Music is more meaningful if you believe in it. This is why Don McLean wonders if you believe in rock ‘n’ roll, the Darkness believes in a thing called love, and R. Kelly believes he can fly. I’ve heard tales of the religious power of rock music throughout my entire life, but no matter how loudly I blast “Baba O’Riley”, I am spiritually unmoved. I like power chords, but they play a very minor role in my belief system.

This is exactly why I have always been jealous of Christian rock bands. Secular rock bands (a term literally never used outside of Christian circles) have a whole lot of convincing to do; in addition to mastering their craft, they must persuade people they have something worthwhile to say. Meanwhile, Christian rock bands simply cater to the convinced. It’s genius, really. The amount of commitment and sacrifice involved in seriously pursuing a musical career is easier to justify if the members are doing God’s work. Similarly involved secular rock bands are self-righteous; Christian rock bands are Righteous, capitalized. Going on tour is missionary work.

Some skepticism towards Christian rock stems from the two words in the genre’s name. The obvious implication of “Christian” predetermines the intentions. The word “rock” infers the music is modern and edgy, but Christian bands rarely rock. Adult contemporary interpretations of hymns do not rock, nor do the plastic presets on the Roland electronic drum kits commonly used by contemporary Christian churches. But the musical inferiority of many Christian bands is irrelevant, as is their lack of contextual subtlety. Save for the bizarre crossover careers of Jars of Clay, P.O.D., and Switchfoot, Christian bands aren’t in the business of saving the secular. They just have to reiterate the ideals of a pre-existing fanbase; it is much more difficult to believe a man survived inside of a whale and lived to tell about it than to think a band like Skillet rules.

I would know. I was in a Christian rock band from ages 13 to 14 called Godspeed, no relation to You Black Emperor. We practiced and performed at youth group meetings, doing mostly covers of contemporary Christian’s finest—Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, MxPx, etc. There were definitely more people in the audience than should have been watching some preteens who could barely tune. It had nothing to do with the band, but everything to do with the spiritual mold into which we consciously adapted ourselves. Honestly, we had them all fooled. We said the F word at our practices and jammed on Rancid songs when nobody was looking. I don’t know what happened to the bass player from Godspeed, but the singer went into the military and the drummer now plays in a reggae band whose logo is a dude strumming a bong. That is NOT what Jesus would do.

As easy as it may be to dismiss Christian messages in music, it is a two-way street. I’m guilty of the opposite; I squeezed as many Bible references into So Many Dynamos songs as I could during my time in the band. I thought vaguely mentioning mountains moving and non-believers would add depth, but I’m not sure I was doing anything more than preaching to a different choir. The thought of these words offending Christians is unsettling. I was miffed enough when Kid Rock implied that he wipes his ass with Kid A by making a music video that involved a roll of toilet paper tiled with the word “Radiohead.” And I don’t have a Christian-caliber faith in Radiohead. I don’t believe that Thom Yorke will be resurrected three days after his death. I didn’t even think his solo album was that good.

It is not easy to believe in something. Who am I to judge Christians for writing, selling, and buying songs about God? Every time I wear a band’s t-shirt, I tell the world I believe this band is shirt-worthy. Every day that I put on my glasses, I’m partially reflecting my belief that “Flagpole Sitta” by Harvey Danger is totally sweet. Music permeates our lifestyle, and genre-identifiable music becomes a support system for genre-identifiable people. Everybody I know who loves metal doesn’t just listen to it; they eat, breathe, and sleep metal. Christian rock is no different conceptually than metal or hardcore or ska. People just have different ways of letting us know what they believe.

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