I’m not doing this exciting, potentially lucrative thing because I want to; it’s just the burden God chose to give me.
Published by Kyso Kisaen March 13th, 2007 in Entertainment, Godbaggery, Music, The God BoxWhy don’t we here more good Christian rock music on mainstream, secular radio stations? I can’t remember the last time I heard a good Payable On Death or Creed* song and was all “yeah, that’s right! That’ll get this country right back on the LORDS! track!” God, those were such great bands. That song about how we are, we are, the youth of a nation…touching. Not the derivative product of a group of over-promoted hacks at all.
But that’s just two bands, out of like, zillions. What could possibly be keeping the rest of the hot, modern, totally not-15-years-behind-the-times Xtian rockers down?
Well, we can’t blame the Jews. Out loud, anyway. So it must be Satan’s fault. Christians were all “oh, we’ll just set some internet filters and rent our movies from that place that filters out all the bad words” turning the other cheek and stuff. What a bunch of pansies! And they were so busy praying that it was the secular world that came up with all the media! Can you believe that?
In this day and age, it is generally the secular world that produces innovative media technology, while the Christian world tries desperately to keep up. By answering revolutionary developments such as the DVD, with things such as stronger profanity filters, we find ourselves constantly on the defensive against the world.
Surely all the Christians were busy tithing or something when technology was out being made, for if a Christian electrical engineer had developed optical storage and playback, he totally would have made it more overtly religious. Same thing for just about every movie or album ever produced. There were *cough* not enough (cough) Christians *snortHINT* involved at the highest (wink) levels of media production, which is why the whole nation is filled with sin at $17.99 a disc.
In our entertainment-oriented culture, one of the most powerful tools of communication is media. But not just any media. Excellent media. Why is it, then, that Christians always seem to be defending ourselves from media advancements, rather than utilizing them to create media which will put our enemies on the defensive?
Why is overtly Christian media always on the defensive?
It couldn’t possibly be the low production values or the fact that its edgy rock-on attitude can be purchased (like all of your hottest, freshest vinyl attitude) from your local Hot Topic. It’s not like it’s competing against a thousand other lame, over-processed, derivative secular artists that offer the same washed-out suburban psuedo-rebellion but enjoy better marketing and distribution systems. And it can’t possibly be that the very idea of a parallel Christian teen culture has been tainted by douchebag after douchebag.
It could only be Satan. What you need to do is to think of yourselves as warriors in a spiritual war.
It only makes sense then that whoever controls media will have a powerful weapon in the spiritual war.
You know what would be a good metaphore? That one book with the armor?
We are told in Ephesians 6
Yeah. That’s the one:
Awesome. Anyway, you’ll need that kind of armor, for you have a formidable enemy.
If you visited the average media store, you would find within the confines of their inventory a higher concentration of immorality, personified in every fathomable form, than is accessible through any other type of store in the world. According to a recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Medicine, in 2003 approximately 67% of movies reviewed by the continually declining standards of the MPAA were rated “R”.
I lack critical thinking skills, so I have no questions about why the Harvard School of Medicine was asking about movie ratings, or if they actually had the words “continually declining” anywhere within a thousand pages of this study. Thank you, for not citing. Also, 2003 is not “recent” and while sometimes it takes a while to compile stats, I have to believe that it does not take 4 years to find out how many movies were rated “R.”
Though there is no way to account for the secular propaganda promoted in each of these films, one can be sure that very few of these movies, and even others whose ratings were better, propagate a Christian worldview.
No, but the ones that do…
…go all the way!
But the efforts of Mel Gibson and Disney won’t be enough. These ineffective, nay, powerless producers need help. Help that only a lone rebeloutionary can provide.
This does not mean hope is lost. We, being Christ’s children, must never lose hope. We must, however, take more than a passive or defensive perspective on media. Christians must take initiative. The opportunities we will encounter to support Christian-funded and Christian-produced media should become a matter of our prayer, at the very least. Christians, take up your arms against Satan. Prepare for battle. We are going to, as the term so fittingly applies, “rock” the media industry…Satan’s world.
The Christian iTunes will be run by a friend of our friends Alex and Brett of Rebeloution fame. And it’s fitting, because only a young man consumed by the desire for recognition but forced to wrap his every action in faux humility
An award-winning writer and speaker, Alex uses this blog to challenge Christians to rise above the world and be witnesses for Christ in our morally decrepit culture. He is greatly sorrowed by the inundation of immorality that is pressing us on all sides…Alex prays that God will use his feeble words to encourage others in their walk with God and enable them to be “lamps set on a hill.”
could possibly think that by using his iMac to make yet another Christian media website he is a striking blow against Satan’s set of multi-national media conglomerates. However, the good men behind Alex and Brett seem to be willing to invest a lot in the righteous (and conveniently glamourous) ministries of their sons.
Godspeed, righteous warrior. And may I make one suggestion? Talk to this girl’s agent. She’s your Lady Sovereign.
*Is this story about Scott Stapp true? Answer: Who cares, it’s hilarious. And even if not anyone who can weave a story so detailed deserves a link.
*Can’t learn enough about Bibleman. I love that show.
I never get tired of that rap clip. Maybe it’s the pro-level faux-scratch sounds, maybe it’s the homophobia she lets slip — whatever it is, that gal makes my day.
Those videos make me long for the high production values and deep introspection of Davey & Goliath…
BibleMan would whomp the sh*t out of Davey and his crap dog.
Never been to a sex shop has he..
When those Mt. Dew ads with Davey and Goliath came out a few years ago, I was actually laughing my ass off. When I was a kid, they were great…
The thing is, probably no less than half of the bands operating in the mainstream alternative rock scene are Christian. They’re everywhere. Christian tattoos, Christian jewelry, the occasional Christian track on their albums (not too many of those make it to be radio singles, though), endless thanking of Jesus in the CD liner, Jesus mentions in interviews, all there. But yes, not much of this breaks through to popular conciousness. Kind of similar to the “God Squad” in pro sports. I’m sure there’s some big analysis out there the difference between Christian Rock and rockers who happen to be overtly Christian, and how this gets played out in the public and stuff.
Yikes! That Bibleman Book you show kinda has a “junior Crusades” feel to it:
It also features a section called “Marching Orders.” Because kids love to be told what to do… err, I mean, kids love following incredible orders!
Did you see her defence of “whore” on YouTube?
“Just because I say I’m not a whore, then go on to judge other people’s sex lives doesn’t mean I’m calling them whores, moron.”
Oh, good god, I thought I could go my whole life without ever having to see BIBLEMAN mentioned again. I used to babysit for the children of wingnut parents and they were only allowed to watch that crap and Veggietales. I prefer singing peas, personally. It was redonkulous. Of course, the mother once sat me down and told me she hoped I wasn’t reading Harry Potter, as it was evil.
Christian rock isn’t popular because it generally sucks EVEN MORE than most current popular music.
And I will own up to being…erlack… a huge Lifehouse fan as a younger person. And defending them as, NOPE NOT A CHRISTIAN BAND NOPE I WOULD NEVER LISTEN TO A CHRISTIAN BAND!!111 Although at times, the singer was clearly orgasmic for the g-o-d. I was misled. And in middle school.
And I will own up to being…erlack… a huge Lifehouse fan as a younger person. And defending them as, NOPE NOT A CHRISTIAN BAND NOPE I WOULD NEVER LISTEN TO A CHRISTIAN BAND!!111,
It can be real hard to tell the difference between a crap Christian band and a crap regular band without, as Bertie mentioned, taking a good gander at the CD liner notes.
In answer to your question about the Harvard statistics cited, you may find the official study here:
http://www.dentalplans.com/articles/Movie Ratings Categories/
The study was done in an effort to prove that film portrayal of drugs & alcohol leads to less healthy lifestyles (in general) of children. Hence the medical school part.
With regard to to statement about finding more immorality crammed into a media store than anywhere else, I say that because it not only portrays pornography and more, but it also glorifies those things that Michelle was talking about.
Hey! A rebeloutionary that actually comments! Great. While I’ve got you here, there’s a question I want to ask.
Why the war? Why isn’t it good enough to say “I want a sexier, more modern way to promote Christian acts, so I’m going to make a Christian-only iTunes”? How come it has to be good vs evil?
I’m asking because you’re engaging an enemy that won’t notice you unless you become successful, and should you become successful, they won’t want to defeat you as much as they’ll want to buy and expand you. No one is going to try and stop you (we might make fun of you, but actually oppose you? Meh, too much work).
So why all the effort to build up this us-v-them narrative? Does your audience really need that to get excited about your products?
Kyso -
Why the war? That’s a reasonable question. That whole issue is going to be addressed in depth and made clearer at my blog over the next few weeks, so I invite you to keep reading. And feel free to jump in and ask questions - if you really want an answer.
But for now, I will try to clarify a few things so you’ll understand the presupposition(s) I’m coming from. Unfortunately, I don’t know that much about you and your background. But from the familiarity with Christian media / music you demonstrated in this post, it sounds like you can see (and resent) a great deal of hypocrisy among those who call themselves Christians. I don’t know that for sure, though, so I won’t jump to that conclusion. There are other people I know, however, who have seen the hypocrisy and adopted the same attitude towards Christianity as a whole - ridiculing it and everything done in the name of it. I can understand that to a degree; I see the same hypocrisy. And it frustrates me, too. But there’s a big difference in their response versus mine: they see the problems in flawed humans, attribute it to Christianity as a belief system, and consequently reject Christianity. My response, on the other hand, is to do what I can to help change it and make people start acting on what they believe (or say they believe). The problem is not Christ or His teachings; the problem is people who are unfaithful to what they SAY they believe.
That said…. the big problem that we’re trying to address in media is that for decades, so many of the people who really WERE Christians, had a Biblical world view, and acted the way they said they believed, withdrew from so much of our culture. That’s not limited to media - it includes politics, journalism, science, and the list goes on. The reasons for that extend beyond the scope of this comment, but it could be summarized as an interpretation of “live in the world but not of the world” to mean “withdraw from involvement and influence in the ’secular’ world.” The result was that when so-called-Christian rubbish came along (like Creed and so many other pop bands) calling themselves “Christian”, there was nobody with enough discernment in a position of power/influence to say “Wait a minute, that’s not what a Christian or their work looks like! You’re not going to call THAT Christian work and get distributed by us.” (I’m illustrating solely from the media realm, here)
Not only that, but a ton of TRUE Christian work has now been receiving absolutely no attention by the resulting established marketing/distribution channels, because “it wouldn’t sell”. So the problem in music has been compounded: stuff being called “Christian” that’s not, and very little REAL Christian stuff.
Your title for this post was really cute. But you’re not going to hear anyone behind Glarity saying any such thing. We hope it succeeds. We would love for it to succeed. Like any other business, an investment is required that we hope gets a return. BUT…. the primary motivating factors behind this are neither greed, nor fame. We would do it even if the store never made a profit. If we were interested in money or popularity, we would do a lot of things differently. What you’ll learn over the next few weeks is that we’re not going to green-light everything that calls itself Christian and mentions “God” in the lyrics. A lot of “popular” music, that has proven it will sell in the marketplace, will not make the cut of acceptability to this project.
At this point, an important clarification needs to be made. The “enemy” we’re engaging is not a person or a definable group of people. We’re not trying to pick a fight with iTunes or News Corp. or you-name-the-company. The war is not “us vs. them”. It’s “good vs. evil”. It’s a Biblical concept that the audience I was writing to in that post gets. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” ~ Ephesians 6:12. The text following goes on to talk about putting on the whole armor of God (which Bibleman proceeded to turn into a mockery….).
It is an exhortation to the MAKERS of our content (”products”) that this world…this life…is a war, and not to be discouraged at micro-scale setbacks. In war, a momentary setback or lost battle is no reason to stop engaging the enemy altogether, but requires that you get back up and keep fighting.
So “do we really need to build up an us-v-them narrative for our audience to get excited about our products”? No, I don’t think so. I think they would buy anyway. But, as I hope I’ve communicated in the past few paragraphs, our goal isn’t just to sell some stuff.
For the remainder of this discussion, come on over to visit faithshepherd.blogspot.com!
Wow, someone who actually comments, responds, has correct spelling, and never once calls us “evil atheists” “feminazis” or some derivative of.
I’m impressed.
They raise them right over in rebeloutionary land. Thier earnestness is impressive.
Where can I get a pair of ‘Shoes of Peace’? I must have them.