"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds

"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg

"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"

“If I hear ‘not allowed’ much oftener,” said Sam, “I’m going to get angry.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings

Sunday, July 17, 2011

A Short History of Christian Rock

Given my recent fondness for Red and my fascination with the whole idea of "Christian metal," it's no surprise that I found this an interesting read.

On one of those gray afternoons I saw Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video. In a smoky warehouse, the band and a team of tattooed cheerleaders performed for bleachers full of kids. As the song progresses, the scene dissolves into anarchy: the students jump off the bleachers, strip off their clothes, destroy the band’s equipment, and light the entire set on fire. I watched this perched on the edge of my bed, about three feet from the TV screen, while Sheena was taking a nap. I didn’t catch any of the lyrics, but I was mesmerized by Kurt Cobain stumbling around the set, squinting into the light, barely suppressing a sneer. I couldn’t have told you what the word “irony” meant, but I knew I’d been cheated by Christian rock. This was crack, and I’d been wasting my time sniffing glue.

It's interesting because the writer pinpoints a couple of things that have been in the back of my mind about the whole phenomenon of Christian rock. Red is my sole example, and their music, while strong, is not weighty enough to make me go haring off after other examples of the genre.

Another point, which I've mentioned somewhere or other, is that the message is ambiguous enough that it moves between contexts fairly easily. I don't immediately think in terms of Jesus when I'm listening to music, and not being beaten over the head with it does make the music more palatable.

And regarding context, I stumbled across a site that helps with that, Jesus Freak Hideout, which has reviews of Christian rock from a Christian point of view.

The article is kind of lengthy, but it's worth a read, particularly as it relates to why the churches are losing youth.

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