At last night's Tribal Gathering, as the menfolk tended the burning cowflesh with open flame, T-Man challenges the concept of whether there really is such a thing as "Cheesy" Christian music. His point was directed at the notion that, if a person, wandering the Prodigal's Path, hears some old tune on KSBJ and it quickens his heart toward fellowship with the Father, and if all forms of music have that appeal to someone out there, then is it right to call that music "cheesy"?
I responded: "Is Barry Manilow's music 'cheesy'?"
Case closed.
His point being that all Christian music has value.
My point being, yes, even cheesy Christian music.
So the point now being, what is "cheesy", if it is not some subjective construct-- and the counterpoint being exactly that... it IS a subjective matter.
So now, reader, we enter dialog.
What is "cheesy" Christian music to you? What are some examples?
For me (and perhaps reflective of my current ambient hue) it comes to a clone-perpetuating sugar-and-spice-and-all-things-nice ideology that tries to bring smiles to everyone, and if you aren't happy, well "smile anyway %For me (and perhaps reflective of my current ambient hue) it comes to a clone-perpetuating sugar-and-spice-and-all-things-nice ideology that tries to bring smiles to everyone, and if you aren't happy, well "smile anyway %$&*, 'cause people are amp;*, 'cause people are lookin'!"
Which reminds me of my Mentor group meeting this week. I meet on occasion with a dozen young men associated with a Christian organization, and this week we were discussing 'worship'. In the awesome dialog we shared, I discovered that only 2 students are actually participating in worshipping communities, while at least half were actually HOSTILE to how they have experienced their home churches... phony, pretentious entities who are more interested in outward conformity than authentic community. Wow! these guys were candid.
They went on about how most of the Christians are hypocrites.
"No," I corrected, "We ALL are."
So what's the solution? Are we supposed to walk around with angry, bitter hearts, discouraging each other? Of course not-- Paul admonishes us to encourage each other (Eph.4).
But it also calls us to be truthful, not phony, as the Golden Boy Preacher used to call it, "Shellacking a layer of 'jesus' over it and pretending everything's OK,"...even though something smells really bad.
And my challenge to you: Is that smell the cheese in "cheesy"?
JK (no, seriously)
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2 comments:
Hmmm what is 'Cheesy Christian music'? That is a tough one. I could spend a long time just debating what is 'christian music' long before I start on the cheese question.
In my mind there is only good art and bad art - and of course that depends on what criteria you judge by.
Personally I think every act of human creation (song writing, cooking, storytelling etc) is made up of two components. 'Art' and 'Craft'. Painters have to learn color and perspective, cooks have to learn to beat egg whites and make pastry, song writers have to learn how to use rhyme and meter etc....
There are 'rights and wrongs' for the way any craft is handled. Yes people can make deliberate choice to break the rules, but they should learn the rules first so that the breaking is a concsious artistic choice.
That's my struggle with much 'Christian Music' and much other 'Christian Art' to be honest. In my experience because the creator somehow ties in 'Jesus' to his/her art it some how excuses them from working at their craft. And as an art consumer I don't do much better. I excuse (and have even purchased badly crafted art) because 'They are doing it for the Lord'.
Does God use broken art - of course He does, He uses broken people too. Does this excuse us from working at our 'craft' so we can give the best to him? Of course not.
So I guess what I'm saying is that for me Cheesy Christian music is usually a) Badly Crafted (I hesitate to give an example incase I offend someone's favorite song) or b) A song that was written in a specific time and culture that is now removed from that culture. Take for instance 'It only Takes a Spark'......this song was powerful in the 70s but now it seems cheesy.
Well that's my two pence for what it's worth.
a well-respected opinion from an artist; thanks Peter!
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