Music Lyrics Article
Church Rock
Most people associate the church musical experience with organs and the singing of hymnals. So needless to say, when Christian music started to take a turn into the mainstream, it was surrounded by controversy and discontent.
In the 1980s, there was a relatively popular metal band called Stryper. The guys that made up the band seemed similar to other hair-bands of the time - long, ratted hair, spandex jumpsuits, and played heavy metal music. Many Christians couldn't believe that a group of guys who looked that way could have anything at all to do with God, but Stryper was quite the contrary. Through their music, they spoke the word of the gospel just like anyone else. The only difference was in their presentation.
Many people are familiar with the name Jessica Simpson, from recent Pop music fame, but what most people don't realize is that she comes from very religious roots. She grew up in the south, and her father is a pastor in their local church. Jessica's family recognized her singing talents when she was a pre-teen and encouraged her to pursue avenues where she could continue to develop those talents - school plays, talent shows, and the like.
Once it was decided that Jessica would persue an actual singing career, she originally wanted to be a Christian singer. She had countless auditions with talent agencies, but because she was "well-endowed" in the chest area, none of her auditions panned out because she wasn't considered a good candidate to project a Christian image to society.
Needless to say, Jessica Simpson did end up making it big, and in addition to being well praised for her voice, she has also become something of a sex symbol in the music and movie industries.
Christian music has come to span numerous musical genres - rap, rock, pop, country, and everything in between. But to this day, there are many traditionalists who frown on mainstream Christian music.
What I don't understand is, why? It really shouldn't make any difference what a person looks like or how they present themselves, if they stay true to their beliefs and continue to serve those beliefs in their daily lives. Does Jessica Simpson being a little top-heavy make her any less Christian? Is Stryper any less Christian because they wore eyeliner and had big hair? Somehow, I doubt it. It seems to me to be more of a case of premature judgement. Instead of listening to the lyrics in a song, some people choose to judge the book by its cover.
