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On Christian Music
A Snippett from the Front Page - February 2006
I've had some time to reflect on what many feel is the compromise of secular music, and fortunate enough to be objective as A. I'm a musician, and B. my career in computer science doesn't force me to play to survive. So here it is: most musicians are born with a passion for music from early on; that is to say, people don't get saved and then suddenly love music. So you're born with a love for music and you want to devote your whole life to it - admirable. The problem is, the Christian music industry can't support making a real living unless you're in the cream of the crop top dozen or so. So now you've got to either compromise by NOT devoting your life to music (since you can't afford to support your family) or risk compromising by playing on secular albums which A. a lot of Christians don't think is a good thing to do, or B. may have some content a Christian wouldn't normally want to be associated with. Either way, being stuck in this jam ultimately stinks if you're a Christian with a passion for music. I'm not sure what the right answer is, but I'm glad that I don't have to make that decision.
On the other side of things, I don't think it's necessarily the musician who has the real problem; it's really the music label and the whole Christian "industry". Music in the Bible served three purposes: Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs. Regardless of whether this is delivered through heavy metal, rock, or choir, music ministers to the soul; The Bible noted that when David played his harp, it drove away demons from King Saul (certainly they can summon demons as well, I would think). Christian music is a ministry, while most secular music is entertainment, or sometimes even an opposing form of ministry if your name ends with Manson. Either way, the problem is that as a ministry, it's original plan probably included being backed by and under the authority of the church - raising up and sending out music ministers to start these great bands and provide for the needs of the people they're sending out. Unfortunately, whoever had the money at the time decided to treat it like a business instead that recruited worship ministers as hirelings and treated them as such. The Christian music industry has gone so far to mimic the world's system of music that it no longer resembles anything close to what a Biblical, Christ-focused intercessory worship team would look like. If the churches were doing their job, musicians with such a calling on their life would be able to go out and fulfill their calling with the financial support to never have to play for some country rocker living like hell. And if it were a ministry rather than an industry, you wouldn't see the rejects of country music falling back to the Christian circuit, meaning you'd have better musicians, and probably more spirit-filled ones at that. The current system of doing things makes more money than the right way, and typically only for music label executives. It's actually a pretty sad situation we've allowed to be created, but that's the way it is.
And they do a good job of spiritualizing it, turning shameless PR buzz generators like the "Dove awards" into some spiritual-sounding event to honor veterans in the field. The Bible makes it pretty clear that those who enjoy getting rewarded publicly will get just that, and nothing more. It's the ones in their closet on their knees who the Bible teaches will be rewarded in heaven. Perhaps it really is a matter of ditching the industry labels as a whole to make a change. At the end of the day, it's because of oblivious (and dare I say, ignorant) Christians who power this PR generating machine. Perhaps if more of us slipped the musicians a few c-notes after a concert, they wouldn't have to rely on the labels' mere 0.50c per unit royalty while in the meantime having to pay out of pocket to open for more well known bands. Labels were meant for entertainers, not ministers. For ministry there is a better way to do it, and Christian music is just begging for a Godly "label" to rise up that works with churches to provide for their artists and put the money where it belongs.
But don't let this stop you from loving music. In the same way that the idiot versions of Christians shouldn't stop you from loving God, music is one of those things that is inherently pure; it's just a matter of finding the music that ministers the most to you; in a lot of cases, this won't be the glamour stars of the industry. It might be the local yokel band playing church gigs. But if it is a popular, labeled musican, there's certainly nothing wrong supporting them as an artist (for the love of God, though, don't go to any stupid awards ceremonies to see them). But like I said, it isn't really the musicians who have the problem; or at least most of them don't. It's the labels who seem to be at the root of any compromise.
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