Thu 25 Aug 2005
Who says what is and is not “Christian” music? The Christian Music Trade Association (CMTA), that’s who! Thanks to our friend Eldon for pointing us to a story from Reuters.
According to the CMTA, an artist such as Sufjan Stevens, whose beliefs are certainly not in question, does not qualify as a “Christian” artist. In other words, you will not be able to purchase his work at your local Christian bookstore. For many, this might not be anything to think twice about. Not many have heard Sufjan Stevens and he’s most likely not going to be a household name any time soon. However, one need listen to his music for only a short time before being squarely confronted with his beliefs. So much so that some reviewers make the point to state that they don’t like what he’s saying, but they like how he’s saying it (Pitchforkmedia for example).
Yet the CMTA’s decision poses larger questions about what really goes on in the “Christian” music industry. John Styll, president of the CMTA quips that Stevens “just doesn’t want to play the Christian music-market game, and that’s OK.” In other words, he has not sought distribution through the right channels, nor does he play the right venues. All of which makes one wonder how a group such as Phillips, Craig and Dean who deny the Trinity (see also) may be purchased at any Christian bookstore while Bob Dylan’s landmark Slow Train Coming may not. Apparently, good business means more than good theology in some circles, and God-glorifying content is not even on the radar.
What password are the gatekeepers looking for? According to the Reuters article, “Styll says albums must receive some national play on Christian radio, 25 percent of sales in the first week must be in Christian shops, and lyrics must have “Christian content.” Styll furthers that the lyrics in question must in line with Scripture, but acknowledges that these boundaries may be “a little loose.” That’s a problem. Who defines what is in the bounds of Scripture? Denial of the Trinity would certainly fall outside of my definition, but apparently not those set by the CMTA. Lyrical/theological content is obviously not deciding criteria.
It must be said, that to my knowledge, Sufjan Stevens has not sought CMTA certification. Indie artist Jeremy Casella notes that Sufjan is “not considered one of the CCMers or GMTA’ers because his music doesn’t run in CCM industry circles. No business connections or touring connections. No label connections. No affiliation really. No Nashville bloodline/money.” In other words, it’s a business decision, not a content question. Casella concludes “Its obvious as daylight that he’s a believer.”
Such discussions ought to make us apprehensive at best about what is and is not considered “Christian” music. Yet larger issues are also hinted at here; most notably the separationist tendencies of many Christians (which I am currently pondering more). Rather than be “in the world but not of the world,” many have chosen to withdraw all together, having a “Christian” version of everything the world might have to offer, both good and bad. We have our own musicians who play in our own venues that we buy in our own stores and labels are worth a thousand words; if it’s “Christian,” it’s alright by me.
All things considered, it seems as that you must be part of the club. If you don’t want to play the game (regardless of clearly Christian content), you will not be sold through us; and if you do play our game, denying the Trinity is just fine. One does not have to look at the issue very long to understand that it is not a question of belief or content, but of business decision.
We must understand that we have created our own sub-culture which runs by its own rules. Just because something may be purchased at a Christian bookstore does not mean it may be trusted. Conversely, just because something may not be purchased at the same store does not mean the people behind it are not glorifying God in what they do. These issues are not new to anyone involved in “Christian” music or books at any level. However, we must be sensitive to the fact that many well-meaning believers are sincerely swayed by labeling, and the lack of endorsement as a “Christian” artist is the death-bell as far as they’re concerned. We must gently teach Christian truth that not only affects the heart, but also the head. We must teach discernment, something sorely lacking in our day and age.
We are faced with a sacred/secular divide that permeates every level of life, forcing us to label everything, regardless of accuracy. Casella concludes, “The labeling is foolishness but that’s just the way it is here in town (Nashville). I think the whole thing is falling apart though. It happening right now and will continue to happen in the coming years.” Let’s hope he’s right but in the meantime, Christians must learn to look past the cover to judge the book.
Read the original article from Reuters.
Read Drop7.com’s thoughts on Sufjan Stevens.
Read Tangled Up in the Bible by Michael J. Gilmour.
Play Biblical Allusions in Dylan Lyrics trivia.
Visit the Christian Music Trade Association website.
Visit Jeremy Casella’s website.
Visit Bob Dylan’s website.
Visit Sufjan Stevens’ website.
Download More Than The Watchman (demo) by Jeremy Casella.
Download Gotta Serve Somebody by Bob Dylan (live).
Download The Transfiguration by Sufjan Stevens.
on 25 Aug 2005 at 7:52 am 1.Mark Redfern said …
Good thoughts here, Brent. I am going to blog in relationship to Philips, Craig, and Dean. I had no idea they were modalists - it certainly doesn’t come out in their music that I have heard. My wife enjoys them. Thanks for the info.
on 27 Aug 2005 at 1:56 pm 2.Jeremy said …
brent,
great post. what an interesting topic for anyone who is a believer and loves art.
peace,
jeremy
on 27 Aug 2005 at 2:09 pm 3.kpita said …
Jeremy, you just like being quoted…
on 27 Aug 2005 at 3:04 pm 4.sean said …
hey, if you’re listening (or thinking about listening) to S. Stevens, you’ve got to give the song “John Wayne Gacy” a listen (it’s on the Illinois cd). the song is one of the most confrontational/challenging i’ve heard in some time. i’m not going to say that everyone should rush out and buy Sufjan’s music today, but definitely within in the next week or two everyone should try to put it on the shopping list.
on 24 Oct 2005 at 4:50 am 5.Mag Agren said …
Totally agree..
i Think its not helpful at all the stuff that the “Christian” labels and distributors are passing around as christian music…
I think the rules that are there to say whether they are christian artists or not need to be rethought…
on 01 Jun 2006 at 1:12 pm 6.SFBaptist said …
Friends, I think the foundational problem here is not that there are modalists selling their wares at the Christian store, nor is it the core issue that Sufjan Stevens or Dylan or any other allegedly Christian artists are not in the racks at the Christian store. The central issue is that these so-called Christian labels are owned, for the vastly major part, by secular parent companies who don’t care a bit about modalism or trinitarianism or any other Christianese semantics. These secular companies will put out the money to produce, distribute and market ANYTHING, heretical or not, as long as they can see a profit. You will notice that most of the so-called Christian publishing houses like Zondervan are now also under the umbrella of secular companies. How else can you explain Zondervan putting out books about charismatic error on one hand and then releasing editions of Benny “9 persons in the Trinity” Hinn’s books? It’s obvious that the people involved in the sale and promotion of these books and CD’s are ultimately driven by profit with no regard for Biblical truth. It is the same in the reverse; those who sell and market Dylan, Stevens et al are interested in moving units, so they take care to present these artists as not necessarily Christian. That way, the unbeliever has no qualms about buying a spiritual-sounding record from a secular artist, just like the Christian-store lemmings will buy P, C and D music no matter what they stand for, ‘because it’s Christian’. Doctrinal purity went out the window when greed came in the door.
on 23 Jun 2006 at 9:43 pm 7.nicole said …
since i’m trying to abide in Jesus, and trying also to hold on to my Heavenly Father’s hand.. i basically have been drawn more to simple music that draws me into His Presence for a season..as He’s revealing more things to me in intimacy. however i still enjoy artists like anathallo, sufjan, foxhole, etc. every once in awhile. come on, He loves sufjan just as much as He loves jeremy camp. I think even though we’re still in the flesh, as we become more like Him, He’ll show us how He feels on certain matters for our individual lives.. for His annointing abides in us (1 John 2:27)..
Ps- wow, i didn’t know that about philips, craig and dean.
PPS- thanks for the downloads.
on 05 Jul 2006 at 6:15 am 8.Alvin Reid said …
Nice post. I wrote a similar-but-not-exactly post on a little different aspect of music and art called “Why I Like Southern Rock More Than Southern Gospel” at my blog. We are so Americanized (money being the bottom line) or so Gnostic at times (driving a wedge between “secular” and “spiritual” in a way neither Scripture nor the Reformers did) we miss the point. I look forward to hearing this artist. I also welcome any thoughts on how we analyze musical trends to help us understand the culture better so we can best communicate the timeless gospel in a timely manner.
on 23 Jul 2006 at 2:25 pm 9.Alfred said …
Long time before Slow Train Coming a number of Dylan’s lyrics have had a decisive influence in my process of finding God. CCM is not significant in my country (The Netherlands), although some of the faithful desire to establish something of the kind. I won’t help them succeed. The fact that nowadays, in America, ‘Christian’ is even listed as a genre causes a sense of nausea. When I listen to the latest recordings of Johnny Cash, who never needed CCM, I know that true art (& faith) can easily go without boring, clean-cut institutions like CCM. When I buy CDs by christian artists I prefer to get them from ‘general’ stores.
on 23 Jul 2006 at 11:04 pm 10.Marty said …
Brent:
C’mon, man…what’s the big deal!?!?! If you could see how far my eyes are rolled back in my head you would know that I am simply being sarcastic.
Nice post.
Marty
on 28 Jul 2006 at 10:25 am 11.David said …
I for one have often wondered why people get upset about the language used on standard/secular radio station but not the theology sung on Christian radio.
In one instance you will hear a song (by say Caedmon’s Call or David Crowder Band) go Calvin in regards to predestination and then (say Audio Adrenaline) go almost Armenian in regards to free will. Yet no one complains. On a side note D.C. Talk goes both ways if you are interested!
I have seen the same done in churches too. We sing songs simply because they are Christian or because we like the artist (oh yeah, who were they writing about?). We sing (don’t call it worship) without thinking of the words and what they are saying. Example, My Glorious. I love the song. But it says about God “all You ever do is change the old into the new”. I really feel that limits God and denies His “out of nothing” (ex nihilo) creation. We changed the words to say “one thing You love to do”. Cheesey but hey.
Listen to whatever you want (Dylon, P C and D, or the Stones) but please LISTEN to what it says!!! Thanks for reading this.
all about Christ,
David
on 28 Jul 2006 at 3:54 pm 12.Byron Borger said …
Thanks for this important and interesting post. You note, though, that this (unhelpful) designation means that you can’t buy Sufjian S at your local Christian bookstore. We’ve carried his stuff for years (not to mention most of Dylan) alongside other singer-songwriters who do thoughtful music. Granted we are somewhat unique, so your point is a good one. But do know that some of us—we carried Boy and October 20 years ago, for instnace—have been trying to break down this dumb sytem for quite some time. Thanks for furthering the conversation.
Problem is, though, getting those with limited dollars to take risks on indie projects, take up records that don’t wear faith on the sleeve, but is more subtle, allusive and thoughtful. There is such a body of that kind of stuff—from old guys like Cockburn to recent ones like Anathello, from Brooks Williams to Over the Rhine. Why more stores don’t promote this quality stuff is a huge concern…
Thanks again.
Byron Borger
Hearts & Minds
http://www.heartsandmindsbooknotes.blogspot.com
on 28 Jul 2006 at 4:06 pm 13.Brent said …
Byron, thank you so much for including Anathallo, it’s great to seem them gaining recognition.
on 01 Jan 2007 at 12:44 am 14.GUNNY HARTMAN said …
No screaming?
P, C & D are modalists?!
Uncool.
Are they the ones who do that song “God loves people more than anything”?
Man, that thing really beats me down.
on 04 Apr 2007 at 1:20 am 15.Pete said …
I think it’s always worth considering that the artists themselves are not ministers and many are not theologically learned.
What we’re listening to is an impression, observation or opinion and even this can relatively change over time.
It’s always great to talk about God but when I listen to christian music I’m not looking for the gospel. The appeal of christian lyrics in music is that it’s rewarding in the same sense that a christian conversation with someone is rewarding.
Though we might find out for sure if an artist is a christian in interviews or from the blogvine we’re still left with music written from a source which isn’t necessarily a representative of the church or the bible.
The best music, to me, is the kind that gets you thinking, conceptualising your ideas and questioning them. You can fall in love with a song which has an opinion you don’t agree with.
Although Sufjan Stevens hasn’t aligned himself with other christian artists I find his lyrical content a lot more thought provoking and beneficial to the gospel and personally to my relationship with God than a lot of christian pop bands that have marketed themselves on the CMTA bandwagon.
And I know a lot more of my nonchristian friends who are listening to songs like “All the Fields of the Trees Will Clap Their Hands” than CMTA music.
on 04 Apr 2007 at 1:27 am 16.Pete said …
Sorry I meant “All the Trees of the Field will Clap their Hands”
Also, SFBaptist: I think that’s a very contentious position. There’s nothing to stop christian labels seeking the same monetary benefit from the artists they represent.
It’s worth acknowledging artists like Sufjan Stevens because obviously Asthmatic Kitty is a label that takes no issue with his faith and christian content.
on 31 May 2007 at 10:04 pm 17.How To Think Biblically About Christian Music said …
[...] Read my post “Who Says What’s Christian Music?” [...]
on 17 Jan 2008 at 8:36 am 18.Defining Christian Music, pt. 7 - Useful Links « The Blah Blah said …
[...] Blog Posts by Brent at Colossians Three Sixteen Who Says What’s Christian Music? Who Says What’s Christian Music? (Part Two) Misplaced Boundaries “Engage” by Being “Christian” Rock, Sincerity, and “Engage” by Being, Part Two How to Think Biblically About Christian Music (posted at Said at Southern) [...]
on 31 Mar 2008 at 11:52 am 19.Robert said …
It is a good business decision and also a good step towards evangelism to NOT align yourself with the CCM system. I say try to get a major label or indie record deal before approaching Nashville.
Current bands with secular record labels such as P.O.D., Blindside, Flyleaf, Chevelle, and Paramore that have professing Christians in them have had so much more exposure to those who are not professing Christians than those bands who are isolated and sold at Christian bookstores and web sites. Chevelle experienced modest popularity when they were on a Christian label, but when they signed with Epic, they really gained in popularity. They felt that no one could find their records.
Say what you want about Stryper, but they toured with Motley Crue at the height of their popularity, and a lot of Bibles got into the hands of unchurched kids.
on 01 Apr 2008 at 1:18 pm 20.PC&D and the Trinity « serving the nazarene said …
[...] a link to the article, which includes the discovery I mentioned. The bottom line of the article is the suggestion that [...]
on 04 Apr 2008 at 10:00 am 21.Denny Burk » What is Christian Music? said …
[...] Brent Thomas has some interesting reflections on the question “What is Christian music?” He writes: [...]
on 05 Apr 2008 at 11:05 pm 22.Another Reason I Don’t Like Christian Music : The Submerging Influence said …
[...] Maybe this is the answer to all my questions. [...]
on 06 Apr 2008 at 2:33 am 23.Matthew said …
Then what is the point of having a “Christian music” genre? Isn’t the whole point of a classification to exclude?
I don’t get it. Sufjan doesn’t want to be classified as “Christian” and CMTA doesn’t want him in christian music stores. What’s your gripe about again?
on 06 Apr 2008 at 6:32 pm 24.Brent said …
Matthew, that’s just the point! If the name “Christian” music isn’t about the content then what’s the point? The problem seems to be that not everyone understands that the term means little more than the marketing decisions surrounding the sale of the music rather than the content itself. If everyone understood that much, most of this conversation wouldn’t be necessary it seems.
on 07 Apr 2008 at 9:08 am 25.Marty said …
I think when we let others determine what is “Christian Enough” for us to consume it reduces the faith to a cult.
Nice writing and sadly still relevant!
Marty D
on 07 Apr 2008 at 12:47 pm 26.Mattherw said …
I agree with some of your criticism and the overall feeling of how bizarre something like CMTA may seem. Or, how bizarre it may be that people want CMTA to select music for them. And, I suspect you’re probably right that most folks don’t consider what criterion CMTA uses to promote an artist.
I may think it’s sort of silly for people to avoid buying music just because it’s not “christian ™” But, I think the whole idea of content classification is silly. However, I’m not the audience CMTA is marketing to. Some people want exactly what CMTA is delivering. People want music, which is marketed as “christian.” Are you criticizing people for the methods they use to select their music? Or, are you criticizing CMTA for the methods they use to promote music?
on 07 Apr 2008 at 4:11 pm 27.Christian Smoker said …
[...] Articles:Who Says What’s “Christian” Music? (Colossians Three Sixteen) A taste of Sufjan Stevens in Videos [...]
on 09 Apr 2008 at 11:06 am 28.Brent said …
Matthew, you rightly ask:
I think I’m criticizing the whole thing. The classification itself has only served to dampen discernment and sap true artistic expression, making people dependent on a marketing label rather than a well-developed worldview and sense of discernment.
on 06 May 2008 at 12:45 pm 29.Live Talk Radio on the Internet | The Decreasing Discernment of the Dollar said …
[...] time ago I wrote a piece entitled Who Says What’s Christian Music? in which I briefly examined the sad fact that the actual content of music has little to nothing to [...]
on 07 May 2008 at 9:55 am 30.Joseph said …
I couldn’t agree more with all of this - I must say I’ve neglected to see the christianity in Steven’s lyrics, but I’ve never listened too intently to his words, because his melodies and music steal my concentration.
Again, very insightful, and as a Christian musician who does his best to be poetic and cryptic in his glorifying, I appreciate that you understand the frustration associated with pop-christian radio, for instance.
We’re creating our own Mtv. I’m not exactly ‘excited’ about it.