The Christian Music Monopoly

 

Once upon a time Christian Music was diverse with talent like Rich Mullins, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Rebecca St. James, Kutless, Skillet, Chris Tomlin, Jeremey Camp and more. Many of these artists were unique, their voices and styles as recognizable as Queen, Aerosmith, ACDC, The Beatles, Blue Oyster Cult, and etc. Now the Christian Music Industry predominately is a monopoly of worship mega churches like Bethel, Elevation Church, Hillsong United, and etc who have decided for the industry what the sound and culture is. This is so dangerous to creativity, for once upon a time you could have deep soulful song like “Hold me Jesus, I am shaking like a leaf, you have been my king of glory, won’t you be my prince of peace? Surrender doesn’t come natural to me, I would rather fight you for what I don’t really want than take what you give that I need,” (Rich Mullins) and at same time have a foot stomping worship song, “How great is our God! Sing with me how great is our God! All the earth will sing.. how great is our God!” (Chris Tomlin). There was room for very diverse music, for songs that captured the complexity of being a Christian in the 21 Century to full on Modern Hymns. But now the Triumvirate of Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation, and some other megachurches get to decide the music we get to hear and its all anemic and sounds the same. 

Rather than getting songs like “I wanna go back to Jesus loves me the Bible says that, because the Bible tells, because The Bible tells me so,” (David Dunn) or “Come to the Table, all you sinners and saints!,” (Sidewalk Prophets) which actually tackled incredible topics like that some of us need to get back to our First Love (Revelation 2:4-5) and to remember that Christ is preparing a Wedding Feast for us (). The newer tunes are mostly the same fair where artists sing generic terms with no heart, no theological depth, nor even a catchy course to latch on to like “I am coming back to the heart of worship, and its all about you, its all about you, Jesus.” (Matt Redman, feat Martin Smith). Instead the music now sounds like its out of New Orleans, which some of it genuinely is via Lauren Diagle, who I like as say as artist but not as worship singer because she makes songs that I can’t remember save her one Christmas hit with Chris Tomlin called Noel. And that is just it, I cannot remember any of the songs or main choruses of the Contemporary Christian music, because none of them stand out. All the ones I have posted, which are from masterful artists in this post is from memory! Not cut and paste, which says something! I can recollect what those songs said, I even can Remember classics like “Holy Holy! Holy! Lord God Almighty, early in the morning my heart doth long for thee! Cherubim and Seraphim all bowing before thee, God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity!,” (Reginald Herber), and “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found! Was blind but now I see!” (John Newton, 1772). Those are hymns and I can recall them from memory! And yet much of the contemporary Christian music and worship is forgettable, and its not because I am jaded or determined to dislike it, there are few that are good like Danny Gokey’s amazing song about how our Lord God gets misunderstood and maligned, “There is a rumor that there is gavel in my hand, that I am only here to condemn, but let me tell you secrets you have never known I think of you as my best friend! So forget what you’ve heard, what you think you know, There’s a lot about me that’s never been told I am more than you dreamed, more than you understand, we are destined for a dance!” (More Than You Think I Am). The problem is songs like that are in a sea of hypnotic club beats with lyrics that have none of The Spirit of God, just the trappings of religion, “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:5). I feel The Christian Music Industry is becoming that clanging cymbal Paul spoke of, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal,” (1 Corinthians 13:1), because there is no felt love of Christ, The Holy Trinity, in the words of the music;  it sounds adequate, but what happened to theological rich hymns and songs like Redman and Gokey who were acting like heirs of Rich Mullins, making us think deeply about God and our spiritual state of being. 

This monopoly will be the death nail for creative and Spirit inspired Christian music. It is time to break the Megachurch stranglehold and end the club music with its empty religious clangs of the gong, that check all the boxes, but have not Spirit of Christ to captivate, no depth of soul to make you ponder the deep mysteries and the recesses of your heart.  There are some artists fighting the good fight, and they need our support or we will just get more this hybrid jazz-pop-hip hop music with chameleon beats of better secular artists. Amen.