Miniature Media

Or can they?

The playlist:

Who I am Hates Who I’ve Been- Relient K
Permiscuous Girl- Nelly Furtado
Because of You- Kelly Clarkson
I Can Only Imagine- Mercy Me
Baby Got Back- Sir Mix A Lot

Interesting. I think they’ve decided on the money. Whatever will bring money to their station is what matters. Not that I blame them- they never claimed to be working for the cause of Christ, but don’t use a Christian song to make your money. Besides it just doesn’t make sense to sing about how much you like big butts right after you sing about seeing God face to face- I’m pretty sure the experiences don’t compare whatsoever, so they don’t need to be sung about on the same station.

While talking to a friend a few nights ago, I came to a realization. We were discussing the fact that everything leads you either towards Christ, or away from Christ, and that there is, in fact no middle ground there. As we had this discussion, I began to think about what goes on in my head when I listen to some of my favorite bands. I began to realize that for the most part, I don’t think about God when I listen to their music, but instead I listen to “My girl’s Ex-boyfriend” (Relient K) and think about my own past (and laugh on the inside), or I hear “Oh, gravity!” (Switchfoot) and think of…well just how much I don’t like the song, but that’s beside the point. The point is that I am not being pointed in the direction of Christ when I listen to these songs. If I, as a Christian, do not hear these songs and think about Christ, then surely an unbeliever will not! So this brings up another question for myself, a personal decision I must make: If I was created to worship God, and if this music is not pointing me the direction of God, should I listen at all?

I appreciated Perry Noble’s blog post from a couple of days ago about spiritual impotence. What bothers me the most about crossover bands isn’t that they are vague as to whether they are Christian or secular, but that they have the outlet to make Jesus Christ famous, yet they choose to make themselves famous. Jeremiah 20:9 talks about how even when Jeremiah was mocked for telling of God to those in Judah, he knew that because the spirit so overflowed from his heart, he could not hold in his love of God, instead he had to let it out. I wish people were more like this in general, especially people who have such a huge role in the media. If they used what they had to share Christ to others, oh how we could see some amazing things happen!! Instead, they sing “positive” songs that still don’t lead unbelievers in the right direction. They have the outlet, but do they have the passion?

A perfect example of that fuzzy area that some of these bands are hanging out in. In an article on Billboard.com it says this:
“The Beautiful Letdown, their Columbia/RED debut, dropped in spring 2003; it represented the quartet’s full evolution toward a more accessible mainstream sound. The album eventually went double platinum on the strength of constant touring and the radio hits “Dare You to Move” and “Meant to Live.” It hit number one on Billboard’s Christian Albums chart, and number 16 on the Top 200.”

In this video on YouTube, members of Switchfoot talk about some of their songs. If you notice, they hint towards spirituality, and even mention it a couple of times, but never say that they are a Christian band, nor do they say anything about God in general. For a band who had a number one album on Christian Charts, they sure don’t have much to say about Christianity.

Switchfoot, P.O.D., Lifehouse, Evanesence, Any Grant, and Relient K. A short list of some of the bands that have crossed over from Contemporary Christian (CCM) to secular music. Now, another one has been added: NeedtoBreathe. But this band is a bit unique–it got its start on secular radio and then crossed over and is being played on Christian stations. 18 weeks later, the band is at number 7 of the Billboards top 20 Christian Songs. Mercy Me, another unique example, has their roots planted in Christian Music and this most likely won’t change. However, they became quite popular when their hit “I Can Only Imagine” was played over the airwaves from secular stations across the nation.
But why do artists do this whole crossover thing, anyway? Possibly because they think that if they can get their foot in the door of CCM music, it will be easier to become recognized and once they crossover, it won’t be as hard to find a label to sign them. If this is the case, i don’t know that their plan will work much longer. CCM is a fast growing industry and is becoming more and more competitive. Perhaps these artists should find a different route.
On the other hand, why are CCM radio stations playing secular music? Maybe the music has uplifting lyrics, or lyrics that point to Christ in some way, but was that the original intention? I think CCM stations are trying to find ways to gain listener support, especially through younger listeners and if this is how they can gain that needed support, then this is how they will do it. But is that right? Well, I suppose that’s a topic for another post.