Christian Versus Secular Music: Is the Gap Closing?

The label "Christian" stirs up very strong opinions and emotions, both negative and positive, among believers and unbelievers. When it is used as a sub-category in the arts, it is often dismissed as applying to a largely inferior and limited version of secular works. In many cases, that perception was valid, as I argued in my article Why is Christian Music Inferior? back in January of this year. I argued that we Christians were doing a disservice to ourselves and to God by allowing the music we produce, often as a form of worship, to be less than it should be. That article ended up being a spotlight article and it received many comments from people who agreed, but just as many from those it angered. In fact, it cost me some friendships in my personal life.

Amazingly, I have begun to see a dramatic increase in the level of quality in the Christian music world recently. Whether that is due to my eyes being more open to it or to a real change in the music is uncertain. I have to assume it is a little of both, with perhaps a measure of God at work in attuning my senses to see what is out there. There have been a few recent releases that have grabbed my attention and shown me that God's people can worship him through music at a level that can raise some eyebrows and, ultimately, have those who have yet to know Him wonder what it is that makes us so excited.

It is worth noting that any opinions I might have about what constitutes "good" music are entirely subjective and based solely on what my musical tastes are. I think maybe that was a point of contention in my previous article. There actually are some ways to define "good", although personal taste is still the deciding factor.

Record sales are what many use to define good in our society, but to me that is a poor barometer. If Britney Spears can top the Billboard charts that says it all to me regarding a correlation between record sales and artistic merit. That's not to say there aren't great artists who sell records- look at the Beatles as an example. What it does say is that record sales alone only mean that the song happens to be well-marketed, well-produced, has an attractive person singing it and successfully follows whatever formula is currently hot. Popularity isn't always a reasonable measure of quality. As they say, there is no accounting for taste...

On the other end of the spectrum is music that is loved by the critics but may not necessarily sell. It tends to be different for the sake of being different, not necessarily in a good way. It is a fascinating phenomenon to see. There seems to be a trend among the trendy to find the most obscure and bizarre artists in existence, evidently so they can tell all their friends they liked them first. There is some fun in that. I love to find things off the beaten path, sometimes a little strange, that I can introduce to people who I know will appreciate it. It's a fun game. It's hard for me to believe that these hipsters actually like some of these bands they fuss over so much though. It's sort of like all those people a few years ago who claimed to like Bjork. Critics sometimes latch onto the most pretentious artists for no perceptible reason I can discern except that they are a part of the current "in" thing.

My definition of "good" is music that the listener is affected by on an emotional level and derives pleasure from listening to. In the case of Christian music, that would include a component that would help the listener draw closer to God, whether that is as a song sung directly to God or a song that addresses God's role in our lives, or even as a song that isn't overtly "Christian" but in some way allows the listener to connect with God. That broad definition encompasses a lot of musical genres. With hindsight, it has occurred to me that the Christian music I referred to in my previous article was more narrowly defined- basically praise and worship music along with Christian rock. I have since broadened the scope of my understanding of what Christian music is.

Setting aside the fact that nearly any piece of music can fit into my definition of Christian music, I want to focus on some music I have recently listened to that falls under the Christian banner. I hope you will at least be curious enough to give some of it a chance.

Praise and worship music has no equivalent in the secular world music world, so comparing it to anything else is impossible. Speaking strictly in terms of production values and melody, praise and worship music has made some great strides in the past few years. In my opinion, many of the songs in this genre in the past were very similar in structure and in lyrical content. Some of that is inherent in the style, as these songs are intended for a very specific purpose- to praise and to worship God. In addition, they are generally written to be sung aloud in a group. So generally speaking, simplicity and repetition are the common thread. But, within those constraints, a few artists are able to produce some very inspiring melodies and great instrumentation. The obvious example of this trend is Jeremy Camp and deservedly so. Camp has a fantastic voice and a gift for songwriting. Some other artists in the modern praise and worship style are Todd Agnew, Jeremy Riddle, Delirious, David Crowder and Jeff Deyo. They all produce consistently good work with high production values that get your attention and serve the purpose they were written for.

In the realm of Christian rock, it has become as market-driven as it's secular counterpart, for better or worse. Following successful formulas seems to be the order of the day. Judged solely on the quality of the production values and the instrumental abilities of the performers, Christian rock is now virtually indistinguishable from secular rock in most cases. In fact, many groups who label themselves as Christian and a few who were labeled that way by others, have crossed over onto mainstream radio and into the hands of mainstream buyers. Most notably, bands like Switchfoot, POD, Relient K have blurred the lines. Taken a step further, bands like Creed, Evanescence and Linkin Park have been termed by many as Christian bands or at least Christian-friendly bands, and are as good withing their genre as any. Despite the critical lambasting they received and still do, Creed was probably the first band that blurred the lines between secular and Christian rock (even if Scott Stapp's subsequent behavior isn't exactly pious). This has, depending on your opinion of Creed, become the predominant style among Christian rock bands. Many have become Creed-esque in their vocal style and instrumentation. The other alternative is the Blink-182 formula that many bands have latched onto. The biggest Christian example of this style is Relient K. Not my cup of tea, but they do it very well and have had a very successful career.

It seems that every successful musical genre now has a Christian answer. There are many Christian rap, hip-hop, R&B and pop acts that you would not be able to tell from their secular counterparts until you listened to the lyrics (and sometimes even then it's tough). There is even a relatively new genre that has become my personal favorite; Christian blues.

While technically Christian blues has been around for years, mainly represented by Glen Kaiser, it has very recently vaulted forward in quality and availability. I recently ran across an album by a new band called the Mighty Jeremiahs. The group is comprised of, among others, Greg Martin from the Kentucky Headhunters and Jimmy Hall, former lead vocalist from Wet Willie. While not strictly blues, this is one of the best albums I have heard in years. I was so happy to find a band that plays the brand of heavy, rock-influenced blues that I love with an eye towards their God. It's very refreshing and it has inspired me to seek out more like it. It has opened my eyes to a new direction in my personal journey as a musician. I have been frustrated as a musician and a Christian looking for an outlet and this genre appeals to me and shows me that it can be done and done well. After the discovery of the Jeremiahs, I gave a listen to the new CD by Jonny Lang, a long-time favorite of mine. Imagine my shock when I began to realize that Jonny has become a very vocal born-again Christian since I listened to his last album. This is a very good, funky soul/blues album that is vintage Jonny Lang with the exception of the lyrical content being geared towards Christian themes. These two recent albums have almost single-handedly reenergized my passion for music and have refocused my artistic goals in a new direction.

So, in conclusion, I have begun to see that, while Christian music is subject to many of the same trends and fads as it's secular counterpart, it has made some great leaps forward in terms of quality in a very short period. I credit a growth in spiritual maturity on my part in allowing me to reassess my harsh view of the Christian music world. I believe that we Christians are capable of producing memorable and even life-changing music if we are brave enough to become leaders and innovators. With artists like the Mighty Jeremiahs and Jonny Lang at the forefront we are will on the way to seeing that become commonplace.