The one to rant about Christian music.

Christian music is, in general, devoid of any merit.

Maybe I should specify that I am talking about mainstream Christian music.  I'm talking about your average bunch of average musicians you find at an average Christian merchandise store.  These are the people we are supposedly touting as our best and most popular.  How sad is it when our "best" simply repeat "I love you, God" three times over?

I do exaggerate, and I realize this.  However, it is nearly impossible not to when I have to listen to the Christian music station when driving to work with some of my co-workers.  Thirty minutes in to work, thirty minutes back.  One hour of "Christian" music that does not seem to change key, pitch, lyrics, style, or quality.

When God created the world, He created diversity in plant and animal life.  When God punished the people at the Tower of Babel, He in essence also blessed humanity with a variety of languages.  At the throne of God in heaven, there will be men and women from all races.  Why, then, do Christian musicians feel that they cannot be versatile in their musical creations?

This, to me, is utter blasphemy against the God these musicians claim to celebrate.  They want to celebrate Him, but they don't seem to want to give any recognition to the fact that they were created in God's image and as such should be more creative than they are being.  The ultimate Creator wants us to strive to be more like Him every day; this includes being creative in the arts and very obviously does not exclude it.  Therefore, it seems like mockery, a laugh in God's face (or a direct disobedience to His wishes) that we should be anything but the best and most creative in the world.  If we are to redeem the world and make disciples of all nations, I find it highly unlikely we will do so with such monotony.

People usually notice innovative, unique artists far more than they will an artist who sounds just like that other artist.  Case in point: Lady Gaga.  No, she is not a moral role model we want to follow, but she did emerge on the music scene with her undoubtedly unusual antics and creativity.  It seems pathetic that a Christian did not beat her to it.

Or maybe they have and we just don't want to support those singers or bands because they are not officially "labeled" or "signed" as Christian artists.  U2 has been around for decades and still makes award-winning, globally popular music which is also truthful and godly in message, but heaven forbid we suggest them to our fellow believers because they are not signed with a Christian record company (and Bono says he's a Catholic, so we can't really be sure he's a Christian, anyway).  Thrice is a slightly better option as the lead singer confesses to being a Christian and purposefully writes spiritually positive lyrics, but then again, the band's music is harder rock and sometimes they scream instead of sing... and we're just not comfortable with that, either.  We may feel more comfortable recommending Switchfoot, who has broken the barrier between Christian and secular music successfully, but then again, they did sort of sell out... and we're not sure we're comfortable with recommending them, either (even though their music consistently shows creativity and biblical truths beyond the majority of Christian and secular artists).

We need more bands like U2, Thrice, and Switchfoot, in my opinion.  And until we do, I will refuse to drown my ears in the sea of Christian music.  I'd rather God see me singing "We are the image of the invisible... Though all the world may hate us, we are named" one time than "I love you, God" three times over.