Should Christian music be edgier?

[URA]

In the modern context of contemporary Christian music, our mainstream listening consists of bland lyrics that just emphasize God's love for us, using broad terms & never being controversial.

But is that how it should be?

I was at my college's Christian Campus House worship with a local Episcopalian priest. The band was playing some of the usual sort of songs, and he mentioned, "You know, I've always wondered if Christian music shouldn't be so vanilla. Sometimes it's good like this, but sometimes I think we need to be challenged, using more incriminating words to get us to live better."

The usual mantra "Jesus loves me, I love Jesus, all is cool" is fine; I'm not debating declaring our love for the Son of God, not at all! But shouldn't there be more?

Take, for example, the song that many historians consider the first Christian rock song, "After Forever", with the opening lines, "Have you ever thought about your soul can it be saved?
Or perhaps you think that when you're dead you just stay in your grave"

Or another one by the same band, "Lord of this World":
"Your world was made for you by someone above
But you chose evil ways instead of love
You made me master of the world where you exist
The soul I took from you was not even missed yeah"

Is it fine for all mainstream Christian music to be vanilla? Or should we be humbled that it takes a band called Black Sabbath to teach us how to write Christian songs?

(Side note: When looking at the lyrics of Black Sabbath songs that sing about Satan, notice that it's all singing about the despair of life for the devil; Ozzy calls out "Oh, God, help me!" in Black Sabbath after singing about where he's going with Satan at the wheel.) (And here's another discussion that goes into more detail of Sabbath specifically: secular artists releasing Christian music)

Important: I am not debating Black Sabbath in particular, I'm only using them as an example for the broader topic of edgier lyrics in Christian songs. You may reference Sabbath, but do not derail this thread from a discussion on Christian lyrics to a discussion on 1 band.

May God bless us all!

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Edgier, sounds like something the body needs more than anything else.

If people wanted to draw more on the ancient form of praise that was more like mourning, and use that for more "edge" perhaps that would balance out the vanilla if it lead to being "more real"

 

[Paidiske]

Well, the psalms don't shy away from being edgy, in their way. There are verses there to challenge any of us.

 

[thecolorsblend]

Sacred Scripture is pretty edgy. People sometimes doubt that. So I ask them to envision reading Song Of Solomon out loud to their grannies.

Another one is St. John 14:6. That's edgy. Heck, Our Lord would probably be a Twitter-posting edgelord today.

But anyway. Yeah, Sacred Scripture is edgy.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Sacred Scripture is pretty edgy. People sometimes doubt that. So I ask them to envision reading Song Of Solomon out loud to their grannies.

Another one is St. John 14:6. That's edgy. Heck, Our Lord would probably be a Twitter-posting edgelord today.

But anyway. Yeah, Sacred Scripture is edgy.

Yeah double edged sword kind of edgy.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

If we can have good Christian literature that doesn't shy away from edgy themes I see no reason why there can't be Christian music of the same caliber.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

I mean we could totally do growl metal to the theme of total depravity, but does it edify?

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

A mistake all too many churches make is to claim to be multicultural, while really being unicultural in worship style - including music. Bring in some world rhythms and sounds.

 

[royal priest]

Such as this?

 

[Gregory Thompson]

 

[FireDragon76]

In this day and age, the idea of a God that loves the way Jesus did is edgy enough. As Leonard Cohen (who wasn't even a Christian) said of Jesus,

".. Any guy who said "Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the meek" has got to be a figure of unparalleled generosity and insight and madness.. . A man who declared himself to stand among the thieves, the prostitutes and the homeless. His position cannot be comprehended. It is an inhuman generosity. A generosity that would overthrow the world if it was embraced because nothing could weather that compassion..."

That sounds very edgy indeed. If we aren't communicating something of that, we aren't doing it right.

Well, the psalms don't shy away from being edgy, in their way. There are verses there to challenge any of us.

Yeah, many of them are not exactly politically or even religiously correct.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

This one's more apocalyptic, but illustrates how fire can be called from heaven in plain sight of man.

 

[Halbhh]

In the modern context of contemporary Christian music, our mainstream listening consists of bland lyrics that just emphasize God's love for us, using broad terms & never being controversial.

But is that how it should be?

I was at my college's Christian Campus House worship with a local Episcopalian priest. The band was playing some of the usual sort of songs, and he mentioned, "You know, I've always wondered if Christian music shouldn't be so vanilla. Sometimes it's good like this, but sometimes I think we need to be challenged, using more incriminating words to get us to live better."

The usual mantra "Jesus loves me, I love Jesus, all is cool" is fine; I'm not debating declaring our love for the Son of God, not at all! But shouldn't there be more?

Take, for example, the song that many historians consider the first Christian rock song, "After Forever", with the opening lines, "Have you ever thought about your soul can it be saved?
Or perhaps you think that when you're dead you just stay in your grave"

Or another one by the same band, "Lord of this World":
"Your world was made for you by someone above
But you chose evil ways instead of love
You made me master of the world where you exist
The soul I took from you was not even missed yeah"

Is it fine for all mainstream Christian music to be vanilla? Or should we be humbled that it takes a band called Black Sabbath to teach us how to write Christian songs?

(Side note: When looking at the lyrics of Black Sabbath songs that sing about Satan, notice that it's all singing about the despair of life for the devil; Ozzy calls out "Oh, God, help me!" in Black Sabbath after singing about where he's going with Satan at the wheel.) (And here's another discussion that goes into more detail of Sabbath specifically: secular artists releasing Christian music)

Important: I am not debating Black Sabbath in particular, I'm only using them as an example for the broader topic of edgier lyrics in Christian songs. You may reference Sabbath, but do not derail this thread from a discussion on Christian lyrics to a discussion on 1 band.

May God bless us all!

definitely good at times...
The beginning of (Christian? Yes) U2's Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For echoes some Ecclesiastes themes : our reckless urge to find something, to make life complete. A central issue of our hearts, and our longing.... For what we lost and want to return to. To the lost, the unknown Something.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Edgy I guess, the gospel according to someone being used in the sex trade.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Not sure how much edge people want, it's kind of out there if you look.

 

[Unnamed Guy]

Music styles change every couple of years and they have no significance. You are talking about lyrics, and the problem there is the same as it always has been: many people don't know the first thing about what they claim to believe. The correction is to read the bible and learn the business. Then you can play all the edgy music you want and judge whether the lyrics are edifying according to God's word. The only thing God ever asked for was a joyful noise.

 

[Halbhh]

In the place all human beings long for, separation will be lost

 

[FireDragon76]

In the modern context of contemporary Christian music, our mainstream listening consists of bland lyrics that just emphasize God's love for us, using broad terms & never being controversial.

But is that how it should be?

I was at my college's Christian Campus House worship with a local Episcopalian priest. The band was playing some of the usual sort of songs, and he mentioned, "You know, I've always wondered if Christian music shouldn't be so vanilla. Sometimes it's good like this, but sometimes I think we need to be challenged, using more incriminating words to get us to live better."

The usual mantra "Jesus loves me, I love Jesus, all is cool" is fine; I'm not debating declaring our love for the Son of God, not at all! But shouldn't there be more?

Take, for example, the song that many historians consider the first Christian rock song, "After Forever", with the opening lines, "Have you ever thought about your soul can it be saved?
Or perhaps you think that when you're dead you just stay in your grave"

Or another one by the same band, "Lord of this World":
"Your world was made for you by someone above
But you chose evil ways instead of love
You made me master of the world where you exist
The soul I took from you was not even missed yeah"

Is it fine for all mainstream Christian music to be vanilla? Or should we be humbled that it takes a band called Black Sabbath to teach us how to write Christian songs?

(Side note: When looking at the lyrics of Black Sabbath songs that sing about Satan, notice that it's all singing about the despair of life for the devil; Ozzy calls out "Oh, God, help me!" in Black Sabbath after singing about where he's going with Satan at the wheel.) (And here's another discussion that goes into more detail of Sabbath specifically: secular artists releasing Christian music)

Important: I am not debating Black Sabbath in particular, I'm only using them as an example for the broader topic of edgier lyrics in Christian songs. You may reference Sabbath, but do not derail this thread from a discussion on Christian lyrics to a discussion on 1 band.

May God bless us all!

I think that just shows that spiritual yearnings and insights are not restricted to just those inside churches. As I told my pastor, the great gift of Lutheranism has been that I no longer require my sense of spirituality to be packaged in a religious container.

 

[W2L]

I mean we could totally do growl metal to the theme of total depravity, but does it edify?

Depends on the person listening.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Depends on the person listening.

Catharsis is good sometimes.