Short answer- the people who love it.
For the ridiculously long answer, see below. Also, I know I was just complaining about people starting new threads when there are others nearly identical to it and here I am starting the billionth thread about Christian music. I am not starting this because I think Christian music is evil and nobody should listen to it. I'm starting this because I see ZERO discernment going on beyond personal taste.
I hope this thread is at least somewhat different and raises different points. We'll see. Grab your snuggie and some hot chocolate. This is gonna take a while.
Here we gooooooooooo.
Matthew 16:23 "But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”"
Christian music tries to ride the fence between popular music and worship music. I don't think you can have it both ways and I don't know of many artists that successfully pulled this off for an extended period of time. The artists that claim to be reaching out to a secular audience as witnesses water down their message to give it more mass appeal. When it reaches that point, I honestly hear no discernible difference between them and a secular group. Actually, I hear little difference anyway.
Christian music intentionally copies mainstream sounds and trends. For every major mainstream artist, there is a Christian sound-alike. Christian music is THE ONLY genre defined exclusively by lyrical content. They want to be included in the mainstream as 'crossovers,' or at least sit on the music shelves of Christians and non Christians alike, so they have to sound like all the other groups in the mainstream. This not only strips them of artistic creativity (as it does ALL the bands who TRY to sound like another band), but it strips them of their spiritual impact. They're in the world and of the world.
CCM, by it's very nature, is misguided. It's trying to cash in on worship! This is of course just my opinion, but I see it as being equally distasteful as TV preachers who make millions of dollars a year or corrupt politicians who claim to be part of the religious right to score votes. Where is the line?
At what point are you no longer serving the Lord and rather using the Lord to make yourself rich? Or maybe not even that rich- just "famous".
Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
Not many Christian artists claim to hate the business they're in.
The music industry corrupts people. Even the most well-intentioned Christian artist, by becoming part of this multi-billion dollar industry, is exposing themselves to extreme corruption and will MOST LIKELY SUCCUMB.
Maybe you think the artist is a Christian. What about everyone they have surrounded themselves with? What about the people at the label, and the publishing company, and the marketing company, and the studio, etc etc etc.? Are they all good Christians too? I can tell you from firsthand experience that they usually are not. For the Christian music industry to compete and make a big impact, they have hired many many people from the secular music industry. CCM needs the secular expertise so they can mimic the secular music business. Not only are they paying these people more than they are worth, but they are turning a blind eye to their corrupt(ing) lifestyles. The Christian industry looks like the secular industry in pretty much every way. So how can the product really be soooo different?
It's not different. But the audience is.
Basically, you people who listen to anything as long as it is labeled Christian have made it so labels will call something Christian just so you will buy it...even if the artist asks them not to. That was the case with MuteMath. They said they didn't want to be marketed by faith because they had ethical objections and the label did it anyway. The result was that the majority of their sales came from Christian audiences. Same with Evanescence. They really couldn't be less of a Christian band (their lyrics are straight up heretical), but because they were played on Christian radio, the audience went out and bought the cd. The band themselves were appalled by how easily Christians were deceived.
Christian artists, just because someone calls them that, are not infallible. They drink, smoke, do drugs and have sex just like secular artists. The only difference is they have to be more secretive about it and lie to their fans. This isn't true of EVERY Christian artist, just as it isn't true of every secular artist. But the odds seem to be about the same. Even sugary sweet Amy Grant lamented that people hide the cocaine when she is around. This was roughly the same time she was cheating on her then husband with her now husband (who was also married). You remember that era, right? Where she was feeling up some model in her video, singing 'Baby Baby' into his ear? Ah the lengths a Christian will go to in order to 'reach the lost.'
How many times have you heard about a 'cross over' Christian artist who just totally crossed over and walked away from Christianity altogether? Too many times. Even some of those who stay in the Christian world say openly that the label of 'Christian' hinders their ability to reach people. Their faith starts to become a secret in certain circles and eventually it isn't there at all.
I understand that everyone is a sinner, even those who are saved. However, for many of the kids on this forum- your arguments are that Christian music is somehow better than secular music when by EVERY MEASURE it is exactly the same. The only major difference is that by slapping the label of 'Christian' onto something they can not only guarantee sales and promotion, but that you will DEFEND the artist like you know something about them. You will do more to spread the word about a Christian artist than you will Christ. They're counting on it.
In the first Bible quote, Jesus says Peter is possessed by Satan. But what did Peter do to deserve that accusation? He didn't want to believe that something bad would happen to Jesus. From Peter's perspective, he was just loving Jesus and thinking positively. From God's perspective, he was dangerously misguided. He was focused on the things of man.
I think some people, while wanting to uplift and defend the Lord, are confusing their own desires and opinions with God's will. Not all Christian music is of God... in fact, it can be a tool of Satan to spread false teachings. You have to believe that or you're leaving yourself wide open. When it comes to the music you listen to, I hope you don't go simply with whatever 'tickles your ears.' Music has power, that's why we all love it and why both God and Satan use it to reach people.
Congrats if you read all of this. You deserve a reward.
