As we continue discussions inspired by Marriage Protection Week, we note that the institution that is marriage is sometimes attacked directly, sometimes indirectly. Marriage is part of the overall plan the Lord has for society. When speaking in secular settings, even without mentioning God, we can make a good argument for (1 man, 1 woman, 4 life) marriage as a bedrock of a healthy and progressive civilization. The point is that marriage is part of a larger interrelated package. Work against one part of the package, you weaken the whole thing.
To go way out into left field to show the interconnectedness of all things, I will today discuss Christian Music. The link is tenuous, I admit. But again, the goal here is to show the reality of a cultural oppression that shares proponents and opponents.
Music is understood to be the primal call of a people. Originally a religious device, (many today would shun the term "religious," instead preferring "spiritual") music was the tribal pulse and pound of a people's search and desire to find meaning, to express, to explain. For many, music symbolizes the humaness of being human. Art in its purest form, the expression of the inexpressible, the longing for the unattainable, the passion borne out of man's symbiotic relationship with all that the universe is and means to him (/her). Many still recognize these roots of music and strive to appreciate the longings of primitive man. This is why there is always a "World" music section in the record stores. Music is what we are, the hope of what we can become.
This is also why music is so personal. Folks who like Country music, really like country. People who don't, hate it. To the latter, Country is an affront to their sense of progressivism. It is a return to an unenlightened past that does not share their city convictions. To the former, it is a passioned description of real life. Not borne of fancy-pants ne’er-do-wells who think they are better than "us," but from honest people, described in an honest way. Those university professors and cultural elites who describe the Symphony as the only legitimate musical form cringe when they hear the posses and gang-bangers described as "artists." The repetition, the noise, the W O R D S work against the purity, the harmony, the mathematical precision they desire for their own lives. Meanwhile, the Rap musicians offer up their impassioned plea for meaning. Describing the pain of their universe in graphic, over-the-top language that cries out, "Take me seriously, I matter too..." The suffering and pain is evident in their most harshly described behavior. A people still struggling to be free from the daemons that enslave them. As a cultural art form, American music takes many forms - all disliked by some - all representative of people with a particular point of view.
Christian music is no different. It is the heart cry of a people who have been liberated from sin and bondage in an already / not-yet situation. A people who desire to do, and to be, good. A people who do not desire for themselves, but recognize the control of the Creator. A people who believe in a Heaven and a Hell, and desire that many would enter the former and none would enter the latter. A culture of people who desire to express the longings of their own hearts for a better world. The cultural instruction of believers in a code of behavior encouraging others in the same situations. This is music from a people who believe the message is more important than the instrumental medium. Christian music, like any other genre, is indicative of the people group it represents.
But Christian music is universally qualified as "bad" music. It is music that does not live up to the "standards" of the industry. "If those artists made better music," they claim, "We would listen/play them more often." Right off, it is easy to see that this is a bogus claim. Have you heard some of the unformatted 3 minute pop crap that passes for Country these days? Have you heard the discombobulated noise and vacuous lyrics that pushes the Top 40? Did you catch any of the contemporary junk that fills the college concert halls? Have you been disgusted with the idiotic lunacy that takes place at the Apollo? Every genre has its bad artists and stupid sounding songs. Comparing bad to good will guarantee you a win every time. Bad to bad - I think Christians win - at least they are trying to say something intelligible. Good to Good - I would put the likes of Stephen Curtis Chapman, Toby Mac, and Third Day against anyone you could send me in terms of musical composition and lyrical quality. Sure, you may prefer one genre over another, but an honest evaluation will not deny the musical competence of these artists.
The main problem with Christian music is not the music but the message. "The world" does not like the message. It does not like Jesus Christ. It does not like to admit the root of sin and the call for repentance unto salvation. It rejects the Master and seeks its own self. Popular culture rejects the Christian message, Christian music, and Christians. It couches its criticism in elitist talk and double-speak in order to give the appearance of discreditation to a people it wishes would just go away. Christians who are overly critical of the "quality" of Christian music have bought into the lies and value system of a demonic system.
This is a relatively unimportant issue for most people, Christians included. There are not a lot of big stories in the "music wars." However, the same cultural bias against biblical Christianity that works itself out in discriminatory music selection works itself out in opposition to concepts of marriage that align with the biblical vision. We hear talk of the 1st Amendment prohibiting Christians from promoting proper marriage. We hear talk that divorce is acceptable and does not really harm anyone. We hear talk that gays are o.k. and should have the same "rights" as everyone else. Talk that traditional marriage supporters are unenlightened, unintelligent, and unsophisticated. Rabbit trails and double-speak to get around the main issue : Jesus Christ, God and his demands, sin and the need for redemption - the Gospel.
Friends, we have to understand these cultural pressures to squeeze Christianity out of existence. They are working against marriage, which is a part of God's plan - and therefore, part of our concern. Families have a lot of people trying to tear them apart and force them to reject the aims and laws of God. Those people are winning. Fight back. Stand up to opposition and unwarranted criticism. Shine the pure light on their emotional arguments and expose them for what they are. Live in a manner that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Do something to help someone out this week. Do something to encourage a family. Do something to support them in the name of Christ Jesus. Do anything, but do something. The time to win this world is now.