1st Anniversary of Christian Rock
chapter 14, verses 6-28. Keep in mind that music is communication, and the various genres are languages. If you're blasting out your Chevelle or Mortification, and your grand dad walks into the room and cries out, "Satanic!", he clearly doesn't understand the language of your music. Either interpret it for him, or turn it down or off. Verses 7 and 8 even reference musical instruments as communicators! Do you ever find it irritating to be hanging out somewhere in public and hearing people loudly talking to one another in foreign languages? It's just not polite to obligate someone to listen to your language when it can't be understood.
The Christian content of songs should always be considered by listeners. I've questioned some lyrics via e-mail, and gotten response from some well-known groups. Some groups say that by making the Christianity vague, they're reaching people who wouldn't otherwise have been reached. Vague lyrics can get through to some who would have thrown up barriers had they known up front the message was Christian. Some say, it's just a fun song sung by Christians. I know they're not rock for the most part, but Silly Songs on the Veggie Tales shows are a good example of fun songs without any spiritual content. (On second thought, maybe there is spiritual content in that Larry's dilemma, when he looses his hairbrush in "The Hairbrush Song", is common to Christians who try to hang onto things they really don't need.) A thing we must remember is that we're all different and have different standards. I frequently thank God that I'm not the Judge.
Another point of controversy is the behavior of the performers or artists. Can a group put out "good" music when a member of the band isn't "good," or is even admittedly non-Christian? I don't know. Can an artist change? Look at Alice Cooper. Upon reading interviews and lyrics on albums after 1996, I include his stuff in my library, yet, friends of mine say, "No, I don't see the Christianity." I'll admit, sometimes Cooper's Christianity is cryptic, so I don't really push it. I might even be wrong about Mr. Cooper. (I think I actually WAS wrong once before!) What if a Christian artist gets a divorce? What, then, if that artist gets re-married before the former spouse is dead? Can his or her music be lauded as Christian music? Should artists who become possible stumbling
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