I have recently begun Mark Joseph’s book Faith, God and Rock n’ Roll: How People of Faith Are Transforming American Popular Music. I’m not far into the book yet but it’s already quite interesting. Joseph does a good job at documenting the rise of faith-based lyrics in American popular music. While he focuses primarily on Christian imagery, this is not to say that every artist he discusses is necessarily Christian, just that they are very openly using biblical imagery and language in what was once strictly known as “secular” music. That line has become increasingly blurred.

Much of Joseph’s focus is on Christians who, for a variety of reasons, have chosen not to be marketed within the “Christian” music community (read some of my thoughts on that issue here). Though there is much to discuss here, I think Joseph’s assessment is right on the mark. Many openly Christian artists have increasingly chosen not to be marketed as such in hopes of reaching a wider market and maintaining artistic integrity (see posts like this one or this one for more discussion).

But as is the case with many discussions, music is not an isolated topic. It is difficult to discuss the idea of “Christian” music without at some point considering how many Christians approach the surrounding culture. Many Christians have an idea of “engaging” culture that amounts to little more than pulling away and occasionally throwing rocks at people’s houses while others simply immerse themselves until there is no meaningful difference between Christian and world. In light of this, I have been thinking a lot about the idea of simply being genuine, truly changed people in the world and being authentic while interacting with people with a humble boldness, seizing (and creating) opportunities to share our faith rather than just hoping people think to ask because “there’s something different” about us.

This idea struck me again as Joseph chronicled the famous, or infamous, depending on your view, Howard Stern appearance by the band P.O.D. (Payable on Death). The members of the band are quite outspoken about their Christian faith but have chosen not to be marketed in the “Christian” industry, instead, selling albums primarily in the “secular” market. Through a series of events, the band found themselves on the Howard Stern show, subject, of course, to coarse joking, sexual innuendo and junior high school bully tactics. But the band stood their ground and held their convictions and won the begrudging respect of the shock jock.

The the band was widely criticized from the Christian community for appearing on the show at all. The common approach to such media from Christians is to not only avoid it (which I do think is appropriate), but boycott, picket and try to silence it (which I don’t think is appropriate). In the midst of discussing some of these things, Joseph made a comment I found particularly striking:

“A culture that is abandoned will, by necessity, no longer feature the ideals that believers are told to infect it with.”

We are told to be salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-14) and yet far too many Christians shrink from the culture. We forget that we are the ones serving the Creator (John 1:3, etc.) and Sustainer (Hebrews 1:3, etc.) of the Universe who has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15). We serve as ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) of the One to whom all authority has been given (Matthew 28:18). You’d think that the least we could do would be to live with confidence!

Whatever you might think of P.O.D.’s music, we can at least commend them for standing strong in the face of opposition, for openly holding to their convictions. They were doing what we have all been called to do: be salt and light in a fallen world. As we lament the state of our culture, I wonder if we’ve stopped to think that our tendency to withdraw has played at least a part in the moral degeneration we see around us? Yes there are other factors, but to a large degree, American Christians have been more like turtles than conquerors (Romans 8:37). Every once in a while we poke our heads out of our shells, we tell people they shouldn’t be doing the things they are and we retreat again. Oh that we would come to “engage the culture” by living as truly risen people in a fallen world.

• Read Faith, God and Rock n’ Roll: How People of Faith Are Transforming American Popular Music by Mark Joseph
• Listen to P.O.D.
• Read my original post “Engage” by Being”