Christian music is not Christian orthodoxy. Criticizing Christian music is not blasphemy. The words of Christian artists are not the Word of God. This shouldn’t need to be said. But I’m saying it anyway because I’ve noticed a pattern in modern Christian music and when I point it out to you, you’re going to get upset with me.
One of the primary emitters of Christian music claims to be “positive and encouraging”. That’s great! I’m positive about positivity. Chin up! God is in charge! All that stuff. But I did a quick survey of the top 10 songs on K-Love and noticed the lyrics speak to a bleak reality.
Standing in your ruins, feels a lot like the end
God’s Not Done With You – Tauren Wells
So used to losing, you’re afraid to try again
Right now all you see are ashes
Where there was a flame …
When you feel like giving up
Reason – Unspoken
When you feel like giving in
His love is the reason
To keep on believing …
Darkness echoes all around
Symphony – Switch
Feels like everything is crashing down
Still I know where my hope is found
And it’s only you and ooh-ooh
Every day you try to pick up all the pieces
God Only Knows – For King and Country
All the memories, they somehow never leave you
Nobody, nobody, nobody sees you
Nobody, nobody, nobody would believe you
I will send out an army to find you
Rescue – Lauren Daigle
In the middle of the darkest night
It’s true, I will rescue you
I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Raise A Hallelujah – Bethel Music
Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!
Lots of ashes, armies, darkness, storms, and feeling like giving up. Were these lyrics written from inside a gulag?
Maybe I’m unusual. I’m not “rising from ashes” or “weathering a storm” or “standing in ruins” on a daily basis. Is that weird? It’s not that everything is perfect. Sometimes my car won’t start. The kids break stuff. I fight with friends. I get the flu. If I wanted to, I could compile a long list of grievances. I suppose you could call them “storms”. You could say I need to be “rescued” and raised “from the ashes”. But that’s a bit too dramatic.
It’s a struggle to sing about my struggles. My blessings far surpass my sufferings. When I think about all the people who don’t eat everyday, I just can’t bring myself to tell God about “everything crashing down” in my life. I’m reading a book written by a guy who lived in a Nazi concentration camp and it’s making it impossible for me to take my own hardships seriously.
I understand suffering is real. Tragedy, pain, and death occur every day. The solution to suffering is not a band-aid of “positive encouragement”. Sometimes, the solution to suffering is more suffering.
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5
Theology matters. The doctrine in some (not ALL) popular songs is that earthly suffering will end when you give your life to Jesus. This is the message you would expect from someone who has never spent the night in a concentration camp. It’s a message that doesn’t understand the difference between tribulation and inconvenience.
Had the apostles been song writers, I’d guess their lyrics would be dramatically different from what we hear on the radio. The people who knew Jesus personally had a funny way of looking at tragedy.
…calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.
Acts 5
If you’ve been flogged and crucified for your faith, you can sing about darkness all around you. If you think persecution is me belittling your favorite songs, you’ve gotten your theology from Christian music. Let me positively encourage you to turn off Spotify and read more.
16 Responses
I hate Christian music with a deep passion. However, the argument could be made that Christianity is built on suffering and that is why, as Christians, we sing about it.
I want to encourage everyone on this thread (like you’re going to read this anyway) to dig a little deeper, because there are a lot of Christian artists making music informed by their faith that isn’t getting played on the radio. That isn’t Radio’s fault because there is so much of it out there and a limited time on the air to play the songs.
it may not be your genre, but Josh Garrels, The New Respects, Future of Forrestry, are some names to check out, but I encourage you not to just sit back and throw rocks. Go see whats out there.
a couple of websites I go to are New Release Tuesday and Good Christian music blog.
If you have trouble finding music that nourishes you spiritually, then you may need to look inside yourself as well.
I’ll admit: I’ve never heard of ANY of those artists or websites…
Thanks for the recommendations!
As soon as I’m done throwing these stones I might check them out! 😀
Ha! I told our congregation many years ago to never get their theology from Christian music. I don’t listen to popular Christian music at all. I don’t want it to fog up my brain. And if I want to hear the blues, I listen to blues music. It’s much better done. 🙂 I do like and listen to (non-whiny) worship music, though.
As it’s been said, we all go through bad stuff on occasion in our life, some go through worse things than others, but if you’re living there you’re not a victim, you’re a volunteer.
If you’ve never been able to truly relate to these songs consider yourself blessed!! I’m a believer that is a survivor of domestic violence and suicide. I have been on a healing journey but these types of songs helped me. I now raise 3 children (1 biological, 2 step) who each only have 1 biological parent in their lives, my current husband is a recovering addict. Life is a challenge every. Single. Day. Plus I am a sexual assault counselor for my career. I get a front row seat to pain and healing .
If you can’t relate to these songs you are blessed. Maybe you could find some people to spend time with who do. There is plenty of hurt to go around. Maybe they need the Hope of Christ that YOU can share w them.
Yes! You caught me. This is an issue with me. First, it’s not positive and encouraging. Wife agrees we get more depressed listening to the songs on THAT station. Secondly, I was into rock as a secular young man. When I became a Christian I was surprised to learn there was CHRISTIAN rock. As I’ve been following that genre for years now, I watched one band leader who works with a church run by a famous ministers’ son, cheat on his wife who was caring for her newborn baby, leading to divorce. Saw another cheat on his wife unbeknownst to the band and when caught, leave his wife and kids although she wanted him back. In my church here saw the music minister cheat with the choir director, causing her divorce. One metal Christian band member was convicted of trying to hire a hit man to kill his wife. One famous female Christian singer divorced here troubled husband. married a new musician, and they are happily continuing their ministry. I guess I’m naïve. Some (a lot, many?) are in this business to make money. They try to write hits, try to sell hits, and try to make money. And when they have trouble, like their bus breaks down, they beg for money from internet friends to help their “ministry”. Listen, I’m glad there’s music that’s a little better than the do me sex stuff that’s on popular dance radio. But I’ve learned NEVER to take theology, or advice, from musicians, whatever the genre.
Music on mainstream Christian radio has become so man-centered that I truly can’t stomach it. Even the testimonials have nothing to do with God himself- just the healing power of the…music? I am most ‘positive’ and ‘encouraged’ when my eyes are off myself and focused instead One who is worthy of my attention. Good lyrics stop me in my tracks and cause me to think and ultimately worship. There’s a time and place for bad lyrics, and that’s when I switch over to some classic rock.
I feel like you were just sitting at home thinking, “Which controversy can I poke and get Juan to comment?”. Well you found it.
There’s a lot of layers to this, so I’m wondering where to cut in, or make multiple posts, or try to stick to the subject, but lets try it:
I’m trying to nail down what your target is, whether its the radio station, or the writers, or the christian consumers that support them, or all three.
One issue is what gets on the radio. That’s different for different stations. If it’s a network, then there’s a head guy and all the stations pretty much play the same thing (we can talk about all the ins and outs of radio some other time). But if you’re targeting what gets on the radio, I try to direct people to dig a little deeper since the radio only plays maybe 3% of what’s available, and I’m only talking about Christian music.
Another issue is, I’m guessing, the proliferation of these types of songs that make them available to be put on the radio. I’ve heard people complain in the past that songs early on were “too positive” and so they didn’t reflect on “real struggles” so the songwriting changed to admit and try to confront the issue like David did in the Psalms. So now they’re too negative?
From a songwriting standpoint, its kind of difficult to list specific things and still be relevant to a broad audience. The best songwriters will write about universal things and so that’s why you might be noticing a lot of metaphor about storms and valleys and darkness. That can be zoomed out to include a discussion about Art and the Artist, but again, that might be for another time.
Last thing, for now, is the audience seems to be responding to it, at least I’ve heard thankful voices that are facing loss of loved ones or their own deaths that those kinds of songs were timely in encouraging them that God was with them.
There is something to be said for perspective, and that in this country, at this time, we have much more to be thankful for than we do to discourage us, but there is still pain.
I didn’t do a great job with this post. I started out with one idea and went a totally different direction by the end.
The original thought was a sense of irony in the amount of suffering and hardship proclaimed by people who simultaneously credit Jesus with ending their suffering and hardship. This is a theme that occurs regularly in my men’s group. A couple of guys, who are like brothers to me, are constantly talking about how horribly sinful and broken they are. I find myself pushing back at them with statements like, “How are you still broken when Jesus is the great physician?”
I’ve spent some time talking to a Millennial girl whose got a lot of “pain” in her life that, honestly, isn’t a big deal. While I’m aware that suffering is real and it touches everyone at some point, it bugs me when Christians complain. We will sing songs about God being our deliverer and redeemer back to back with songs about our brokenness.
Again, I muddled these thoughts and didn’t communicate clearly. I’m probably still not making much sense. I do appreciate how hard it is to make a metaphoric point. It’s even more difficult when the words have to rhyme.
Yeah, well the difficulty of the art form isn’t a pass to make bad art. Music made by people who claim to believe in God should reflect their theology. It looks like there are a lot of people on here who have taken the opportunity to pile on the music that they barely listen to anyway. At least you took the time to investigate the lyrics. I think the popularity of songs that center on the “self” are kind of a sign of the prevailing theology of a society that fosters comfort and treats every pain like an evil. Things like “depression” and “anxiety” are things that we try to cure instead of reckon with, and that’s why I think maybe it’s come out in songs that we may be handling things a little melodramatically.
YES!!! I can rarely listen to “Christian” radio stations anymore when driving because I can’t stand the self-centered whining about FEELINGS & bad doctrine promoted by both the music and talk. I don’t attend a church where such garbage is preached, why would I listen to it while driving?
The Church has lost its salt & light and the repercussions are everywhere. What is or isn’t said in the pulpit, has infected our society including “Christian” music. Parents who used to caution their kids about listening to rock or pop need to check the lyrics of modern “Christian” songs. If you believe what they listen to will influence them, and it will, compare them to what Philippians says we are to “think upon.” I never cease to be amazed at what “Christian” kids post on social media but I’ve learned the parents are often clueless about the false doctrine these songs promote and think it’s great their kids are going to a “Christian” concert. No, they’re going to yet another place where Satan is making inroads to indoctrinate the weak with a false gospel and the Church is helping!
I’ve put a Spanish speaking station on my radio presets because, as a non-Spanish speaker, I can listen to the lively (positive 😜) tune without being disturbed (pun intended) by the lyrics!
A good friend of mine calls most Christian music “Jesus is my boyfriend” songs.
I can’t bear most of it.
😂 YES!!! Nailed it!!! 👏🏻
Bravo!
Viktir Frankl, Russian authors and (most importantly) the Bible tend to put suffering, resiliency and reality into proper perspective.
You remind me of St. Teresa of Avila (the article is at the link added below, that I think you might like):
‘As St. Teresa … made her way to her convent during a fierce rainstorm, she slipped down an embankment and fell squarely into the mud. The irrepressible nun looked up to heaven and admonished her Maker, “If this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder You have so few of them!”‘
– The Unexpected Humor of St. Teresa of Avila –Aleteia:
https://aleteia.org/2017/10/15/the-unexpected-humor-of-st-teresa-of-avila/
😊
Viktor (Autocorrect doesn’t read good literature).