Which Stryper Song Best Lays Out the Gospel?

I've been listening to a lot of Stryper lately (no I don't hate them) in prep for the re-records album next month and the question came to mind last night, which Stryper song best lays out the gospel, so I thought in effort to involve myself in a more positive Stryper discussion, I would pose the question to you guys.

Interesting question....I looked through all of strypers lyrics and it dawned on me the majority of their lyrics are personal praise or life through a christian view...in fact alot of Christian metal is just that. Maybe that's why some have a problem with some bands and why alot of "christian" bands are not so much for ministry as more for praise and sharing a different view on normal life situations....Back to stryper....
It seems to me the best album for "laying out the gospel" is In God We Trust...

Come To The Everlife is a great example...look at the lyrics, especially verse 2..

A new life to live, a new heart to give
No sorrow no pain, new bodies to gain
Peace and harmony found, love will be all around

[Chorus]
Come with me tonight
Come to the everlife
We will see new life in the sky

[Verse 2]
You don't have to lose, you just have to choose
Just call on His name, you won't be the same
Lift your hearts up today
Put your troubles away

[Repeat Chorus]

[Bridge 1]
New life so endless and free
Just lift your hearts up, you'll see

[Bridge 2]
Peace and harmony found
Love will be all around
Lift your hearts up today
Put your troubles away
...............
Also The writings On The Wall...

[Verse 1]
The truth is right before you
Don't refuse it
No matter what you've been through
He can change it cause

[Chorus]
He is our God, Creator of all
Unless you accept Him, you'll continue to fall
The battle is real, on you He will call
So don't ever wait because the writing's on the wall

[Verse 2]
Just look around and
You will see confusion
The God that Stryper serves
Is no delusion cause

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
Don't wait till tomorrow
Tomorrow's too late (tomorrow's too late)
You've heard the truth so what will you do
Who will you choose?
(Whoa-oh-oh-oh)

Those are good picks, especially the second one I think.

None of their lyrics really talk about "the Gospel" per se. They don't talk about sin and the need for a savior. Like much of CCM, the lyrics are from a "what God can do for you" type mindset, rather than a "what you need to do to get right with God" mindset, which IMO is how it should be done, at least most of the time. God's not there just to make you feel good and give you peace. Yes, He does that, but that's not the basis on which someone should be coming to Him. Instead, we acknowledge our sin and our inability to save ourselves or meet His standard, and we believe that Jesus, His Son, came and died for our sin, and was raised. Too few Christian artists present that truth.

Very well said FOJ. That is indeed a very important part of the gospel and that was in fact part of my question. Is there any Stryper song that really represents the whole package or perhaps one that comes closest to doing so?

Actually, I think The Way also sniffs around at it.

I want to sing some other way
Always the same, never a change
What can I do to make me feel right
Change all my ways, give up my life

Chorus
Oh - What did you say?
Oh - Christ is the way
Rockin' for the One who is the Rock

Verse 2
I feel His strength come into me
Reading His word helps me to see
I feel so new, I want to sing
Feeling His joy in everything

Chorus
Oh - What can I say?
Oh - Christ is the way
Rockin' for the One who is the Rock
Rockin' for the One who is the Rock

Remember too when they recorded those 2-3 albums they were baby Christians for the most part...

In every interview I would read Robert would speak about Jesus... period... not the music...

I think some of the lyrics are really youthful enthusiasm .... That period for a lot of Christian bands (save Rez Band) were pretty vanilla and frankly were very preachy to a lot of listeners.... (never could see why honestly....)

I think the thing with Stryper was you take the whole package, the live performance and the albums together. I heard Mike preach (as best as he could) from the stage about salvation....

These days they want to be known a bit more for their music, which is fine because I don't think that discredits what they did before... Most people back in the day wouldn't acknowledge their musical attributes because it was all about the Lord and of course the world hates that... I mean Michael is one of the best rock vocalists out there period... even today...

Which song best lays out the Roman Road??? not any ONE, but perhaps taken as a whole they will point someone to Jesus and will nudge that person to ask questions about what it means to be saved....

My two cents which in these issues seems to go contrary to what so many others think but that's ok.... I've always been the contrarian.... well maybe not always!

danielbandfan wrote:

Follower of Jesus wrote:

None of their lyrics really talk about "the Gospel" per se. They don't talk about sin and the need for a savior. Like much of CCM, the lyrics are from a "what God can do for you" type mindset, rather than a "what you need to do to get right with God" mindset, which IMO is how it should be done, at least most of the time. God's not there just to make you feel good and give you peace. Yes, He does that, but that's not the basis on which someone should be coming to Him. Instead, we acknowledge our sin and our inability to save ourselves or meet His standard, and we believe that Jesus, His Son, came and died for our sin, and was raised. Too few Christian artists present that truth.

"And the preacher preaches on, with a humanistic message about your soul, while the truth about your sins goes untold…"

Let's face it, that doesn't sell records. I don't mean that to sound cynical, but $ drives the Christian music industry the same as it does the secular one.

I agree m77...that's why some bands may claim they are about ministry but I think all the labels including many christian labels are about the money only. Even the christian bookstores and t shirt makers are only about the money.

The majority of the Christian music labels are owned by their secular counterparts...


Long gone are the days of an "Independent" Christian music Major....


When the original owners retired and sold out ...... they went to the highest bidder...