What’s Jesus got to do with it?

Curran Faris’ article about local singer-songwriter Kerri Woelke in this week’s issue of The Uniter hints at why making a distinction between Christian and non-Christian music is silly.

As someone who self-identifies as a music critic and a (Mennonite/pacifist/ LGBT-friendly/non-Evangelical) Christian, the topic of Christian music is intriguing.

Here are three reasons why I find “Christian music” to be a problematic term and concept.

1. Many Christians see the term “Christian” as an invitation to shut their brains off.

If it’s sold in a Christian bookstore, it’s 100 per cent awesome and can be accepted without criticism—that’s what many Christians think, anyway. So because the Newsboys or tobyMac are “Christian,” many Christians won’t stop to think about whether or not the lyrics are theologically accurate, and whether the music is technically good or just a rip-off of something by a “secular” musician. They will passively indulge in the music. This is problematic when one considers that participation and engagement are (or at least should be) part of what life is all about (whether you’re a Christian or not).

2. Many non-Christians see the term “Christian” as an excuse to write certain music off without listening to it carefully.

You can’t really blame non-Christians for believing that Christian music isn’t cool. A lot of it is just a rip-off of something already done by better, more talented “secular” musicians. Lord knows the last thing the world needs is more cheesy, God-is-my-girlfriend music. Still, just as many Christians don’t stop and evaluate the Christian music they’re listening to, many non-Christians don’t stop and evaluate Christian artists based on the merits of their musicianship and songwriting abilities. A non-Christian’s refusal to engage a musician’s music because of that musician’s beliefs is just as absurd as a Christian’s mindless acceptance of WWJD-fluff.

3. The term “secular” implies that there are places in the world where God is not.

And here’s where I get explicitly theological: the “sacred”/“secular” division is becoming increasingly problematic for me. There’s something about drawing that line that I find unsettling. It attempts to domesticate God’s movement and implies that God can only work through “Christian” people and “Christian” music and “Christian” books and “Christian” churches, and not through things that are “secular.” Who am I to say that? Who am I to say what an omnipotent and omniscient being can or cannot do? If I believe that God created everyone, than I believe God can work through everyone, regardless of their beliefs.

Ultimately what I’m after and want to celebrate as both a music critic and a Christian is the truth, as well as people performing and creating to the best of their abilities. Kerri Woelke’s belief or disbelief in God has very little to do with what makes her music good or bad.

In the end, it’s all about whether or not the girl can sing.