Don't you love it when someone speaks your mind! LOU CARLOZO, Music Editor, the Chicago Tribune speaks mine! ht to Miz at Reluctant Souls/pixel-dust
It's an outrage to me that so much "Christian" art is in fact artistically inferior crap. Why? First and foremost, I don't think my Savior, the love of my life, would want His holy name spackled onto something so ham-fisted as most "Christian" music. Talk about violating the commandment of taking the Lord's name in vain! Jesus as the marketing equivalent of Adidas. A brand name.On the same tip... Steve Taylor wonders whether someone might take up the Dub challenge...UNTIL CHRISTIAN MUSIC STRESSES ART OVER AGENDA, IT CAN NEVER BE ANYTHING BUT SECOND RATE. As a music editor at the Chicago Tribune, I have a responsibility to turn my readers on to the best art out there. And as a Christian, I have an obligation to tell the truth at all costs, as I see it. If it's bad, awkward, mawkish art that Nashville keeps shipping to me like so many day-glo W.W.J.D. bracelets, what choice do I have? I would rather be the voice of one crying out in the wilderness than win the approval of any cabal that is convinced--for all the wrong reasons--that the majority of "Christian" music serves a noble purpose.
Often the songs sung in church are "white boy" music; I'm thinking Delirious, Hillsong, Soul Survivor ...Anyone interested in checking out the latest in Christian Dance - http://www.tastyfresh.com/
...Dub music is currently BIG in New Zealand; I'm thinking Fat Freddys Drop, Salmonella Dub, Awake the Dawn ... the list goes on ...
...Some of my most spiritual moments in the last 5 years have occurred listening to dub. I can construct my spiritual soundscape around Love your ways and Longtime by Salmonella Dub and the sheer power of Ho Pepa's trombone from Fat Freddys Drop - moments when God has been incredibly real amid my personal brokeness in leaving Graceway, battling institutional and denominational powers, embracing my inadequacies before the wind of God's spirit.
...Dub music seems to create a number of layers for the individual participant to move within. It is more fluid and less linear than rock. It might just be me, but dub concerts are often more communal and less alcohol infused than rock concerts. Dub often has a spiritual vibe of peace and equality and inclusivity. I can imagine deeply Christian corporate worship around songs like Ez on by Salmonella Dub, Believ'n by son.shine; Hope by Fat Freddy's Drop
Technorati Tags: alt.worship: Church: Culture: Music: Worship
"UNTIL CHRISTIAN MUSIC STRESSES ART OVER AGENDA, IT CAN NEVER BE ANYTHING BUT SECOND RATE."
I am not so sure about this. I don't think it is so much that agenda is a problem here. After all, some of the greatest songs ever written have been protest songs. Rather, I think that the Christian industry is "all thumbs" when it comes to communicating their agenda artisitically.
Now I would agree that we need not load Christian music with agendas. I much prefer music that simply declares the good news. But, I also don't think that anybody would be complaining about the Christian agenda if it was crying out about poverty, A.I.D.S., or war. The problem is that nobody likes the agenda (myself included) AND it is artistically sapped of any nuance. Nobody minds agendas in music as long as they are the right agendas and they are artistically communicated.
But, I do share the disdain. Conservative Christians doing music is like newlyweds making love. It's awkward and juvenile at best.
Posted by: Matt | 04/05/2006 at 15:27
Fair comment Matt... however it is the Agenda OVER Art that is the problem... not the agenda itself... the best protest songs have been a combination of worthy cause and good music... the problem I think Carlozo is artuculating is that the agenda does not make up for crap music - and we should not accept poor art simply because we sympathise with the sentiment. "Oh yes the music isn't very good... but it is a good message" just doesn't cut it! Secondly mediocrity does nothing for the message! in other words if the merit of the media is low then the message is at best ignored... but more likely it is tarred with the same disdain as the medium deserves. In the UK Christian music is forever linked with Cliff Richard :( what does that do for the message???
Posted by: Mark Berry | 04/05/2006 at 17:20
interesting discussion - but sometimes quite an annoying one as it comes down to one it one persons art is another person's bag of sh*te ie Tracy Emin's unmade bed - which some in the art world were saying was pioneering - then a couple of japanese performance artists went and bounced on the bed and modern art movement was appalled. In some ways we need to have the humility to look beyond the package of the sung worship and look at the heart and focus of it - yeh a lot of the stuff in evnagelical charasmatic services is 'whiteboy music' but a lot of leadership issues (sadly) in Church are white middle class boy focussed (emerging church movement, Vicars in general, bishops in general etc) May be the dicsussion needs to be broader than 'art over agneda'and see who is around the table then look at what is the agenda if it is self serving in any way then whatever the art it needs binning. The focus of any worship is CHRIST how Christ is worshipped and the vehicle thats used is secondary
Posted by: suddy | 05/05/2006 at 10:55
Good thoughts, thanks Tim...You are right the leadership pattern of Church as a whole is W.M.MC. Though there is a growing number of Black/Asian/Women voices being heard in the EC world... Lorraine Dixon, Karen Ward, Pal Singh etc. but yes they are currently the exception.
I guess I drew together two issues by lining these two posts... maybe unhelpful of me... one, Steve's question of Worship and two, the question of Art - i.e. Music not made for the purpose of corporate worship but as art itself.
In Steve's case the qeustions are... why have we become limited by genre when even a W.M.MC. guy like himself finds the contemporary music of the day in NZ (Dub) more spiritually affective than the MOR rock that has become the staple for Worship... incidently the largest audiance for Rap/Hip-Hop is W.M.MC albeit not middle aged! Also, should the medium not matter... IMHO it matters alot, the God whom we worship is renowned as a/the Creator - so surely our creativity in acts of worship is more worshipful than just the words? It is not about being 'Slick' (the priority of most Worship bands I have played in over the years) but taking creative risks, giving back to God what God has given to us!
(On a Theological point... and perhaps indicative of my own journey... For me the heart of the Worship is the Trinity - the whole God, not just Christ)
The second issue is about art/music... should we simply accept something as having merit because we agree with/sympathise with its message... personally I think not! For me ARt is not about creating something socially acceptable to the masses, but, again, pushing the boundaries of creativity... it has to have more than 'is it nice/pretty', it has to make me think, stir my emotions/spirituality etc. The question, is Pop art? Is an interesting one, there is no doubt Pop that is art and there is Pop which is simply product... the same can be said of Christian Pop etc. IMHO much of what I see/read/hear is the latter mass market product.
BTW I totally take your point about the subjective nature of art.
Posted by: Mark Berry | 05/05/2006 at 12:17
great post im with you on the urge to inspire creativity and push boundaries I dont think Id be in youth ministry if I was. Is the crux then 'the gate keepers of art/sung worship'. ie (whilst trying not to point fingers) If the gate keepers of worship (for want of a better theological tag) judge it 'not art' or 'Crap' or 'not spiritual' or 'not slick' or even 'not liturgical enough' is it the gate keeper that needs taking to task not the young people or communities who are seeking to engage with a trinue God?
Posted by: suddy | 05/05/2006 at 12:51
Gatekeepers... interesting idea, yes I suppose it is... perhaps in the context of the Art thing it is... the record labels, distributers, Ministers (inc. youth ministers) who do not stimulate creativity/challenge attitudes etc. so I guess you are right it is the gatekeepers who need taking to task for not inspiring creativity. I would certainly not criticise Young People, having been a Youth Minister myself for 12years... I know how their creativity can be crushed by the expectations/limitations imposed on them by Ministers/Churches. I do believe (as I'm sure you know ;) ) that the Christian sub-culture also has a huge amount to answer for!
Posted by: Mark Berry | 05/05/2006 at 14:08
Music to my ears Mark. Forgive me if I repeat this quote on my blog. It simply deserves the widest possible circulation.
Posted by: Matt Stone | 08/05/2006 at 14:45
There is well made spiritual music without having the banner of "Christian" attached to it.
Try Danielson Famile, Kill and Eat, or mewithoutYou.
http://www.danielson.info/
http://www.killandeat.com/
http://www.mewithoutyou.com/
Posted by: Caleb | 15/07/2006 at 15:44
Caleb, thanks for these... can't say I'm particularly impressed by 'Kill and Eat' or 'Me Without You'... but there's something about Danielson I like! (quirky, kitsch, original) Will explore further.
Posted by: Mark Berry | 15/07/2006 at 20:55