What makes something sacred?
A better question is, what makes something Christian?
If I, as a Christian, write a song, is that song Christian?
I ask because, most would agree that just because a non-Christian performs a sacred or “Christian” song doesn’t mean that they’re suddenly a Christian. Most would also agree that a secular artist performing a sacred song does not diminish the worth or power of that song.
So, why is it that when a Christian artist writes a song that isn’t about God or Jesus or the Christian journey they are chastised, or even demonized by supposed Christians?
All that brings to mind another question: Is it acceptable for Christian artists to cover secular songs?
I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. Like, at least twenty minutes.
No, seriously; this has been on my mind for several years. Before I got into the mixing and producing side of music, I was in a band at my home church. And we faced this question more than a few times. The best example took place at the Church of God General Assembly in 2000. The band I was in had won first place at teen talent at the state level (Louisiana) and was competing at the international level. We had just finished our performance and were backstage when I heard a very familiar riff. Someone was jamming on Metallica’s For Whom The Bell Tolls. So I and my bandmates followed the sound to a curtained off area where the winners from California were warming up. We chatted for a few minutes and then headed out to the audience level to catch their performance. Fast forward to lunch. Our youth group and everyone with us went to a nearby mall to get lunch and hang out the rest of the afternoon. While walking around the mall, someone mentioned that band from California. We were all talking about how good they were and everyone agreed that they would probably win. Everyone except for our youth pastor, who thought they should have been disqualified for using a Metallica song to warm up.
Yeah.
They didn’t play the song onstage, they didn’t play it during a service; they were jamming backstage.
More recently, a friend of mine was chastised for referencing a U2 song during a her speech at a Mother’s Day service at my home church. The quote meant something to her and was relevant, but because U2 doesn’t fit into the box the western world has defined as Contemporary Christian Music, some people thought she was distasteful for using a U2 reference.
Again; no one performed the song during the service, I didn’t play it through the PA afterwards. It was a quote.
Now here I am, a little over two weeks away from the public launch of Four Points Church, and I’m facing this issue once again. But this time, it is different.
You see, our band does play secular music.
And I’m all for it.
Most of the time.
I should explain. My church is not your traditional, Western church.
While there are a ton of books that have been written in the last decade on missional churches and church for the unchurched, the fact is that those types of churches only make up about 20% of the churches in the United States, and that percentage is even smaller worldwide.
So my church is somewhat different than the one I grew up in. We really don’t care about your past. We care about you. And if you come to Four Points and don’t immediately change your life, that’s okay too. Because no man or woman can force you to change your heart towards God and accept Jesus as Lord. But we can love you and serve you. Go read 1 Corinthians 3 if you have questions on that.
So what does all that have to do with music you ask?
Imagine yourself as someone who doesn’t attend church. The only time you have ever been is for funerals and weddings. But a friend invites you, and you finally accept, if only to get your friend to stop asking. So you show up, and the people are nice, and hey, there’s a coffee bar and they let you take the coffee and snacks to your seat. And look, you’re not the only one wearing shorts; so is the sound engineer! Anyways, things look cool, albeit, a bit unorthodox. This doesn’t look like the church your grandmother’s funeral was at. So ten o’clock arrives and a slide comes up on the screens that says “New Series Beginning Today: Depravity” and as if on cue, the band begins playing a familiar sounding song. Isn’t that Gravity by John Mayer? It is, except they changed the word “gravity” to “depravity”. Hey, thats pretty cool.
Now I know some people will disagree with using secular music in a church setting……and that’s okay. I learned long ago that some people, while they might disagree, are willing to hear you out and you may still win them over if you can provide a convincing argument. But some people are set in their ways and to argue would only alienate them.
But in my opinion music, when used effectively, can connect people. To Jesus, to each other and to a service. People who have never heard of Chris Tomlin or Charlie Hall, but they do know a few John Mayer songs. Another example would be Buckhead Church opening service a few months ago with Ladies and Gentlemen by Saliva. Some people bashed them for it, but the song tied in perfectly to the sermon series they began that week. Thats why it isn’t unusual for the band at my church to include a secular song in the set list each week. I’d say, on average, about half of our services open with a secular song.
But here is my dilemma: can we go too far?
Before anyone makes any jokes, I’m not talking about doing Hell Awaits by Slayer or anything like that. There are some things that are obviously over the line. So far over the line that you’re in a different zip code.
I know what I believe, but I want more of a cross section. I’ll post my personal belief in a later blog.
My question to you today is this: in trying to stay relevant and engage culture, how far is too far?
