Wanted to share something with you all.
After spending the last year or so listening to pretty much nothing but worship/Christian music, I have ventured out and really sought after the better bands that perform under the Christian Hard Rock/Heavy Metal banner (thanks in part to a lot of the suggestions from people here.) What I've found is that there are so many cookie-cutter bands out in the genre, as in most genres. As the heavier bands go, they usually trade musicianship and vocal quality for playing the most extreme and intense music they can manage- resulting in a muddy mix of detuned guitars and screaming vocals. How is this supposed to usher in a spirit of worship?
Philippians 4:8 says "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (NLT) Nothing about this music is lovely, honorable, etc. The only distinction between the worse of the secular world is the lyrical content- which manages to avoid using the name of Jesus in any of their songs, choosing a much more ambiguous (and therefore, more profitable) spirituality. Jesus said in Matthew 10:33 that "everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven." (NLT) ...
There are a lot of musicians and bands out there choosing to perform as a secular band, with Christian members, who play positive songs. The thing is, it is my opinion, that as Christians, we are to show Christ in all things. We should never say, "well, if we say the name 'Jesus' in our songs, we won't sell as many albums or get our music out to as many people." I haven't been faced with that decision, the same that I know many really excellent Christian bands have faced- so I can't imagine the amount of pressure one would feel in such a situation- but something God has been dealing with me lately is this very issue of professing His name.
Damon Thompson once said that when he first met his wife, his friends got sick of hearing about her- and drawing that analogy, he goes on to mention that as the bride of Christ, if we are truly in love with Christ, we will exhibit the same qualities and have to tell everyone about how great Christ is and how that He saved us from an eternity of torment. I know that when I met my wife, I was equally excited and proud and would drive my friends crazy talking about this love of my life- therefore, when I partake in conversations or act like someone who hasn't experienced the love of my Savior would, its a slap in the face to the one who endured the crucifixion for me and for you. I'm more than guilty of it- but I know that by grace and by His mercy, I am going to overcome this.
For the bands that are proudly carrying the banner of Christ, there just seems to be a handful who are capable of writing strong, powerful music that honors the name of God and bring the good news to some people who would detest the music of artists such as Chris Tomlin or Third Day. As a once avid listener of secular music, my venture into bands such as Kutless, Sonic Flood, etc. is what marked the transition from a luke-warm complacent Christian into one that my own friends have labeled as a fanatic. I still love the driving power of a good, distorted power chord, but nothing can compete, to me, with the way the presence of the Lord inhabits in such worship songs as Holy Is Our King by Rita Springer or Holy by Matt Gilman- that spirit of worship washes over you and as you worship with every fiber of your being, the whole world disappears and the only thing that matters is lifting up His holy name and telling him how Holy He is.
AW Tozer taught that God is more concerned with the fact that He is holy than the fact that He is God- because He is a supreme being and that God is only a title that we need to understand the vast, encompassing, and supreme nature of His being. Therefore, I believe that songs that declare His righteousness do more to usher in His presence than others. Yet, I have seen very few Christian Hard Rock bands manage to usher in that presence of worship with their music.
In my aggravation with the lack of these qualities in the genre, only one thing keeps coming to mind- that God has gifted me with ability to write music and play an instrument (sure some would argue that) and that I ought to devote my energy to worshiping Him with the gifts He has given me- instead of looking for someone else's music to usher in that spirit of worship. Okay, granted- but its easier said than done. Sometimes, I have no idea what I'm going to play when I pick up my guitar and sometimes its heavy, sometimes its soft and melodic, sometimes its just off the wall. Ultimately, I know what He has called me to do, but things aren't moving as fast or coming together as I would like- and I find myself having to submit myself to His timing and His will in this.
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Subject: Re: Saying hello 
Mon Dec 06, 2010 9:17 pm
