...on christian music as a type of music...

read recently of a debate that's taking place regarding christian music as a type of music...

apparently some people feel that christian music should not be considered a genre of music within the musical offerings of say, itunes and so forth...that it should be listed as "pop" or "rock" or "folk" or whatever...

and some are of the opinion that if you are a "christian" and an artist you must present the "gospel" in every song you write or you are failing in your duty as a "christian"...

i want to address this second view...

why is it that people expect artists who are also "christian" to present the "gospel" in everything, but no one expects a "christian" architect to design every building with a cross or doctors to have the "gospel" in everything they do...no one accuses an I.T. guy of failing in his "christian" duty if he doesn't program some sort of "gospel" code into his work...

why are artists the only ones required to live under such a ridiculous standard?!

isn't it enough that in most "christian" circles artists' faith or commitment is considered questionable, at best, simply because they are artists? but then to be considered degenerates if they don't create overtly "christian" art, whatever that is...it's incredibly hypocritical!

are you going to judge God by those same standards...because, every cloud isn't preaching the "gospel"...every flower isn't in the shape of a cross...the birds don't sing from the hymnbook...and yet the Bible says that "the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth his handiwork"...meaning, the true heart of who God is, is woven into creation...God, the master artist, tells a story, not overtly, but ever so beautifully to those who take the time to stop and see...to listen and to hear...

and so it is with artists...the worldview of an artist will come out in their work...even if ever so subtly...makoto fujimura says that "art is always transgressive...we need to transgress in love...we...have a language to celebrate waywardness, but we do not have a cultural language to bring people back home..."

as artists create quality pieces...as artists wrestle with the deeper issues, that dwell in the shadowy recesses and fringe of our cutlure...they have the opportunity to shed light...to effect change...to offer hope...to create dialogue...and their only real obligation as a "christian" artist is to a God whose ways are "past finding out"...the best any of us can do is to try to express, in our own voice, what we have discovered of this Mystery...