'Christian Music'

I like this. This is from an interview with Chap Stique from Family Force 5.

CS: We like to think of “Christian music” in similar terms to the way we think of a person’s diet. Bear with me on this one…I promise it makes sense.

Most people who go on diets try to lose weight by avoiding cookies, cakes, cheeses, butters, and fatty foods. Instead (we’ll use the name Merlin for our example), Merlin eats a bunch of nasty salads made of iceberg lettuce and fat-free dressing. His program also provides substitute or alternative meals from what he normally eats, [for example] “our version” of pot roast, ribs, blue cheese, etc. They’re gross. After his diet, Merlin either:

a. Lost a lot of weight, but is still terribly unhealthy from lack of vitamins, proteins, and good carbs
b. Splurged and gained all his original weight [and] now experiencing guilt along with it
or
c. Lost weight, but hates life, because his meals are all imitations. He can’t wait to have “real” food again.

When the Christian music industry was originally created, it was like one of these diets…a “safe” alternative. Although there is tremendous value in turning away from music that causes a person to have a negative or pessimistic perspective (again, please realize that we think it is important to stay away from harmful messages), Christian music was often unoriginal and bland, and left the listener feeling unfulfilled.

With Christian music (as well as Christian culture in general), I think the key is to stop running away from things we think are bad, and to start running toward things we think are good. In our above example, Merlin gained nothing from avoiding fatty foods. He could have gained a lot by eating bananas, fish, and pasta and working out.

Today’s Christian music isn’t just a safe escape from music that is “bad.” Nor is it a watered-down imitation of the stuff that’s on mainstream radio. It is a true, credible art that encourages and challenges the listener to experience life to the fullest through connecting with the love of Christ.

The old mentality was, “Kids like Nirvana. Let’s make a Christian Nirvana.” The new mentality is becoming, “Kids like Muse. Let’s make something that’s as cool and original as Muse!”

So I guess Family Force 5 is a delicious, healthy smoothie and The Almost, Switchfoot, and Anberlin are Grape Nuts, turkey burgers, and watermelon.

There is a major revolution taking place in this thing that we call “Christian music,” and Family Force 5 is honored to be a part of it.

Here is the full interview