So Long As Music is Good by Russ Breimeier

So Long As Music is Good by Russ Breimeier

Back to Music Ministry Revival Click here: Music Ministry Revival part82 

Had a thoughtful discussion the other day with a good friend at a record label. He wanted my opinion about Christian music trends in the year ahead, so I shared my feelings on some of the industry's strengths and weaknesses: the abundance of new artists, skeptical audiences, new opportunities to reach new listeners, the necessity but limitations of radio, the eternal struggle between sacred and secular.

Then I asked my friend about his company's vision, and he said that his team is basically looking for whatever is good. "Good, that's it?" I asked. "What about faith?" Faith is a given, he said; his label will only sign artists who are strong Christians. But from there, his label is most interested in the quality of the music, as opposed to the latest trend or—tellingly—exactly how those Christian beliefs are expressed.

"Good" is such a subjective term, usually measured by sales success. But it's a way of thinking that resembles my own: To be a Christian artist, it's not enough to just be a Christian—as it's not enough to be a Christian dentist without going to dental school or a Christian lawyer without passing the bar.

Some believe today's Christian artists aren't explicit enough in their lyrics, but that's also subjective; many think Christian music is too spiritually explicit. It's certainly a source of contention among Christian listeners, but my friend sees signs of hope. He's noticed (as have I) that younger listeners are less demanding when it comes to spiritually explicit lyrics, because their lives are the same way—not all their friends and relationships are at the same level of spirituality. If we can accept the fact that some of us crave "spiritual milk" (1 Peter 2:2) and others more solid spiritual food, then surely we can recognize that some of our listening preferences will be more spiritual than others.

The sad part is some people see this as compromising with the world, believing that we are dressing Christian music up in wolves' clothing—only to become wolves in the end. The reality is that most artists are confident in their faith and are simply trying to connect to people—including the faithless. Whom we choose to connect with is up to each of us, and though we need to be discerning, perhaps we need to be more concerned with the quality of an artist's work rather than look for an excuse to criticize their faith.