The cheesiness of 80s Christian rock

The only thing music in general can hinder is our need for silent reflection. If the inner noise is being drowned out constantly by audio input, then we miss out on something very important in our Christian walk.

Dreams65 said:

. None of that music has ever hindered my walk with Christ.

Click to expand...

If your music is not an idol it falls into the same category as money which often becomes an idol and is misused as such.

One other thing would be a possible problem with blasphemous and/or heretical lyrics?

And LOL what's not to like about Phil Keaggy and Glass Harp?

For me, the liberating moment came when I decided it was okay for me to like 'songs' without having to commit to the artist/group. There's a long list of songs I like but few albums. I can like a song for almost any reason, vocal performance, production, sometimes a lyric, etc.
The only artists that I have extensive collections of are: Iona, Russ Taff, and Whiteheart. I have several Andrae' Crouch albums but certainly not close to all of them.
I worked in major market(s) CCM Radio throughout the 90s into 2002. I rarely listen to any of it these days, Iona excepted.

Dreams65 said:

True. I'm pretty careful regarding lyrical content. Blasphemous and/or heretical content doesn't get added to my collection. That goes for films and video games too.

Click to expand...

I find a lot of modern christian music very difficult to listen to. I can't quite put my finger on why.
It sounds really gooey and gushey to me?
Like adults making themselves babies and tearfully cooing to God??

Dreams65 said:

It's true, there are a lot of Christian artists/bands that give off that cheesy 80s TV commercial vibe. To be fair, a lot of secular bands are just as guilty. I take time to listen to albums online before I make a purchase...keeps the cheese out of my collection.

But...in the end it could be just a healthy dose of subjective thinking.

Click to expand...

I have recently found:

Steve Winwood - Gimme Some Loving'
Steve Winwood - Dear Mr Fantasy.

Have you heard these songs before??

Very Very Good

Dreams65 said:

As a side note. In the early 90s I decided that those Christians who told me that listening to rock was a sin were wrong and were misguided and/or selfish.

Click to expand...

Actually if it was sin to them it was sin to them. If their conscience was troubled by anything and they go ahead and do it then to them it is sin.

Is It a Sin to Act Against Your Conscience? (thegospelcoalition.org)

So the fact of the matter is sin can be different from person to person. People change too. Sometimes on questionable matters there's a going back and forth on whether they hold to certain convictions. Not always bad to do so...not always good. And one can't always say another is wrong....there's time with spiritual development God can begin to convict one he never quite did before in a certain area. Not even always about sin. It's about weights which can slow us down. Watching sports events isn't sin....but what if they're into this 3-4 times a week and God has called them more into prayer and feeding their spirits with God's word. Maybe a way of saying things is asking are we letting the good things of life (things that could be argued to be good) rob us of the best things?

Back to the music. Is there any element at all where God might not be pleased with Rock. Would it border on sin to give lots of honor to work Rockers have produced? Let me say growing up in the 60's, 70's as a young man....as you know the Beetles, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd and the list can go on and on, ruled the day. Talented individuals? Absolutely! But I don't think one could fairly say most artists at the time weren't promoting liberalism. The Beetles song, "Imagine" Wonderful melody? Yup. But what about the lyrics. Imagine there's no God nor Heaven....try if you can.....(in other words Look folks if we can just get rid of a God consciousness hey what a wonderful world we'd have? Pleasing to God for his people to back up with money profiting them which might be encouraging them to continue? I'm rambling here I know. And what about Led Zeppelin. Stairway to Heaven. Yup beautiful melody one of the greatest I've ever heard....what about the lyrics though?

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean for the May Queen
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
And there's still time to change the road you're on

Nope not talking about backwards masking. Don't have to. But why shouldn't a Christian be asking themselves the question why should I be wasting my time singing to myself these type of useless vain babblings and have them floating around in my consciousness? Isn't it wiser that have have other things in us that can provide strength? So on melody maybe yes a 10 out of 10....of substance or meaning of song a big fat 0! (felt that way before I was a Christian too and I was one who even organized rock concert attendance) One says well I just listen to melody...fact is though it's a package deal you get the babblings injected in you as well. Is God really tremendously pleased with that? What do you think?

Of course this just doesn't mean music but a lot of things. And the question is how sharp and strong do we actually want to be for God to use us in life. Great rewards also mean great sacrifices but there'll be varying degrees of how God looks upon all of us in how we applied ourselves. Even though a great many of us might be in Heaven there might always be a sense we could have walked closer to the Lord by giving up as much as the frivolous as possible. Actually that's what Jesus meant when asked who would be the greatest in Heaven.

Yes the servant of all but also the one who looks at the pearl of great price and looks for ways to set aside the frivolous as much as they can. Not even meaning sin....but the frivolous. Is what I'm meditating on the best thing? Or rather just good. I'm thinking we should all want the best. Of course none of us can say I'm sure all frivolous is gone but we better make sure we're doing everything possible to keep it in check. As for me I don't want words being implanted in me day and night that won't be beneficial or produce anything positive. Jesus said take heed what you hear. On forums like these I read many lament the fact that they feel so little victory in their lives. There's many things that need to be considered of course but here's maybe a wake up call for some . The Lord said all along much of how much victory you have it's up to you. (and me)

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. Mark 4:23

Since then I have re-collected my previous non-Christian albums and have grown that collection to over 500 CDs. None of that music has ever hindered my walk with Christ.

Click to expand...

That's a statement I don't think you can rightly make. The question is how much time do you spend with the secular? The worse type of deception can be self deception or being in denial. If you had A group of wordings (as in lyrics) being put in your spirit and mind day and night as compared to B group of wordings lyrics and things it most certainly can be a hindrance if the group of things we're talking about are frivolous . Sorry but everything, everything, are seeds and yes we'll reap what we sow. We can deny it. Doesn't matter. We will. In closing NOPE not telling you to get rid of your 500 CDs. You might want to always be asking yourself though what's really going on in your heart and you make a fair assessment yourself is it possible these things could be or are becoming for me a weight? Exactly how much time am I spending with them and nope I'm not calling them sin.

Bobber said:

The Beetles song, "Imagine" Wonderful melody? Yup. But what about the lyrics. Imagine there's no God nor Heaven....

Click to expand...

I'm sorry, my rock genes are nagging me right now.

"Imagine" Is not a Beatles song. It was written and sang by only John Lennon in his solo career. Anyways, I do get the point you are trying to convey.

Dreams65 said:

Not yet. I'll have to take a listen.

Click to expand...

If you do listen, let me know what you think

Dreams65 said:

Unfortunately I didn't appreciate Phil Keaggy's musics until later. Now I really enjoy his albums...instrumentals too.

Click to expand...

I had his instrumental album THE WIND AND THE WHEAT, loved it. As far as 80's I thought Steve Taylor was fun with his "I Want to be a Clone" era (more new wave than rock).