In Defense of "Compromising" Christian Musicians
| The music of Johann Sebastian Bach is beautiful and inspiring, melodic
and moving. A believer, Bach often wrote on his compositions, To the honor
of God.
Yet, despite his being a Christian, he mentions nowhere in any of his famous Brandenberg Concertos the name of Jesus. One could walk away from hearing a full concerto not knowing any more about God's plan of salvation than before it began. Was Bach dishonoring God or compromising his beliefs by not mentioning God while at the same time delineating the four spiritual laws? Of course not. How about this: When a Christian plumber fixes someone's kitchen sink is he disavowing Jesus if he doesn't etch a fish into the pipes? Is he denying his Lord if he leaves without giving an "opportunity" to follow Christ? Or is he expected to fix the plumbing and do it to the best of his ability? Does a Christian carpenter blow an opportunity to witness if she doesn't woodburn John 3:16 into a desk she is working on? Or is she expected to make the finest desk she can, with the best materials as if she was doing it for the Lord? Christians who can plumb or carve are, like musicians, artists in their own right. Yet they are not subject to the same scrutiny in their work by the church as Christian music artists are. I can't tell you how many times I've heard statements like the following:
or... "Amy Grant has sold out! There is nothing remotely approaching a praise song on her latest CD! But there is a song about a girl singing a love song to her boyfriend! What's up with that? It is no wonder some artists who are Christians disavow not their faith, but a Christian subculture which shackles them with unreasonable demands - demands they don't even place on their own work. What exactly is ungodly about singing music truthfully and honestly? What is compromising about a love song to a boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse? What is unspiritual about pouring out your heart by confessing doubts and fears? I think a read through Song of Solomon, the Psalms, or Job will show that all these themes have biblical precedent. Are these artists necessarily compromising if they don't mention God by name? No. Have they purposely left out direct references to God to sell more CDs? I don't know. That is an issue between God and the person or group involved. I don't believe we are even allowed to speculate about
The copyright of the article In Defense of "Compromising" Christian Musicians in Christian Music is owned by Daniel Janowski. Permission to republish In Defense of "Compromising" Christian Musicians in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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