Acknowledging there’s a good chance you’re a sockpuppet, I’m still going to bite.

It’s easy to go on a rampage about how much Christian music sucks, but in reality, who is forcing you to listen to it

I don’t listen to it. That was kind of the point of this post.

(and in addition to that, what gives you the right to judge them so harshly)?

I got my B.A. in Judging last year.

Actually, I’m a professional music critic. As in I get paid to do it. Not that that gives me any more “right” than anyone else to “judge.” All consumers of art are allowed to judge and criticize. But since you asked for credentials…

Especially when it comes to worship, it’s about God, not about your music preference.

Personally, I’m not much into worshipping God these days, but if I were, I would sincerely wish that “worship” wasn’t a blanket excuse for really shitty music.

And dude, on what planet is Blink 182 held up as a paragon of musical excellence? I mean, their last album actually wasn’t that bad, but if Blink 182 is the extent of your experience with secular music, then no wonder you’re satisfied with CCM drivel.

It’s easy to go on a rampage about how much Christian music sucks, but in reality, who is forcing you to listen to it (and in addition to that, what gives you the right to judge them so harshly)? If you don’t like it then listen to something else, but give grace to bands even if you don’t like their style. Especially when it comes to worship, it’s about God, not about your music preference.

I guess the underlying thing is, we need to trust that God is using these people to communicate His message to us and the culture, whether or not we think it is effective. He is bigger than the faults of our music industry and the faults of our church, both of which seem to be conforming to the culture an uncomfortable amount.

I don’t mean to sound critical of your ideas, because I’ve found it easy to take a negative view on this subject as well, but if I have to choose Hawk Nelson over Blink 182 I’ll do it any day. Why? Because Hawk Nelson is a Christian band and as a Christian I want to help support their effort. Blink 182 is a band that does not support my ideals, and even though their music is so playable, their music is filled with a rebellious, irresponsible spirit of immature youth. It’s not just the music, it’s the spirit behind it that matters the most. Give some grace to Christian music and look for the outstanding Christian artists who are on target.

I hope that my band never gets lumped in the ‘horrible’ category. We don’t, however, just sing about God and how awesome He is, and how much we love to praise Him. Most of our songs are about our lives and experiences. For example, I wrote a song called “The Greater Sadness” about my brother’s drug addiction, and how it nearly tore my family apart. It feels more real to me than just trying to tell people that Jesus loves them.

IMO, Jars’ first two CDs were good (though I do prefer their debut over Much Afraid), but their third one was terrible. I haven’t heard their more recent stuff. Supposedly it’s a lot better than If I Left the Zoo; but I’m skeptical.

dc Talk, on the other hand, I loved all through the 1990s. In fact, Jesus Freak (IMO, the best Christian rock album of the 1990s, if not all time) was my first CD purchase. Now the members are all doing their own thing; only Kevin Max’s stuff is palatable to me these days. (Of course, I’m probably a little biased because he was my favourite of the three to being with.)

Anyway. For most of my Christian life, about 99% of the stuff I listened to was Christian music. Then, around 1995, I started listening to commercial radio. Five years after that, I virtually swore that off and discovered indie rock. I hardly listen to any strictly Christian music anymore, mainly because I think a lot of it sucks.

In my experience, Christian music tends to spend too much time in the nebulous God-talk and not enough time in the narrative, experiential aspect that draws me to the music I love.

God-talk, and virtually every song is like a love song; but instead of singing it to a person, it’s being sung to God or Jesus. Sometimes the Holy Spirit. I find it bleh. IMO, one definitely doesn’t need to talk about God in every song they do; and it seems like the Christian artists that I do like (a few who are part of the Christian music scene and several who have nothing to do with it) are way more prolific, more talented, and–for lack of a better phrase–suck me in more. Heck, some definitely non-Christian music out there has spoken to me more than the Christian stuff.

Sigh.

The irony is the Sufjan factor. It’s a pretty big irony, because there are a lot of musicians who are Christians that I listen to. Besides Sufjan and Danielson, who you mentioned, there’s David Bazan/Pedro the Lion/Headphones, Over the Rhine, Half-Handed Cloud, U2, Mars Ill, L.A. Symphony, Chevelle, Ester Drang, Johnny Cash, Starflyer 59, John Davis, Derek Webb, T-Bone Burnett, etc. The funny thing is that the majority of those acts have absolutely nothing to do with the “Christian” music industry. Over the centuries Christianity has had a huge influence on the arts, usually for the better. It almost seems that once artists who are Christians figure out that music isn’t meant to be used as propaganda, that they often end up making some of the best music around.

Incidentally, you should read Andrew Beaujon’s Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock.