Kaleo San Diego Church > Articles > The Role of the Christian Artist in the Secular World

The Role of the Christian Artist in the Secular World

Drew Goodmanson
Aug 7, 2004
Series: Music

With increasing numbers bands that are Christian are being received by the secular world. It wasn't long ago when people mentioned Christian music that it caused a shudder because it was an embarrassing state of affairs. It is good to see the change, but questions arise about the role of a Christian who is producing music for the masses and the communication of their faith.

In interviews, bands that have any hint of Christianity are scrutinized. It seems there is always a distrust of the message Christians bring. Bands are in a place where they have to decide, are we going to be a Christian band or Christians who play music.

In an interview Sonny Sandoval singer of P.O.D. was asked about his faith. He replied,

“We've never denied our faith or anything--that's something that's with us, with or without rock and roll. All of a sudden people were making an issue out of it. If you are genuine and you want to sit down and talk heart-to-heart, and you care, then we could talk about it. I truly love that. But I don't want people to not give the music a chance and go, "Oh, I'm not a Christian," or "I don't believe the same, so I can't listen to it." No, it's rock-and-roll music. We've proven ourselves in the past 12 years, I don't know what else to say.

If anything, it doesn't help. It hinders people from buying the music. You never hear the Beastie Boys as Buddhist hip-hop. They were wild party guys, and all of a sudden they find something that's real and shoot it in there--you never heard, "Oh, now they're Buddhist hip-hop."

We've never used our faith to market anything. I don't know who said there was "rock" and then there's "Christian rock," but I think you should give credit and respect to the people who are singing about what they feel, and not just what everybody wants to hear.

And in a Rolling Stone magazine interview, Jason lead singer from the popular band Lifehouse said, "We are not a 'Christian band,' but I'm a Christian, and the bass player [Sergio] is a Christian”. He later stated, "My music is spiritually based, but we don't want to be labeled as a 'Christian band,' because all of a sudden people's walls come up and they won't listen to your music and what you have to say."

Finding a balance between being a Christian band and a band comprised of Christians is not easy. Evanesence recently was trapped in-between this decision. In a letter about the band Alan Meltzer of Wind-Up Records officially recalled all Evanescence products from Christian stores, Christian radio, and Christian charts.

"Despite having roots within the Christian community prior to the release of Fallen," said Meltzer in the letter, "recent statements by band members have made it abundantly clear that Evanescence is a secular band, and as such view their music as entertainment. No more, no less. As such we strongly feel that they no longer belong in Christian retail outlets. Despite the spiritual underpinning that has ignited interest and excitement in the Christian religious community, the band is now opposed to promoting or supporting any religious agenda. The decision to release Fallen into the Christian market was made subsequent to discussions with and approval by the artist. Obviously the band has had a change in their perspective, as well as changes within the band itself as relates to new band members. Wind-up deeply regrets this situation."

Did Evanescence reject their beliefs? Or do they want to have broader exposure communicating their ideas to both Christians and non-believers. Amy Lee the lead singer states, "There are people hell-bent on the idea we're a Christian band in disguise, and that we have some secret message. We have no spiritual affiliation with this music. It's simply about life experience." Lee's band mate Ben Moody said in the interview, "I'm not ashamed of my spiritual beliefs, but I in no way incorporate them into this band. We're actually high on the Christian charts, and I'm like, What the f--k are we even doing there?" So what exactly is going on here? Are they going too far in their desire to distant themselves from a Christian band label? Or are they not Christian? Only the band knows and we are left to speculate and watch the fruit that is produced by their works.

There is a double edged sword of being a Christian and trying to communicate to the world through music. We as a Christian community often bring expectations on popular musicians, which are different from other occupations such as a salesman, or doctor, or mechanic. Would we ever tell a doctor that their practice should only focus on believers? Or a salesperson to only sell to Christians? Yet with these popular musicians if you broaden your voice and audience to the secular world, the Christian community may reject you. There is a tremendous guilt and struggle for musicians to battle between doing a job well, like a doctor, or evangelizing through the words. And I would argue that you cannot succeed in the secular world if you staunchly communicate your Christian beliefs. This leaves artists with some difficult choices.

The Three Roles of the Christian Artist in the Secular World

Exactly how should those of faith set out to create music? I would say there are three legitimate methods of communicating as a Christian artist. These are as a Poet, a Philosopher or as a Prophet. Each one is important and offers a distinct challenge to the artist. Let's look at these in more detail.

The Poet

The role of the poet is the easiest and most readily accepted in the secular community. The poet's primary method of communicating is through comments that reflect nature, life or other items that are neutral. The poet may speak about a laugh, a kiss, love, hope, nature, objects or other commonality in human life.

The secular world can readily accept the poet's comments because they are neutral. The unsaved ear does not hear anything that would be light to their darkness. Further, as Calvin said that the human heart is an idol factory, the unsaved ear can take these neutral messages and worship the ideas, objects or concepts that are being communicated by the artist rather than God as our creator and savior.

Poet Example
Artist: Lifehouse
Album: No Name Face
Song: Everything

Find me here, speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the life to my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything

If we approach this song from a Christian worldview, it is about God. It was God who calms the storm, who is all we need, who is everything, who holds us in His hand and gives us peace. But certainly a non-believer could try to attribute these same ideas to a boyfriend or girlfriend. The songs of the Poet are filled with imagery and life that do not overtly confront people with the God of scripture. The poet trusts that God is seen in creation, through our ability to create, to sing and dance.

The Philosopher

The role of philosopher is one of engagement. The philosopher brings up ideas and concepts that challenge the listener to think and ask questions. Why is there pain? Why do we love? What is our hope? These are all incredibly important questions for all of us to wrestle with. It is through our worldview that we answer these questions. For those of us in Christ, we know the worldview that begins and ends with God is the only system that answers these questions. Yet the philosopher brings these questions, and again, they can do this in a neutral manner.

Philosopher Example # 1
Artist: Pedro the Lion
Album: Control
Song: Priests And Paramedics Lyrics

Paramedics brave and strong
Up before the break of dawn
Putting poker faces on
Broken bodies all day long
The neighbors heard a fight
Someone had a knife
It must have have been the wife
Husband's lost a lot of blood
He wakes up screaming
"Oh my god, am I gonna die?
Am I gonna die?"
As they strapped his arms down to his sides
At times like these they'd been taught to lie
"Buddy just calm down, you'll be alright"

Several friends came to his grave
His children were so well-behaved
As the priest got up to speak
The assembly craved relief
But he himself had given up
So instead he offered them this bitter cup
"You're gonna die, we're all gonna die
Could be twenty years, could be tonight
Lately I have been wondering why
We go to so much trouble to postpone the unavoidable
And prolong the pain of being alive"

Pedro raises questions that all people need to think about regarding the inevitability of death amongst other things. As believers we know, "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” and that “death has lost its sting” so we do not need to fear it. But again, the song does not provide these answers explicitly. It is the question that all mankind needs to ponder as they confront their mortality and struggles.

Philosopher Example # 2
Artist: Switchfoot
Album: Beautiful Letdown
Song: This is your life (portion)

Life is more than money, time was never money
Time was never cash, life is still more than girls.
Life is more than hundred dollar bills and roto-tom fills,
Life is more than fame and rock and roll and thrills.
All the riches of the kings end up in will
We've got information in the information age
But do we know what life is outside of our convenient Lexus cages?

What is life all about? Switchfoot takes a page out of Ecclesiastes where we see a man who achieved great wealth and more women than most of us could dream about acknowledged…

Ecclesiastes 2
10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.
I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,
For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;
And this was my reward from all my labor.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun.

The struggle for happiness is as old as man. We all seek to find meaning and contentment in life; often we believe that money and relationships will give us this happiness. Solomon who was far wealthier than we can ever imagine and able to have access to more sex, power and anything else under the sun concluded that none of these was the answer, at the end of Solomon's day, he found that only through respecting his creator and obeying God did he find joy. Yet many of us do not want to take anyone's word for it and seek this path on our own avoiding these questions. And meeting us there, the philosopher's goal is to ask these timeless questions which cause us to look outside of ourselves for answers.

The Prophet

The final role is the role of the ‘Christian band'. This is a band whose lyrics explicitly communicate truth as revealed to us by the Bible. The band communicates the God of scripture and confronts the listener with these truths. Those who are in Christ hear truth and the secular world declares it foolishness. The sad state for this band is that they cannot become commercially successful in the secular world. You may ask, why won't they succeed? Because of sin.

Kanye West has a rap song about Jesus playing on the radio, but there is an edge that is missing. I agree with much of the words, but my flesh does not respond to this music. We are all sinners and desire to feed our sinful state. Those who are in Christ recognize this struggle with the flesh, the world and the devil. The struggle we fight is as Luther said because we are “simul justus et pecatar” – simultaneously justified and yet sinful. We can worship God in truth through the songs of the prophet, but our battle is that we want to reject these truths and worship ourselves. I'd rather hear Ashathi's voice tell me…

Can you roll with me (ooh baby)
All over me (over me)
Can you take control of me
I just wanna love you baby (love you babe)
Always thinking of you baby

[Verse-1:]
See I don't know if I can handle you as just a friend
Aw baby I can't pretend, aw baby I'm so far in
But I don't mind as long as I could have you in my life
Aw baby I'm satisfied, even if you're not just mine

(Album Chapter II, Song Rock Wit U (Awww Baby))

Here is a beautiful woman telling us (or so we hear it) that she wants to be controlled, that she loves us so much that she will be satisfied even if we are not just hers, that we are free to sleep with other women. This feeds our desire to be worshiped, to hold some sort of power over others and to be in sin. When we hear these songs our heart loves to fantasize about these ideas, we want to believe it and be worshiped.

As a Christian artists sings about God, our flesh does not want to hear this.

Prophet Example # 2
Artist: Third Day
Album: Third Day
Song: Livin' For Jesus

Well that's alright
I'm just fine. Done made up my mind
that I'm livin for Jesus
When I'm alone and feeling down
Now, down so deep in my heart
I turn to Jesus and ask Him
for a brand new start
He's the reason for my life

This song reminds us that we need to die to ourselves and live for Christ. We must turn to Him because He is the reason for our lives. Further, when Third Day says this the secular world cannot sing along. To recognize this, is to be confronted with their sin before a holy God and bend one's knee to acknowledge that they are desperate for a savior to mediate their wicked state before a perfect and just God. So just like the days of old, the role of prophet is a lonely journey of isolation from an unrepentant world that hates the message of the cross.

All three of these roles come with their own challenges. Certainly each one is an option for those of us who know God to consider. Regardless of the path taken, all Christian musicians should not reject their faith publicly and their fans should be able to find out what the band believes. How to balance this is not going to be easy and particularly with fame and success the challenge can become even more difficult. But at the end of the day, this is the same struggle we all face, whether we are doctors, mechanics or sales people.