Jesus climbs the charts: the business of contemporary Christian music

Christian Century, Dec 18, 2002 by Mark Allan Powell

WHAT ABOUT the theology? Naturally, there are degrees of theological sophistication in this music, which reflects a wide swath of American religious traditions. Jars of Clay is often cited as an example of a group that manages to be both subtle and profound. Christianity Today once dubbed it "the band that Luther and Calvin would have liked," perhaps because of its U2-like obsession with grace. A primary focus of its songs is the fragility of the human condition, rendered only more ambiguous when viewed from a perspective of faith. The group's very name is taken from 2 Corinthians 4:7 ("We have this treasure in clay jars"), and one of its best songs is "Frail."

Still, many ccm artists perform songs that are neither profound nor subtle, some of which are dismissed by critics as "happy-in-Jesus songs." Defenders say such music stands in the grand tradition of summer camp songs like "Do Lord" and "Give Me Oil in My Lamp"--pleasurable ditties that are simply expressive of Christian joy without any pretense of addressing life's complexities.

The problem with that argument is that Christian music often occupies a major, even defining role in the lives of its more ardent listeners. The music is not just material for a campfire sing-along; it becomes a soundtrack for people's lives. Individualistic piety and crass sentimentalism can be innocent enough in small doses, but some fans and performers seem to think that faith consists of little else.

In the 1980s, militant triumphalism reigned in the lyrics. Three of Christian music's biggest stars (Petra, DeGarmo & Key and Matthew Ward) recorded three different songs titled "Armed and Dangerous" (based on Ephesians 6). These songs, and many like them, presented Christians as a force that (in the words of Ward's song) "will not stop until all Christ's enemies lay dead at our feet"; one hopes they meant only to slay spiritual enemies, not bodily ones.

The 1990s showed little improvement in the area of social commentary. The topics of choice were harlots in the White House, baby-killers and anyone opposed to prayer in public schools. At least five songs were sung from the perspective of a fetus who, endowed with adult intelligence, knows that he or she is about to be aborted; in one case, the fetus asks Jesus to come into his (already beating) heart so he or she becomes a Christian before being killed.

I'd put about 10 percent of current ccm into the "theologically mature" category exemplified by Jars of Clay, Sixpence None the Richer, The Choir and some lesser-known artists (see sidebars). Another 10 percent can be written off as sensationalist trash marred by the kind of ignorant extremism noted above. As for the rest, it's not too profound or thought-provoking, but it can generally pass as harmless, sometimes even inspiring entertainment.

A positive assessment of this music's theology depends on recognizing a legitimate role for emotion in faith. Many composers of rock music maintain that the primary intent of their songs is not to convey a message but to engage emotions.