Christians and Music

Posted over 2 years ago

Artist:
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Neal Morse
Album:
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Sola Scriptura

One thing I've always been aware of, or concerned about, was the lack of Christians in the music business. As a music lover AND a Christian, I didn't want to be segregated into listening to the old hymns. I loved, and still do love, rock music. Then a few years back, Christians started making their own scene in the public eye through artists like Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. But that just meant that Christian music then became compartmentalized, and mostly referred to as "Gospel," whether it was or not. Christians were seen then, and still are, as nerds with a message and a method of delivering it that will drive you crazy.Then comes Neal Morse. Well enough established in the prog scene through his tenures with Spock's Beard and Transatlantic that he garnered respect and anticipation for every new CD. What a conundrum, then, when he became a Christian and continued to produce award winning CD's but with a different focus.Neal is at the top of his game, and the top of the Prog Rock scene, and yet he sings about God, and about how our lives can be enriched with a Godly experience. And it's all put to music that is today's taste in the progger scene.So what do we make of this? Musical talent is not isolated to either the Christian or non-Christian sector. And creative saleability is certainly not the sole property of the secular segment of the music industry.No. What Neal Morse has done is demonstrate Jesus by continuing to develop his talent but directing it to more positive contexts. In the secular perspective, he may be viewed as an oxymoron, dashing the idea that God and rock can't mix.It's an example more Christians could follow if their message is to be considered even for a moment."Online Entertainment Magazine's Review of Sola Scriptura"://http://www.1340mag.com/cd_reviews/view.php?review_no=849:

Comments (6)

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Groon says I have to admit that, progger thought I am, I'm not completely aware of Neal Morse's music. I do have Transatlantic's Bridge Across Forever and Spock's Beard (which, I assume, came out before his conversion, but I will have to step up my knowledge. The newer "neo"-prog is always a bit hit and miss with me. For every good act out there there's what seems like many that aren't worth the time to listen to. I will say, though, for my money the track "Go the Way You Go" is as good as any symphonhic prog track ever written since the end of the seventies! I too have been upset by the lack of good Christian music out there, especially anything more musically related. In college I was a big fan of some of the alternative acts coming out, like Adam Again, Mortal, and The 77's (who all rode the wave of a bigger interest in Christian music right when the new "alternative" scene was exploding, which helped them out a great deal) but other than that is was all 4 Him and Point of Grace, which personally has never done anything for me (even though I played trumpet in a campus-led band called New Vision which was modeled exactly on those types of groups). Anyway. Good post!

Permalink posted 04/01/2007
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Groon says Forgot to include that the only SB album I have is The Light.

Permalink posted 04/01/2007
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capndad says You definitely will not be disappointed in any of "Neal's"://http//www.nealmorse.com 4 concept albums. "Testimony"://http://www.nealmorse.com/discography.asp is his story from early musicianship and past "The Beard"://http//www.spocksbeard.com One is an analogy of man's quest for power, and the futility of it all. ? is the story of a beggar who wishes to get into the Temple back in OT times, and how that temple is no longer a physical necessity. And now Sola Scriptura is the story of Martin Luther and his rage against the church hypocrites in the days of the Crusades. Song #1 on this one is a 30 minute epic that is diverse enough that boredom cannot enter into the equation.

Permalink posted 04/01/2007
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Cinful says I don't know if you can truly call them "Christian" music ... but MAE and Anberlin have both been coming out of the woodwork over the last few years and getting quite the following ... obviously, I'm one of the followers. :^)

Permalink posted 04/01/2007
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MusicRX says
I too being a Christian, have heard a lot of Christian rock and pop, but I don't think I'm familiar with any Christian Prog. Very cool. The heaviest Christian I ever got into was Kings X. Never got into the Christian death metal or screamo (yes, there is that).

Permalink posted 01/10/2009
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capndad says
Yeah I've heard the Christian "screamo." Not my taste either.

Permalink posted 01/10/2009