Is Contemporary Christian Music Socially Acceptable?: DaNo, weeks after looking up that link with a message against Ch

» Dan_Ellsworth - DaNo, weeks after looking up that link with a message against Ch

DaNo, weeks after looking up that link with a message against Christian rock, only one concern still stays with me as worthy of consideration:

It doesn't draw the nonbelieving youth to Christ, it draws the believers. (And draws them specifically to rock and all its evils; but that isn't the part that continues to concern me.) As such, it is "preaching to the converted", not an outreach ministry as claimed.

I suspect largely that's true. If so, I have two replies:

1. It may keep some Christians in the fold - a church which automatically rejects anything invented since today's elderly were youth will not keep, nor even deserve, serious consideration by many of the young. As a youth that even old women considered nice, I still was pleased at any indication that somewhere, disciples of Jesus Christ actually came to terms with the 20th century. A pastor who didn't seem to consider honest inquiry as the devil's work probably was instrumental in keeping me a Christian through my teen years. As long as Christianity didn't require old-fashioned stupidity, I could hang on to it. In that, I don't believe that I am alone. Rallying the troops is not a trivial thing.

2. Even if it hasn't been an outreach, that doesn't mean it couldn't be. Maybe by publicizing concerts differently, we'd get some diversity in the attendance. And if not, it would be worthwhile finding out why not - and fixing it instead of bemoaning it.

That's if the complaint was correct to begin with. I can't be sure of that. Does anybody here know of Christian music as an effective introduction to salvation? Has this happened?

Dan Ellsworth, Editor, "Religion, esp. Christianity"

-- posted by Dan_Ellsworth