Christian Music 101

What is Christian music?

     Christian music is not a genre; rather, it is a very broad category of music made by followers of Christ who want to glorify God in some way with their art. "Christian music" is much like the extensive term "Canadian music" – rather than being restricted to one specific form, it is a quite general term that can be applied to music in virtually every genre. There are two basic types of Christian music:

     Worship music is the kind of music that is suitable for singing in church services. These songs usually have "vertical lyrics," meaning that the lyrics of the song are addressed specifically to God, so the people worshiping feel like they are singing to God directly. This includes hymns, gospel music, and contemporary worship. Even within worship music there is a wide range of musical styles, from solemn, traditional renderings of 18th century hymns to the upbeat experimental post-rock songs of Gungor and Bellarive.

     Nonworship music is music written by Christians to glorify God, but meant for general listening rather than being played in a church service for worship. Although there are so-called "Christian record labels," there are also many Christians who publish music with secular, mainstream record labels. The Christian rock scene is vibrant, including the symphonic metal band Skillet, the alternative surf rock band Switchfoot, and the Canadian metal band Thousand Foot Krutch. The Christian rap/hip hop scene is also thriving, led by rappers such as TobyMac and Lecrae.
     Classical music owes a great deal of its success to Christian composers and patrons. Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the greatest composers of all time, was a devout Lutheran and devoted every one of his works "to the glory of God." Christians have also played a large part in the history of country music; Johnny Cash himself was unashamed to say he was a Christian, and sang a number of gospel songs. I've also listened to Christian artists from the genres of synth-pop (Owl City), electronic dance music (GodsDJs.com), jazz (Christian Jazz Artists Network), reggae (Papa San), acoustic rock (Mat Kearney), and even beatboxing (Peterpot).

How much does a band need to sing about God to be a "Christian band"?

     I don't think that a "Christian band" necessarily even needs to mention God in any of their songs. If the band members are true followers of Christ, then their beliefs should be evident in their music. However, explicit references to God or religion are not necessary.
     For example, Adam Young (the genius behind Owl City) rarely mentions God in his music, but keeps his songs clean and positive and isn't afraid to identify as a Christian. In 2011 he told the Christian Post in an interview, "My prayer is that the music of Owl City serves as a bright light in a very dark place, a ray of hope in this haunted house of a world. I want the Lord Jesus to use my music to do WHATEVER it is He wills."

Is it wrong to listen to nonChristian music?

     I think it all depends on whether or not the music you're listening to is going to affect your thoughts and behaviour, tempting you to sin. I listen to lots of music written by nonChristians, but I'm careful to remember that what I listen to can influence me profoundly.

     Lots of modern music has references to using illegal drugs, abusing alcohol, violence, lust and sexual immorality, pride, greed, hate, disregarding the consequences of your actions, and excessive concern with outward appearances and popularity. However, music affects each of us differently.
     If you can listen to Pumped Up Kicks without having the song change your views on violence, then I'd say it's okay to listen to. If you can listen to Thrift Shop without becoming excessively vulgar, materialistic, and prideful, then I'd say it's okay to listen to it. If you can listen to We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs) without getting overly bitter about a breakup you've experienced, then I'd say it's okay to listen to it. But as soon as a song starts inciting you to sin, I would recommend to back away and stop listening. That goes for any song, regardless of the religious beliefs of the person who wrote it.

Royal Proclamation

 His Majesty King Charles William James Philip Toblerone the Eighth, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, LG, CI, DGStJ, PC, etc., hereby brings forth this day a royal proclamation of utmost momentousness regarding the exceptional significance of music:

       Since creation, music has been a central part of society. First allow me to show you the universality of music. As the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes states, there is a time for everything. And there is a song for everything as well. While many songs have been composed for celebration and joyfulness,  many songs have also been written for sad times and mourning. Contrast "Hurt" performed by Johnny Cash, and "The Happy Song" sung by Delirious. The former is mournful and sober, the latter sunny and energetic. One may see this variety even in early literature. Take for example the book of Psalms, which contains many songs both joyous and unhappy.
  Music applies to both work and leisure. The famous song "Whistle While You Work" obviously concerns the former, while dance music concerns the latter. Music is also composed for special occasions and holidays. “Happy Birthday”, “Auld Lang Sang”, and the entire genre of Christmas music are all for special occasions and holidays.
  Wherever one goes, one cannot escape music. It is found in every culture, in every time period, in every place humanity has lived. Astronauts have even played the keyboard, guitar, saxophone, and didgeridoo while floating weightlessly in outer space! Because music is popular anywhere, at any time, for anyone, it has established itself quite firmly as a central part of human society. From North America to Japan and from Greenland to Australia, music continues to be one of the most important elements of culture.
       In modern western society, music accompanies many things. People listen to iPods while exercising and the radio while travelling. Movies, TV shows and commercials, video games, sports, theatrical performances, religious worship, and many other everyday activities all utilize music.
Music has also become big business. Albums, tickets for concerts and musicals, downloadable music online, instruments, sheet music, and music playing devices all sell for billions of dollars each year. Professional musicians earn fame and fortune. The enormous electronics company Apple Inc. has earned a large amount of their income from the 16 billion songs downloaded off of their iTunes store and the 300 million iPods they have sold.
       Why is music so popular? Because of its spiritual, mental, and emotional power. If you have ever put on a good song and just let your spirit sing along, you should know what I mean. Arts such as motivational speaking, drama, and music are unique in the their ability to significantly impact people spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I believe that because music is the most universal of these arts, it is also the most effective and beneficial.
       That is the reason why music is often used in religious worship. It is very emotional, while at the same time structured, systematic, and sensible. The medium is successful at establishing emotional ties to the supernatural while remaining rational and practical about the needs of life.
       While music is great at bringing people together around a common cause such as religion or nationalism, it is also very good at helping people define themselves. The many different types of music often cause people to want to identify with a certain genre, subgenre, or composer. This results in groups of fans united around a certain type of music. Often these groups are informal, but formal fan clubs develop as well. Sometimes entire subcultures and even religions are formed around a genre. The notable Rastafari religious movement owes much of its popularity to reggae music. Other subcultures are also built around music, such as the heavy metal subculture, which has its own symbols and fashions.
       Music is a central part of society because it is universally effective at bringing people together and helping them find their identity. It has intertwined with culture all around the world. Music belongs among the most influential and beneficial of all aspects of society, along with essential components such as religion, government, industry, and the media.

Music!

Secular Music

     Ah, secular music. It speaks to the soul, and tries to imagine that there is meaning to life, which is denied from the world by atheism... and some songs almost get it right! For example, Only Girl (by Rihanna), Firework (by Katy Perry), or Just the Way You Are (by Bruno Mars). To be honest, I am a big fan of many different types of music, regardless of which religion the musicians adhere to.

     Unfortunately, secular music is a mixed bag, and some of it gets downright filthy. For example, the song Take it Off  by Ke$ha practically sums up what's wrong with society. It has a great sound, it's catchy – hey, I even liked it at first! But the message is disgusting. Like everything sinful, this song looks exciting at first, but turns out to be vulgar.

Christian Contemporary Music

     I ♥ contemporary Christian music! Why? Because it's great modern-day music without the filth of sin attached. Instead of glorifying sexual immorality and crime, it glorifies God! Well, at least most of it does. I'm going to "profile" some artists.

     There's Tobymac, my favourite artist, who strives to let God shine through his work while at the same time producing outstanding music. He describes his music as a "blend of pop, hip hop & rock with Christ-centered lyrics."

     Jars of Clay, Newsboys, Brit Nicole, and many other artists featured in WOW albums explicitly proclaim Christ as King. The Newsboys in particular I find very good, because they blur the line between the Christian Contemporary and Praise and Worship genres.

     Stellar Kart is very straightforward about Christ. The result is sometimes inspirational and sometimes just cheesy.

     Manafest is a good Canadian rock-rap band. Their song Bounce is among my all-time favourite songs!!

     Thousand Foot Krutch (TFK) has some good hard rock, but sometimes they lose their Christian vision. Their line, "sometimes I feel like a monster, sometimes I feel like a saint," just about sums up their music. They have some good reflections, but they have also referred to God as a drug and a disease in their songs. The problem is that those words imply sin and decay, and are just disrespectful toward God. I still listen to them, but with caution because of their dubious theology. Oh, by the way, they're a Canadian band too!

     Skillet is perhaps one of the best rock bands of the century! Ya, I'm a panhead. Their experiments with symphonic rock have been a great success, giving their band a very cool, unique sound. However, their latest album Awake ventures away from Christian themes and sounds very much like a secular album – that can be good or bad, depending on your point of view. Personally, I wish they wouldn't abandon Christian themes.

     Some people say that rock music is evil, and thus there can't be Christian rock music. I completely disagree. Music is a method of communication – it all depends on what someone communicates through it. Most rock music does communicate evil stuff, but most Christian rock music does not!

Praise and Worship

Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. Psalm 33:2-3  NIV

     Praise and worship is music in it's purest form – in other words, it is what God designed music to be. The verse above tells us how to praise God. It says to make music with a harp and ten-stringed lyre. Well, Psalms was written thousands of years ago, and those were the modern instruments back then. If it was written now, it would probably say, "Praise the Lord with the electric guitar, drums, bass, and synthesizer!" And it also says to sing a new song – not just the same, boring old hymns and Gregorian chants ;)

     Imagine for a moment what it would be like if all music was made to glorify God... if Taio Cruz's song Dynamite was made to praise the Lord! It'd be dynamite! Or what about Maroon 5's Misery? That's a gr8 song – it would also become eternal.