FRONTLINE Youth Center

What Makes A Christian Band Christian: 10 Top Artists Weigh In

14 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment

by Frontline Youth Center in Ignored Truth Tags: 5, artists, band, bethany dillon, christian, disciple, family, force, kj-52, leeland, music, pillar, red, superchik, switchfoot

Is it the music a group plays or the condition of their souls that makes it a Christian band? The message or the messenger? We posed this question to some of your favorite artists and they have some great insights to share with you:

JON FOREMAN (Switchfoot):

I’ve struggled with this question ever since that title was put upon us because I feel like it’s a heavy, heavy weight to bear. The idea that you would call anyone Christ-like comes only after a long time of being with the person and understanding who they are. In a commercial world where the term “Christian music” is primarily a title that shows where an item is sold it becomes even that more troubling. I’ve been wrestling with this for a long time. I have probably hundreds of pages of thoughts and attempts to answer this question because we get asked this question every day. It’s a great question. It used to kinda frustrate me. I didn’t know what to make of it, but then I realized that this is a question that whether you’re Johnny Cash or Bach or Little Richard you have had to struggle with what it means at the intersection of art, at the intersection of your faith, and at the intersection of commerce. There’s a lot of traffic and you don’t want to get run over. There are a lot of definitions that are floating around. Ultimately, as we all know, no guitar, no guitar string, no tent, no speaker can be called “Christian” because they do not have a soul. This right here (points to his heart) is a gift that those elements don’t possess. As far as a Christian musician, I think it’s gotta be simply a musician who’s attempting to follow Christ. And wrestling with those concepts and wrestling with what it means to be a Christian. Because I do believe it’s not a definite thing that you can stamp on the back of someone’s head or something and say, “Yes, you have arrived. You are a Christian artist.” There’s an arrogance to that doesn’t sit with me very well. Ultimately, it’s in God’s hands whether He’s gonna at the end say, “Well done good and faithful servant. You have followed me with your music and with your life.” It’s not really our job to put that stamp on our head or on our own CDs.

NATHAN “NaDaddy” CURRIN (Family Force 5):

What makes a Christian artist a Christian artist is whether or not they’re walking with Jesus. If they’ve given their heart to God, then they’ve given their heart to God. You can see that from their fruit, yes, but you may not be able to 100% tell from their music just depending on your personal interpretation of what it is, whether it be musically or lyrically. It may be a style you wouldn’t at first associate with as being Christian. They may be lyrics that relate to a very personal situation in that person’s life that you may not be able to show someone who’s unsaved and have them say, “That’s a Christian lyric.” It’s a very situational thing, but when it comes down to it a Christian is a Christian if they’ve given their heart to Jesus.

BETHANY DILLON:

That’s a big question! There are a lot of things that come to mind. I think it has a lot to do with what happens off stage and behind the scenes. Humility really marks people who love Jesus. Not Christian musicians, not somebody who writes Christian songs. Somebody who really loves Jesus . . . that just kind of oozes out of them, whether they’re announced that way or they’re on tour with another Christian artist or not. This generation especially sniffs out a phony pretty quick. To see humility on somebody, to see real affection for Jesus and real compassion for other people . . . that makes somebody who leads in a creative way to the presence of God. And I’m totally in it. I feel responsibility for what I do when nobody’s looking, and when I’m on stage. He does the work. There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes. You can’t just pull it all together when somebody says your name and you walk out into the spotlight. And I fall short of this probably five hundred million times a day! I’m not saying this like I’ve got the corner on it, but I’ve seen that authenticity, and that’s “it” to me.

ROB BECKLEY (Pillar):

The heart of the artist. Period. If you’re an instrumental jazz band, you can be a Christian band. It’s not the lyrics that make you a Christian band. It’s the heart of the artist.

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