpetuate the poor state of Christian music.
We must be willing to encourage and admonish, in love. Spread the word. And sometimes, the reaction you receive will be one of disinterest or disgust. Alan Noble Alan Noble, Ph. He received his Ph. He is also author of the book Disruptive Witness. WWW Twitter Facebook. The Dane: I tend to agree with you. Pastor Dave, Have you heard Anathello? In short, I like what we might call good music.
Et cetera. Jon again — Sorry, I forgot my main point, which is this: I do not look to music for encouragement in the gospel any more than I look to food for encouragement in the gospel. Dane- glad to see Pinkerton on your list of good records! Kudos for that. I wonder why? In fact, since contemporary Christian music is derivative of mainstream popular music, I would suggest the quality of the secular music is better.
They will come into contact with all of it. The more restrictive you are, the more they will push back. Especially as they get closer to adulthood, help them become responsible music consumers.
The industry relies on the money it makes outside the church. Buying the music for your own enjoyment only increases its presence in the church. The only way to stop that is to cut off the cash flow. Stop giving the worship industry your money, and it will die. Honestly, most of the theology I learned from contemporary Christian music was anecdotal, at best. They might feel uplifting, but if you really actively listen and reflect on the content, it might not be something you want to be passively consuming.
But the gospel message is not one of escapism, and the substance of our faith is not meant to take our worries away and keep us happy all day long until we finally leave this world and move into our heavenly hotel room. As people called by Christ, we are called to deep thinking, grappling, and ultimately, holy action. Saying yes to the gospel is also saying yes to confronting the sin and the darkness and the crap that is going on around us.
It is not something we use as an ointment to heal all our troubles. So give it a try. Get newsletters and updates Close. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter and special offers. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter. Toggle navigation. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. I grew up listening to contemporary Christian music.
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