There are a plethora of reasons a Christian music advocate might state in defense of the Christian Music Industry. Reasons such as the glorification of God, "safe" and non-offensive listening, and styles of music that parallel the mainstream usually come to mind. However, there are just as many points against this billion dollar industry and it's said music, and these grievances far outweigh the positive side.
My top complaint is the need to label music as "Christian." If a Christian is composing it, shouldn't it reflect that naturally? At least in some aspects. And if not all the time, then fine. And if all the time, then fine. By categorizing and labeling themselves as "Christian" or "worship" music, they isolate themselves. They hold up a blaring neon sign that proclaims "Unbelievers, STAY OUT!" It's like a club. It's not an outward ministry as they'd like to think. They minister only to themselves and others like them.
Another reason people generally like the Christian music scene is because any artist you pick from the batch will be safe to listen to. I think folk-recording artist Shannon Stephens sums it up best:
" Honestly, I feel that the Christian music market was created out of a need for safety by separation. People wanted to know that the music they were listening to would not contaminate their souls or the souls of their children. The truth is that we are not contaminated by our culture, but by our own hearts. I do think it's important to feed the fire as little as possible, but shutting out the world and creating a safe subculture is not what Christ commanded us to do. Rather than making absolute judgments about Christian bands or labels, I try to take them on an individual basis. Sometimes people ask me if I play "Christian music" – I don't even know what to say. I'm a Christian, and I play music, but is it all praise and worship? No. I feel more comfortable outside of the box, where things are more dangerous and often times more real. This is where God utilizes my honesty to be a light in the darkness."
Point taken.
I don't think it's neccessary to have an alternative act for every sort of music out there. Like when people call Relient K the "Christian Blink-182." How do you think the band members feel about that? A few years ago at my school we sat through a presentation called "True Lies." After the presentation we were given a card that listed all sorts of music and bands in the mainstream and next to each category was a list of Christian counter-parts.
This leads me into my next point. What happened to creativity and originality in Christian music? Christians were some of the forerunners in this kind of music. That's pretty much out the window. Every worship band sounds the same, every Christian singer has similar hooks. There are a few signs of life out there, but they are few and far between. Bands like Starflyer 59, The Innocence Mission, and the Danielson Famile still hold on to their shreds of dignity. And that's an impressive feat, considering the stereotype they face as Christians. To be brutally honest, most bands and artists that categorize themselves as "Christian" and "worship" these days are nothing new, nothing exciting, and not that good. And the artists that are good and do label themselves this way are being monopolized by the Industry.
And that brings me to the Industry, itself. How have we let the Church get to this point? We have artists expressing themselves and praising God. Ok. Fine. And then these same artists sell thousands of albums, charge fans money to come "worship" with them, charge money for fans to get into their fanclub and meet them, sell merchandise in the back of churches, and now possess a heck of a lot more money than they need. Sounds very Christian to me. Didn't Jesus cast the moneychangers OUT of the temple? Oh, but we sure did find a way to bring them back in. And it all seems legal, doesn't it? With any industry comes corporate greed. We've commercialized Christianity. Congrats, everyone. Now go buy cds and self-help books at the local Christian bookstore.
What is Christianity? That's for you to figure out. Think good and hard about it. And then think about this Christian Music Industry. Is it fulfilling the requirements? Is it reaching out to those who don't know Christ? No. Because these acts label themselves as "Christian", nobody but Christians come in to listen to them. They can't reach out, not when they're isolating themselves like this. So when these Christians artists form bands and make good music and DON'T label it as Christian, it's a good thing. They're not betraying their faith, they're not disrespecting the Church, they're taking the Gospel where it might not have gone otherwise.
I admit, I used to shop solely at the Christian bookstore for records. I used to be a fan of Pop-Christianity. Now I know better. I know you have to dig for the good, worthwhile music, even if it is put out independently or on tiny labels. I know the local Christian radio station is biased beyond belief. I know a lot of Christians have talent, but they're looked down upon by their brethren because they won't classify themselves and put themselves into neat little boxes. I know these things. You can know them, too.
[editorial on mega-churches coming soon!]
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Aw...this is a cute album. For all you neo-folk freaks out there, add this one to your collection. Denison will quiet your soul and curve your mouth into a smile. It doesn't hurt that he's working with an all-star line-up, either. Not only does he employ the incredibly trendy Sufjan Stevens, but the husband/wife duo from The Innocence Mission as well. When they're all singing together, it's like a family reunion. It was a delight to hear artists of such renown blending their voices. Are you asking, "Name an instance where this happens, Ruth?" Let me answer that question: "Finding Your Feet Again" is the last track on the album and everybody comes in at the end for a powerful finale.
"Go now in the light of your God
Go now in the love of your God
Go now in the peace of your God
Go now in the joy of your God."
Yep, it's pretty amazing.
If you've been in a folk-mood as I've been lately, this albums demands your obedience. Pick it up.
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"and the rockets' red glare
and the bombs in the air
gave us proof through the night
that our flag was still there
and our flag marked with blood
with the blood of our hands
and our hands marked with death
with the blood of the man
and the man on the cross
and the cross on our hearts
has he done nothing more then to drive us apart?"
He's right. And we want our Christian God to bless America as if he owed it to us or something. Because after all, America is a Christian nation and it was founded by Christians on Christian principles. Oh yes, of course, while "Christian" preachers were running around killing "witches" and "Christians" were buying slaves and using the Bible to justify their cause and "Christians" believe the way to financial prosperity is to manipulate God and "Christians" believe that America is a "Christian" nation. What is wrong with us? What has happened to the Body of Christ? It's been hijacked. Those who belong to the body have been cast off as heretics and traitors while the Preachers of Good Feelings and Health and Prosperity and False Senses of Security take our title and the captain's chair. And then our politicians want to make this "God's Country" again by banning gay marriage and abortion. Let me tell you something: God doesn't WANT this country. He doesn't want the land-mass from Maine to Florida to Texas to California and a few lone islands and a peninsula up north. He doesn't want legislations and pleges of allegience that drop his name and coins that say "In God We Trust." Give to Caesar what is Caesars, give to God what is God's. All of our empty acknowledgements and tips of our hats...they're meaningless. They're offensive, even. God will accept one piece of property and one territory and it's your heart. Unless you're willing to give it to him, as it rightfully belongs to him, all of your empty gestures are just that.
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**disclaimer** Most of the stuff I say in this entry probably isn't ever going to happen.
Just for future reference...
Lately nothing is good. Ok, the show on Saturday was good. In fact, it was phenomenal. And the emotional high after was through the roof. But now that I've plunged back into the everyday drudgery that is college life, I find myself to be very malcontent. Classes are tedious, theology is frustrating, my faith-life is once again sub-par, and today at work I filed and made copies of credit receipts for what seemed like hours on end. PLUS dinner was disappointing. So what, you ask. Things could be much worse. Oh, I know that. But in some ways, it seems like I've hit rock bottom. I have no direction or plan for my life, and God forbid that He'd come down and smack some sense into me. No matter how often I ask for wisdom and guidance, I hear neither do I feel any sort of response in the least. Not even a "maybe." When I do hear anything, it's just a distant drone, like heaven's open communication channels have petered out into a mass of static on the television with the volume almost at mute. Yes, that's how bad it's gotten. Is it my fault? Probably. I'd be more than willing to fix it if I knew where the problem lay and just HOW to go about doing that.
The only solution I can come up with is this: Pack up and leave. Now I know what you're all thinking: "Oh my gosh, Ruth, you're so melodramatic and you're a bit too obsessed with Sufjan." True, Sufjan invites everyone to "Pack up your bags/It's never too late," but that's not even all there is to it. It's also true that he asks the big questions: "Oh God, where are you now?/ Oh Lord, say somehow." And THAT'S reason enough to pack up my bags and get out of here. Not to mention at dinner tonight, Abbey and I received a sign: A little cardboard stand-up in the middle of the table commanding us to "Take a Tour of America." Heck yes. Here's the plan.
We're going to find the kid on campus who plays the banjo. We're going to take banjo lessons from him. Once we acquire enough skill and banjos of our own, we're taking off. We're going to walk/bike/canoe across America. We're going to see it all. We're going to stop in the lonely towns and the massive cities referenced in the 50 States Project. We're going to spend the night in youth hostels or out under the stars on the beach. We're going to rely on other people's kindness and in return, show perpetual acts of kindness ourselves. We're going to walk along singing and strumming our newly-mastered (haha) string instruments. We're going to see this nation minus the politics, without the pop-culture, and sans the social boundaries and limits. Somehow, somewhere, we're going to finally find God and be content in the most extreme way possible. Quite frankly, I don't see my faith-life going anywhere here. Chapels are enjoyable, prayer and praise is a riot, campus communion is meaningful, but none of these things leaves an imprint on my heart. They're good for a few minutes after at most. Then I'm back where I started: Alone and desperate. I need a change of pace. College was a pretty good change of pace, but it's already become routine and the prospects for this year look less than appealing. And besides, I don't know which program to stick with and what I want to do with the rest of my life. Maybe I'll find the answers out on the open road...the way I see it, it's worth a shot.
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If you live in Chicago or it's surrounding suburbs and you weren't at the Metro on Saturday night, we need to have a serious chat about where your priorities lie. Yes my friends, Sufjan Stevens graced the Windy City with his prescence both Friday AND Saturday nights, and I had the honor and privilge to attend his sold-out Saturday night show. And what a show it was.
The liner notes for Sufjan Steven's critically acclaimed "Illinois" album give his Illinoisemakers credit in the hooting, hollering, and handclap department. Boy was that the truth. Many of the songs were separated and preceded by carefully choreographed cheers, most of them drawing laughs and all of them drawing appreciative applause from the utterly engaged crowd. If you think about it, what other artist out there has the guts to dress himself and his backing band in matching cheerleader uniforms and organize death-defying human pyramids that nearly fall off the stage? None that I can think of off the top of my head. But Sufjan does this and more. This tour surrounding the Illinois album has to be one of the most enthralling and entertaining in the history of touring, all due to Sufjan's brilliant imagination.
Opener Liz James was a pleasant surprise. I actually found myself listening intently and almost forgetting that Sufjan was coming on after her. But I snapped out of that mindset when he walked onstage to take over the drumset for a song or two. He did it without drawing any attention to himself, which is a class act. The highlight of her set would have to be her inspired rendition of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," everyone's favorite spiritual.
All hell broke loose when an Illinoisemaker took the drumset, invoking havoc as the rest of the band and lastly Sufjan ran out onto stage, pom poms in hand. Sufjan was decked out in a magnificent star-spangled jumpsuit, which fit the opening number of the 50 States song perfectly. While the noisemakers chanted in the background, Sufjan told each of them to "pack their bags" because they were headed for Illinois. How endearing. And take us to Illinois, they did. The setlist was most certainly heavy with the songs from Sufjan's latest offering, but what could one expect? Two songs from Seven Swans and an interlude from Michigan worked their way into the mix as well, pleasing the senior citizens among the fans.
All-in-all, Sufjan and his Illinoisemakers clapped, snapped their fingers, and stomped their way into my heart (as if they weren't there already). This process may have been aided along by the fact that I stayed a bit later and received an autograph on my "Come On Feel the Illinoise!" shirt, as well as a picture. Yes, I was beaming. If Sufjan is ANYWHERE within a 400 mile radius of where you stand right now, you need to get there. And you need to get there fast.
;)
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