I’ve found it’s nearly impossible to keep up on what’s happening in the Christian music realm. I long ago gave up trying to stay abreast of what artists are up and coming, who just released a new CD, and what each artist sounds like.

But for the past year I’ve been benefiting from the weekly e-mail newsletter sent out from Christianity Today. It’s called Music Connection and is written by Russ Breimeier. In the realm of popular Christian music, Russ is comprehensive, well-informed, and not afraid to ask thought-provoking questions. Recently he’s been asking how relevant Christian music is to our culture. He wrote:

I’m almost completely surrounded by Christian culture in my everyday life. I have lots of friends around work with whom I chat around the “water cooler,” and if I’m not with them in my spare time, then I’m usually with my church community in worship and fellowship. I also talk often with my Christian family about the latest happenings in life and culture.

The strange part to me is this: Most of my friends enjoy music to some degree, and we certainly enjoy talking about it from time to time. But be it friends or family, the majority of them really don’t listen to much Christian music—if any. Furthermore, I’d say a lot of my Christian friends have expressed that they generally don’t enjoy Christian music. And those I know who do support Christian music have noticed the same thing.

The most beneficial aspect of the e-mail is at the end where he links to reviews of upcoming music releases on ChristianMusicToday.com. He also links to interviews with Christian musicians and non-Christian artists who have recorded songs of a “spiritual” nature. You can try out a subscription by signing up here.

15 Comments »

1. Bob,

   I stumbled upon a site recently that has been helpful in terms of just knowing what artists are releasing albums and when. The site is http://www.newreleasetuesday.com

   Comment by Stephen Altrogge — October 3, 2007 @ 1:11 pm

2. Hey, have you posted anything on christians being involved in the secular music market? Curious on any advice.

   Comment by Alex — October 5, 2007 @ 6:37 pm

3. Bob,

   Prior to becoming a christian when I heard praise and worship songs, that overtly are intended for worship, I found it annoying and plain stupid (but this is from an unregenerate heart). On the other hand, some christian music that was done well and did not have an overt worship overtone was nice to listen to. However, if I would have had to explain that what I was listening to was a christian band that just sounded cool I would have probably been embarrased enough to simply forego listening to it.

   So, in thinking about that article in Christianity Today I would want to know what kind of “christian music” he is referring to. If he is referring to the top 100 on ccli.com then that would lead to one conclusion, but if he is talking about music that has a foundation in christian morality but not overtly articulating doctrines etc…it would lead to another conclusion.

   Just as an example I think of the song “Here I am to Worship” in relationship to Derek Webb’s “Mocking Bird.” One will be more readily recieved by our culture as opposed to the other. But, in my opinion, any kind of overtly christian message in music, no matter its style or presentation, will ever, EVER, have an impact on culture as it is inherently and overtly offensive, and maybe even annoying as it was to me, to our non-christian society.

   Your thoughts.

   Comment by Luke — October 6, 2007 @ 1:40 am

4. I’m gonna try the subscription, thanks for the resource!

   BTW, my opinion is that Christian POP-Rock/Contemporary music is beneficial, especially for our youth & kids. As far as being relevant to 20+, I’m not so sure. (I’m not speaking about worship music, which I don’t really consider “Christian Music”).

   Comment by alex mclean — October 8, 2007 @ 2:18 am

5. Luke,

   For the most part, I agree. Any song with an overtly Christan message is inherently and overtly offensive to a non-Christian society. But I’d stop short of saying God could never use it to have an impact. There are times when God opens someone’s eyes as they’re listening to a song like “I Can Only Imagine,” or even “Day by Day,” back in the 70’s. I would simply say that the success of a Christian song in popular culture is no sign one way or the other that the Gospel is advancing.

   Comment by Bob Kauflin — October 8, 2007 @ 7:52 am

6. Alex,

   I haven’t posted anything on Christians being involved in secular music, but I’m going to save that for a post. Thanks for asking.

   Comment by Bob Kauflin — October 8, 2007 @ 8:13 am

7. Thanks, I will be watching for it.

   Comment by Alex — October 8, 2007 @ 12:54 pm

8. On Christian Music, I fit Russ Breimeier’s friends - I don’t listen to CCM much anymore. Why? The lyrics often seem contrived and trite, the music cheap and repetitious. I haven’t heard anything on CCM stations in a long time that made me stop, listen, and want to purchase it. Figure some of that to be my age (44) and changing musical tastes, the rest to be doctrinal clarity that bristles at the ‘God is here for us!’ feel to much of CCM. Not many Steve Taylors out there today…

   Comment by Jeff Nettles — October 10, 2007 @ 4:15 pm

9. Jeff,

   I’m in a similar place. Catchy choruses surrounded by banal verses seem to fill the airwaves. But music isn’t nearly as meaningful to me as lyrics that force me to think and draw my attention to the greatness of God’s Word, works, and worthiness in Christ. And I don’t hear a lot of that on CCM radio, unfortunately.

   Comment by Bob Kauflin — October 10, 2007 @ 4:33 pm

10. Record companies everywhere, both secular and Christian, are struggling.

    The vast majority CCM is owned by secular companies. There’s probably nothing inheritantly wrong with that. However, the mindset seems to be “How can we get a 14-year-old to spend $15,” rather than “What spiritual truth do 14-year-olds need to hear.”

    Personally, I feel that CCM began (like most para-church movements) because of neglect on the part of the local church. I would argue that due to the resurgence (however small) of the arts in the local church, CCM is becoming more unneeded and irrelevant.

    Tragically, very few of the CCM artists that I met are meaningfully involved in their local churches. Pray for them, and for those Christians who look to them as examples.

    Comment by Matthew Westerholm — October 12, 2007 @ 6:48 pm

11. “However, the mindset seems to be “How can we get a 14-year-old to spend $15,” rather than “What spiritual truth do 14-year-olds need to hear.””
    Yes, and something that adds to the sadness of that statement is that they are failing in musical appeal aswell. Speakng as a young person, I’ve not felt compeled to buy a CCM CD in a long while.

    Comment by Alex — October 17, 2007 @ 12:00 am

12. Another great place to get reviews of some new Christian CD’s is Worship Leader magazine.

    No matter who our target audience might be, I find that when I’m looking for new songs, it’s not too hard to weed out the stuff that’s just plain terrible. The struggle is separating the good from the best: trying to find songs with meaty lyrics that maintain a God-focus throughout. If I may kiss up for a moment, that is what I have found in any of the powerful Sovereign Grace Ministries songs that I have opted to use with my congregation. My only hesitation with some SGM stuff is the occasional extreme wordiness. But SGM is, by and large, a rich source of great music for congregatioal use. I highly recommend it.

    Comment by Kendall — October 19, 2007 @ 11:53 am

13. This is kind of a response to the posts about the quality of music in the CCM world. Not just specifically on this blog, but around on a few different sites I’ve seen, there tends to be a view that music produced by “Christian artists” on “Christian labels” is sub-standard compared to the mainstream. I have no stake in a record company, and I’m not related to a Christian band member, or anything like that - I have no reason to defend the Christian music industry. However, as a father in his late 30s with 4 kids, ranging in age from 14 to 9, I think there is a definite upside to the Christian music “industry.”

    When I was a kid, there was pretty much no Christian music that really engaged me - I tried to listen and like it, but it was an effort, and I was much more interested in INXS, Thompson Twins, and Depeche Mode — edifying music, I’m sure you’d agree. Even as a college student, I remember getting excited about a handful of artists like Out of the Grey and The 77’s who were putting out music that appealed to me both lyrically and musically. It’s a totally different world in Christian music these days, and the upside is that there are a lot of artists that my whole family really enjoys and is blessed, sometimes even challenged, by. While the lyrics aren’t always meaty, they’re certainly much more beneficial on the whole than a steady diet of Disney pop or “screamo.”

    These days, I’m exposed to a lot of music, both in the CCM and secular realm, generally all in the rock/pop world. I’ll sometimes see posts or articles describing how lame Christian music is, and the writer will reference “really great bands” in the secular world. But it seems like it’s always the same handful of bands/artists: U2, Coldplay, Keane, John Mayer, and a few others — all artists that, I agree, have a history of putting some great music material, some even with good lyrics. However, the vast majority of material in mainstream music is poor quality, re-hashed, trite, and worthless. I think this is a symptom of the music industry as a whole, all genres and ideologies included.

    Meanwhile, in Christian music, there are several artists in the pop/rock realm putting out some great material. I know I get frustrated with Christian radio like most people do - same songs and glossy sounds all the time. If you can past that though, there are some artists worth the listen. Without making an endorsement of lyrics or viewpoints, I think of some excellent, even innovative, cd’s (my perspective) put out the past couple years by Jars of Clay, Sara Groves, Leeland, David Crowder Band, Rebecca St. James, Relient K, Adie, Paul Baloche, and Chris Rice, just to name a few. I (and my kids) don’t have to “try” to enjoy this music — there are many great songs and, for the most part, solid lyrics.

    Wish I had a recommendation for how to filter through the mediocre and mundane before purchasing, but that’s info the “industry” just wouldn’t want us to have, right?

    Blessings for the day, and thanks for the opportunity to post.

    Andy Bryant
    Vancouver, Washington

    Comment by Andy Bryant — October 25, 2007 @ 3:04 pm

14. I personally don’t agree with all of is, I mean yea the people seem like when you say “This is a christian band”. People think,oh I don’t know if I should listen to this Because I’m not a christian, but todays music is getting better. I’ve been to shows where kids(highschool and college) find out that the band is christian and they want to know what their all about. I’ve actually seen people decide to fellow Jesus Christ after a show and thats probally the coolest thing ever!
    Thanks
    Nathan

    Comment by Nathan Irby — November 8, 2007 @ 2:09 am

15. Bob,

    I realize this has no bearing on the above article, but I recently came across a group that interested me because of their sound doctrine as well as talent, and it turns out they are in your area. You’ve probably heard of them, but their website is http://www.christcentric.net. According to a website they were recently featured on a Psalms project- maybe a guest appearance in August is in order????

    Joyfully His,

    Aaron Campbell

    Comment by Aaron Campbell — February 16, 2008 @ 12:47 pm

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