CURRENTLY IN MUSIC: Christian music ain't got no soul

Kevin Miller

The plan worked for a while. Christian friends, enthused about my decision, were kind enough to lend me tapes and CDs to fill the musical void in my life. I tried hard to like the music. But, sooner or later, secular music would begin to creep back into my life. Truthfully, I wasn't very satisfied with the Christian rock substitutes anyway.

I was not the only one facing this struggle. Many people I knew who were new to the faith went through the same process. The plan looked good on the outside. People would try to find Christian equivalents for secular artists: DC talk for Public Enemy, X Sinner for AC/DC, Crucified for Slayer, and so on. But something about the process was vaguely unsettling. It was like finding generic substitutes for name-brand products. They looked the same, but something didn't taste quite right.

For instance, what was the point of sounding like Slayer unless one was singing about Satan? The roaring guitars and guttural rumblings of Slayer sound like background music for the tortures of hell. Even as a die-hard metal head, I could not understand why a Christian would sing that way about Jesus. I couldn't help but feel set up, as if some Christian bands were only singing the way they did so they could pull me into their message. A large number of Christian musicians seemed to have sacrificed the art for the message.

I own very little contemporary Christian rock music because I find most of it is just not very good. The problem, as I see it, is that Christian bands are not setting trends; they are following them. That is the opposite of the way things should be. Christian bands, especially "alternative" ones, are looking to the secular scene for inspiration rather than writing music from their own unique perspective. Many contemporary Christian artists thus lack integrity; they are not singing from the heart.

Christian rock musicians must live their lives in the midst of an extreme identity crisis--are they ministers, or are they musicians? While secular rock bands are worshipped like gods, there is an expectation that Christian musicians should not accept any praise for their efforts, that they should only give praise to God. How then does one react, as a musician, to thousands of screaming fans who are cheering the band, not Jesus? Apart from the praise, fans place extreme pressure on Christian musicians to be models of Christian living. It is assumed that once someone is in a band, that person must have attained a high level of spirituality. Audiences expect Christian artists to blatantly sing and preach the Word of God in their concerts, as if musical talent is always paired with the gift of preaching. This is absurd.

What should be expected is for Christians to be good witnesses no matter what their profession. If someone is a musician, he should be a musician. His Christian faith should come out in his songwriting and in his lifestyle. However, the art should not be sacrificed for the Word--just as someone who is a plumber and a Christian should not neglect to learn his craft for the sake of ministering to the people whose plumbing he works on. His message may be sweet, but his plumbing will stink, and that is all people will remember of him.

I am not saying the art is more important than the message, but if it is to be a showcase for the Word, it is important to get it right. I am encouraged to see some Christian artists, such as Jars of Clay, cross over to a secular audience purely on the strength of their music, and I hope many more will follow. Jars of Clay are popular because they are a good band, not because they have watered down their message so the world will accept it. Christian themes of redemption and hope are central to their music. But these guys don't preach; they play.

Christian musicians should follow this example by taking the time to be true artists, to learn their craft, and to know themselves as both musicians and Christians.

Kevin Miller is a reporter for Northern Pride newspaper in Meadow Lake, Sask.

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