Driving home last night, I heard the song “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer. Do you know the piece? I think it’s very innocent and pretty. All the more interesting since the piece was written by a man, yet has such a feminine sensibility. The group identifies as a Christian band.

I also know a song by Christian writer Nicole Nordeman, called “To Know You”, one obviously about Christ, and tinged with biblical references. I find it very evocative and beautiful. Try it:

So, given the above, I wanted to try and address a question: Why do I intrinsically feel uncomfortable with the idea of contemporary Christian music?

My examination of this has led me to a fascinating idea: Maybe all art is an attempt to worship, to connect with the divine. That concept has been so misused and abused in the last few thousand years that I think art is one of the last ways to find our way to it. Love probably is too, and I’ve noticed that they seem to come from the same place.

So, I’m grateful for the Christian Rock genre. It led me to this fascinating idea. May I repeat? All art is an attempt to connect with the divine. I don’t care if you’re talking about Nine Inch Nails or Marilyn Manson. It is all about getting closer to the source, closer to God, as Mr. Reznor reminds us, and if I fail to understand this it’s likely that I have too narrow a definition of the divine.

As such, “Christian Rock” bands seem redundant. They’re a copy of a copy. You don’t need to write “Birthday Cake” on the birthday cake. People will get it. Why call yourself a Christian band? I think the attendant criteria could cripple any genuine attempt at making music.

If an artist identifies as Christian, that’s fine. If a group makes music from their passion and sincerity, and that happens to reveal ideas about Christ, their work will have real power. If they write music with the intention of “spreading the word about Jesus” however, then to me they’re faking it. Music has such a sublime beauty and power, I am extremely leery of anyone using it to serve a preexisting agenda. I no longer believe in “bad” music as music that is poorly played. In my experience, people mostly use that label to bolster their own ego. There is music I don’t care to listen to, but in my view, the only truly bad music is insincere music. I suspect you could find that in any genre.

I recently heard a spiritual teacher say this: Someone asked us why we don’t talk about God, and our answer was, we don’t talk about anything but God.

That’s what I’m talking about.

If I had to talk to a Christian rocker I guess I would say: why not just be a Christian, and write music? In my opinion you would have a much better chance of reaching people than with producing work with a blatant intention to proselytize. It’s another one of those things you can’t chase after directly; it eludes you.

Everyone has a piece of the divine within them; that’s what talent is. That is why it’s so effortless and attractive. It’s a preview of paradise.

The Nicole Nordeman song I mention above… there is no doubt for the listener what it’s about. She sings about nails piercing skin, about a doubting man named Thomas, et cetera. But the sense one gets is that she is moved by her faith to write the song. Her sincerity gives the music resonance. There is no arrogance here, no sense of supremacy; she compares herself to Thomas, and makes clear she wants to live in greater faith. I have no problem with that. It’s a better reason to write music than the obviously pitiful motives driving some of the latest R&B music on the radio. I don’t mean sexuality, that’s a great thing to express in music, I mean that some of the music is obviously driven by the desire for quick fame and profit. They make production and arrangement choices based on whatever appears to be popular, and use cultural buzz words like a high school guidance counselor trying to “fit in with the kids.” This is transparent and laughable, and it makes the music extremely weak. You can’t go after fame and success directly with art; people can feel it. It doesn’t work.

I would just suggest we do what we can to keep music and art as pure as possible. If someone wants to sing about God, let them; it’s religion we need to be cautious of. Religion is not superior to the golden calf, it falls short of it. At least the calf was golden. Gold is an attractive, shiny metal, as suitable for worship as any abstract concept of God. A baby cow is a beautiful, sentient being worth building a monument to. I feel each is proof of God.

Looking back, I think it’s clear I’ve heard some great stuff associated with this “genre”. I guess maybe It’s propaganda I have a problem with, and the idea of using music for that purpose I find very offensive. Religion seems all too often to foster arrogance, intolerance, brutality. Let’s just stay open to possiblity. In times as cynical as these, where rock stars run “rock star” camps and thus codify something they thought was about rebellion, it may well be a Christian musician who breaks the mold by singing about something beautiful or optimistic.

Tristan L. Sullivan