By Nathan McBride, Contributing Writer
The music I was hearing on Christian radio was bothering me. I couldn’t put my finger on the problem, because there wasn’t any problem with the songs themselves. After reading Bria’s valuable article “How the Church Has Failed Women,” it hit me: Christian radio music does not address specific social issues.
I did some more listening before writing this article, and it’s not that these songs are bad. Artists sing about God’s undeserved forgiveness and love, self-worth, encouragement in Jesus—and we all need some positive, encouraging voices in our lives. You’ll hear songs about suffering, too, such as the poignant “Blessings.” However, the songs usually remain silent on all but general struggles. What about loneliness, relational abuse, mental disorders, care for the elderly, racial unity and our country’s political situation? What about the specific issues in our lives that a conversion alone doesn’t fix?
I grew up listening to an odd assortment of unusual 80s Christian music artists, the first of them Steve Taylor. Moral relativism, homosexuality, politicians claiming Christianity, inappropriate protest against abortion clinics—if it was a hot topic, in the world or in the church, he was going to sing about it. He went on to write most of the original Newsboys songs. (He is Peter Furler’s father-in-law, after all.)
Then at 12, I heard Michael Card, who remains my favorite singer. He always sang from Scripture, and occasionally this perspective enabled him to address a current issue, whether the value of unborn life (“Spirit of the Age”) or the approaching Prosperity movement (Scandalon). A white man in the South, Card was discipled in an African-American church, and for the past twenty years he has consistently worked with and featured black artists in his music.
Phil Keaggy, Tercer Cielo (Hollywood), Randy Stonehill, Kim Hill, Leslie Phillips, Petra, Billy and Sarah Gaines, John Elephante, Newsboys, Natalie Grant—all these Christian music artists whom I can think of off the top of my head sang life-giving words on specific issues: sexual immorality, drugs, watering down the Gospel, immigration, homelessness, poverty, human trafficking. Yet few enjoyed radio popularity, and never from their specific songs. Furthermore, some of them had to leave their music labels, as they were pressuring them to conform stylistically to mirror pop artists.
Maybe radio isn’t designed for prophecy. Like any industry, the music industry needs money, and prophecy can be costly and unpopular.
Not all music can address specific social conflicts. Most of the music I like, even by these artists, does not. Nor does the discussion of a specific problem ensure a discussion of grace. Honestly, Steve Tayor’s earliest material goes too heavy on the bitterness.
Christian radio is safe, clean and encouraging entertainment. Some Christian stations also feature talk shows addressing specifics. The Christian music industry is broader than I can comprehend, and surely there are artists today who don’t make the charts but continue to “be bold” in loving exhortation on how God’s will is done not only in heaven (in our spirits), but also on earth (in our relationships). Why not search them out?