We Need Less Christian Bands and More Christians Making Music for God and the Culture

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Recommended: The role of the church in renaissance music

While driving in my car after church last week, I was listening to my favorite radio station. Once it started playing those annoying commercials, I decided to give my childhood go-to station -- 88.7 WAY-FM a try (I haven't listened to Christian music in years). The song "We Fall Down (At the Feet of Jesus)" by Chris Tomlin was playing. How long has this one been on the air? Since 1998 -- and that's a problem.

Contemporary Christian music (CCM) is the genre of choice of most worship leaders for youth retreats, Christian camps, Sunday morning worship, and Wednesday night Bible groups. The purpose of the selected arrangements is to draw out the "spirit of worship" and "open the eyes of our hearts". While I have no doubt that worship leaders all over the U.S. have the purest intentions, they have missed the mark on this. Is it just me, or haven't they played "Our God is and Awesome God" a million times already? Yes they have.

Church group worship leaders continue to recycle decades old "contemporary" Christian worship and praise songs that repeat the same lines over and over and over. Yes, many CCM radio hits are considered "classic" CCM songs, but no matter what the song is, if you listen to it enough, you will eventually loath it. Calling these old 90's songs "Christian classics" is an oxymoron simply because they used to be contemporary during the time they were written, but now should be resigned to the past.

How many times have you heard the song "The Heart of Worship" or "I Can Only Imagine" in your lifetime? How old were you when you first heard it? That is my case and point right there. Other popular praise songs of the 90's include: "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever" "Open the Eyes of My Heart" "Shout to the Lord" and "...

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...Well, you can expect something more personal -- encouragement and that sort of thing."

Should the entire Christian music genre be obliterated? I think so. We need fewer Christian bands and more bands of Christians making music that both pleases God and the culture.

Works Cited

Browning, Dave. "Why Switchfoot Won't Sing Christian Songs." Ctkblog. Christ the King Community Church, 5 Dec. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

Menzie, Nicola. "Lecrae Talks of Criticism in Refusing Sacred-Secular Divide." Lecrae Talks of Criticism in Refusing Sacred-Secular Divide. CP Entertainment, 29 May 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

Parks, Michael J. "Michael Card by The Phantom Tollbooth." Michael Card by The Phantom Tollbooth. Phantom Tollbooth, 11 Dec. 1997. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

Stevenson, Wayne. "Why Is Christian Music Inferior?" Voices.yahoo.com. Yahoo.com, 2 Jan. 2007. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

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