Navigating Contemporary Christian Music: Idols, Idols, and the Sacred Space

If Christianity means to you being obsessed with what kind of music you listen to, then you ought to re-examine what your faith actually means to you. This is legalism and, to me, is anathema to what a Christian should be.

Contemporary Christian Music: Bland and Submissive

CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) is almost comically bland and upright. From a Christian perspective, the worst that can be said about it is that it is shallow. The focus seems to be on conformity and submission, rather than genuine spiritual engagement.

Identifying the Presence of the Holy Spirit

If the music fosters the Holy Spirit's presence, then it is sacred. Conversely, if you feel the Spirit’s presence prior to listening to the music but then it withdraws while listening, the music is worldly. Knowing how to positively identify the Spirit is crucial, as mere feelings of good after listening to music do not equate to divine presence.

Understanding Idolatry

Idolatry involves worshipping things or beings other than the one true God. Do you expect yourself to start to worship some stone, some gold idol, any other god than the one you believe in, a painting, or whatever you might see at that festival? If so, then please just enjoy the music and read about idolatry and what it means.

Subjectivity and Personal Experience

This is one of those questions that can't be answered with scientific certainty. It is intertwined with how music makes us feel, how we react to it, and the nuanced relationship of religious faith to music. To some extent, it is subjective. Let me share my perspective. I’m a guitar player who likes a lot of music from Bach to Black Flag and I wouldn't describe myself as a Christian anymore, even though I’ve gone through a phase of trying to be one.

The Historical Grounding in Sacred Music

While I may not have felt much joy in attending church, I’m glad to have had a solid grounding in Bach’s organ music. Similarly, I appreciate the long tradition of vocal church music from composers like Palestrina, Byrd, Tallis, Victoria, and Ockeghem. This music seems to me to be about religious experience, elevating the soul rather than dancing.

Contemporary Christian Music and Its Limitations

When I listen to contemporary Christian music, with the exception of gospel, I hear musicians taking a music created for one purpose, that of emphasizing the body and dance, and trying to use it for a quite different purpose. The result is a music that, while not good for getting down to, nor good for contemplating God, engages the ass in a feeble way, making it difficult to feel both a body connection and a spiritual one. Contemporary Christian music often fails to communicate with the soul.

The Power of Music and Its Blasphemy

Popular music, as observed by Frank Zappa, carries certain encoded messages. For the guitar, the potential for making true obscenity is vast. Contemporary Christian music, in its striving to express sacred things, often ends up turning up the blasphemy by trying to use worldly music for sacred purposes. The grungy riffs, in particular, seek to communicate with the spine and the pelvis, not the soul.

A Congruent Answer from an Atheist

This answer is necessarily incoherent, but I hope it serves as a historically-conscious atheist's attempt to explain why contemporary Christian music has the power to make some people feel like it's kind of... icky.