Awards?

Yesterday was the Dove awards. If you're not familiar with them, they're the Christian version of the Grammys. This concept has always felt a little odd to me, but I guess there is a lot that could be construed as weird about creating songs about God and selling them.

I was watching some of the Tweets come up as to who won what award, and I just kept thinking, "why does it have to be about "Christian" music? Yes, the lyrics speak about God and His work, but music is music. Why can't the music be judged as a creative piece of work? There is some great stuff out there!

This thought has been a source of recent ponderings in my head. I recently read a blog post by Dan Haseltine, lead singer of the band Jars of Clay, about how they write music for the people in the middle. Not specifically for Christian folks, but not specifically for not Christian folks either. They have impacted a whole lot of people through their music. And I love hearing music by bands that I know are Christians (Hawk Nelson, Skillet, Superchick, TobyMac and a whole lot more) that are played on commercials, TV shows and the like.

For a long time, I listened primarily to "secular" music and occasionally to "Christian" music. Understand, this was in the 80's and if I had to choose Amy Grant or Madonna, I'd pick Madonna. Today, I'd probably pick neither for a whole bunch of reasons! When I got into college, I realized that I needed to reflect my faith by the music I listened to. So, I started listening to solely "Christian" music. Then, a few years ago, at a conference on worship, Lincoln Brewster and a few of the other presenters were talking about how they write music based on what is popular on the radio. I tried listening, and I couldn't. It reminded me so much of who I was, and I just couldn't.

But, more recently, something inside of me has changed. Now, I won't go back to listening to 2Pac or Metallica again, but I'm drawn to excellent music. I really enjoy Mumford and Sons, but I skip over their song "Little Lion Man" because of the swearing in the chorus. It's a great song, but I can't listen to that language. So, I've become a bit more picky in my listening. I still listen to "Christian" radio, but thankfully, I can listen to Air1 now and not solely KLove. But, in this recent period, I definitely have reflected more on lyrical content, as much as musical creativity. And I think both can most definitely coexist in "Christian" music.

I still think awarding a "Best Christmas Album" is a silly idea, although I'm happy The David Crowder Band won it. But, what about putting The David Crowder Band, Mat Kearney, Needtobreathe, Gungor or any other band against what is currently playing on the radio and see what people like more? Why do we as Christian like to live in our bubble? I think in the end, it comes down to safety....or, more truthfully, the perception of safety.