"Christian Rock", a title often ridiculed at by traditional rock artists, enthusiasts & critics alike is gaining popularity and stamping its place as a sort after genre for the young generation of head-banging, mosh-pitting gurus! Didn't Christian rock die a couple of years ago, you ask? Christian rock music is growing faster than ever before with Daily News of Christian Rock Music, new artists & albums streaming across the Internet and pumping the airways continuously every day. So where did this God Rock come from? I mean this is new right?
This type of rock music wasn't around 20 years ago, was it? Well I didn't think so until recently, the reality is Christian music or should I say Christian rock music has been around apparently from the dawn of creation! So why seeing it today all the time? Where were they hiding and what happened to the voice of eternal punishment for those participating in anything other than a church hymn or Sunday school choir? The chastity belt of modern Christian rock is alive and kicking. There are many religious organisations who oppose this form of music, I will talk more about this opposition later.
Most Christians are in favor of this "movement" feeling that Christian rock music is another way to reach people with the importance of the Christian faith. So why the controversy?, what is so different about secular rock music in comparison to Christian rock? Many have asked this question and instead of quoting Mr. Bob Dylan "the answer is blowing in the wind", I thought I would look into this more closely and check out the facts and see why there is so much "opposition" to the sounds of "thumping grace". After reviewing many rock & heavy metal music bands and performances and then compared them to their Christian counterparts, I did see differences but not many! The stage performance was very similar with the exception of secular heavy metal revealing more of a dark or satanic side at times in general there was little if any change in production or presentation from Christian rock to standard or Non-Christian music. The only real difference I could see was in the lyrical content, with Christian rock music singing words from the Bible and preaching family values.
So why was Christian rock music inward for so many years, seemingly hiding in the shadows from more conservative members of the Christian community? Well apparently they weren't hiding at all, it's just that I like many people didn't even know they were around back then! Good old fashioned Christian rock bands like Petra, Stryper, Bloodgood, Whitecross and Tourniquet have been rocking Christians and non Christians alike for generations.
The voice of rock abstinence is still screaming louder than ever in some Christian circles although seemingly falling on deaf ears of a Christian Rocker community that grows bigger every day. Who opposes this Christian liberation? Who else but other Christians! It seems some denominations of who have not advanced to modern day sounds are Bible bashing these Christian rock music head bangers with eternal consequences for their "lack of understanding". The most dramatic example I came across was the seventh day adventist (SDA) church who proclaim that Christian rock music is quote "Devil music". The SDA church preach that all rock music has the "beat of the devil" borrowed from primate heathen rituals, beating in time with the body's "natural rhythms". I found it hard to understand that anyone could think this way at first, but indeed it is true and the SDA church is serious about stamping out any and all rock music, or anything for that matter that has a drum beat!
Sam J Wilkinson works as a volunteer webmaster of the Christian Rock Music Site ColdandUgly.net, which has up to date information about Christian music & artistis, aswell as other Christian culture news & events. http://coldandugly.net
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