Thrice and "Christian" Music

So i've been thinking a lot about the idea of "christian"music and the christian music industry, and i havce to say that it's definitely time i wrote about it. It s a subject of controversy in a good deal of religious circles, that never seems to get resolved. Bands like Stryper, who have religious themes in their music, then go and let loose the f-bomb at concerts, often get blacklisted and shunned for the rest of their lives. Others, like Thrice, have cryptic messages that are imperceptible to many non-religious listeners, but more intuitive listeners can guess at their meanings. For instance, on "Vheissu", there are references to the Apostle Peter's denial of Christ ("Like Moths to Flame"), how humans are made in the likeness of God ("Image of the Invisible") and Peter's miraculous escape from jail ("The Earth Will Shake"). However, most people don't categorize Thrice as a "christian" band because their songs don't directly reference God, or they don't have typical "praise and worship" themes to their songs.

So what to do? Is Thrice "safe" for Christian radio? Granted, their post-hardcore stylings are hardly KTIS-friendly, but say softer songs like the ones on The Alchemy Index; Earth, Air, and Water. Surely thes are ok for Christian radio.

Frankly, I don't think it matters. I don't think we should have "Christian" radio or music or any of the above. Last I checked, it was humans that accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, not CDs, radio waves, or songs. There are musicians who happen to be Christians, and there are songs that are specifically written to praise and worship our Heavenly father, but there is no such thing as "Christian" music. To ask if a band is "Christian" is equally ridiculous as asking if a Ford Taurus is a "Christian" vehicle.

For far too long, the world has looked at Christianity as a "members-only" exclusive club, with it's own music, radio, MTV, gathering places, and so on. Outsiders are intimidated by this, it being entirely foreign to them, and it makes it that much more difficult for us to relate to non-Christians, and them to us. For me as a musician, i have found few better bridges than a common interest in music. My varied interests in multiple genres makes it easy to pick a subject of new music, and it's only a matter of time before either I or the other person begins to rave about the talents or skills of the musician we're talking about. This is an easy stepping stone for me to say something like "This is proof that there is a God, and he loves us and wants us to be happy, because he made _______ to make music for us." Granted, it comes off kinda stilted, but if you drive at that more often, that God is the ultimate author of all music, you can have a good discussion about eternity, God, and what Jesus did for us on the Cross.
I seem to have rambled from my original subject... hmm. Well, i suppose all i have to say in conclusion is, if you're a follower of Jesus' teachings, don't limit yourself to only-"christian" music. It narrows your horizon of understanding in the music world, removes a great way to relate to non-christians, and you miss out on a lot of good music. I remember a road trip i was on, and i thought i'd spice things up on the MP3 player and play some led zeppelin. Everything was going fine until the lyrics kicked in (the song was "Bring it on Home", for those of you who want to go search for lyrics) and they immediately asked me who the artist was, and whined, "can we listen to some christian music, please?" I not only felt like a heretic for being the only one in the car that wanted to listen to non-"christian" music, but it seemed like there was an air of "holier-than-thou" for the rest of the trip. I don't hold it against the guys, but the mood definitely hung around. Besides, Led Zeppelin has some really great tunes. Seriously. They don't know what they were missing out on.

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