Promoting Christian Rock

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A_Kid_Named_Sho

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This genre is emerging more and more and is gaining more popularity. We should help promote this genre of music. Not only is it teeming with devout Christians, it is full of talented musicians as well. How can we help spread Christian Rock?
 
There are some Catholic artists on the scene. A website I like is www.catholicmusicnetwork.com

I don’t particularly like a lot of Christian music. Frankly, I think most of it sounds like low-quality, candy-coated secular music. I wish I felt differently, but it just doesn’t stir my heart to true devotion.

For many people it’s different, and I think that’s great. Certainly the message is good; therefore I support it. It’s especially appealing to younger crowds, who may need a little sugar to help the medicine go down.

I am not trying to be negative. Overall, it’s a very good thing in its proper place.
 
Yea good call, the idea is good but the sound isnt. they need to make a more metal or heavier rock catholic band. if it sounds like lame poppy stuff, everyone will be too embarrested to listen to it.
 
Rock music is not good and I will never promote it. It doesn’t matter that the lyrics may be Christian. The nature of rock music is inimical to living beings. That cannot promote loving what is good, true and beautiful! It certainly is not beautiful!
 
Leeta said:
Rock music is not good and I will never promote it. It doesn’t matter that the lyrics may be Christian. The nature of rock music is inimical to living beings. That cannot promote loving what is good, true and beautiful! It certainly is not beautiful!
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That’s pretty subjective.

Are you appealing to any authoritative Church documents here?
 
Just listen to proponents of rock music. They say it is a new religion and that it is promotes self-will and doing what one wants.

The physical effects are very destructive to living cells. Heavy metal will cause plant destruction and rodents to die.

The Greeks had laws about music and rock music violates these laws by having the beat dominate. It is a physical effect which leads to the bodily passions dominating.

The Church says that the organ is to have pride of place in the liturgy. When the first Christians were giving their lives for belief in Jesus Christ, the organ was played in the Coliseum.

No, there are no Church documents that I know of, but then rock music is a new phenomena.

Father Basil Nortz, OSA has a CD series available from the Opus Sanctorum Angelorum in Detroit, which is vey thought provoking. Also, Andrew Puduwa has some talks on it.

Also, my own experience corroborates what these talks say. Our generation invented it. We also saw the influences for the bad in our friends and brothers’ lives from it. How come drugs were smoked at the rock concerts which I personally saw myself? You won’t see anyone lighting up a joint at a symphony concert!
 
Leeta said:
Just listen to proponents of rock music. They say it is a new religion and that it is promotes self-will and doing what one wants.

The physical effects are very destructive to living cells. Heavy metal will cause plant destruction and rodents to die.

The Greeks had laws about music and rock music violates these laws by having the beat dominate. It is a physical effect which leads to the bodily passions dominating.

The Church says that the organ is to have pride of place in the liturgy. When the first Christians were giving their lives for belief in Jesus Christ, the organ was played in the Coliseum.

No, there are no Church documents that I know of, but then rock music is a new phenomena.

Father Basil Nortz, OSA has a CD series available from the Opus Sanctorum Angelorum in Detroit, which is vey thought provoking. Also, Andrew Puduwa has some talks on it.

Also, my own experience corroborates what these talks say. Our generation invented it. We also saw the influences for the bad in our friends and brothers’ lives from it. How come drugs were smoked at the rock concerts which I personally saw myself? You won’t see anyone lighting up a joint at a symphony concert!
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Well Leeta… I am not a big fan of Christian rock, but I think it’s fair to make a distinction between Christian and Secular music.

My exposure to Christian rock is mostly in Evangelical circles. Let me tell you that many of them are far more enthusiastic about our Lord than your average Catholic. For these people, this music moves them to action - to evangelism - to holiness. They have a burning desire for a deep and intimate relationship with God, despite their flawed theology…

There are many Catholic rock artists who are very orthodox when it comes to the faith. A close Capuchin priest friend of mine was recently invited to a huge Christian rock event to say Mass. Yes, there was some rock incorporated into the Mass, but the message was orthodox, and many Protestants became very open to the Catholic Church as a result.

This same priest is doing weekly Latin Masses. He’s very traditional, but recognizes that there can be a place for stylistic differences within Mother Church. I’m sure JPII would agree; he was a big supporter of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

If you want to demonize rock, fine… I just think your perspective on this is unreasonable. I see the good fruits within these believers. They love the Lord and joyfully express themselves through lyrics that exult the Almighty. The proof is in the pudding.

That being said, my personal preference is the organ and more traditional forms of worship.

Until the Church speaks on this, your viewpoint cannot be proved anything other than subjective…

If Christian rockers were running around like the heathen, I would tend to agree with you, but it’s just the opposite.

God Bless,
Jonathon
 
You dont get to be the judge of what rock music is. I mean you may not like it but you cant say its inimical to living beings. How does metal cause plant destruction and rodents to die? I dont quite get that one.

Rock isn’t needed to spread Catholicism or anything, it just is an amazing talent some people have, and if they can use it in a good way to spread a better message then why shouldnt they?

Rock on
 
I fully agree that we should be supporting and helping to encourage the genre of Christian rock. I personally love rock (from quiet alt-rock to heavy metal). When I first became a Christian I was delighted to discover artists making music that matched my own tastes but had a message that I would never think twice about listening to. It’s a way to be spiritually uplifted without having necessarily to listen to more “traditional” Catholic music which might not be our musical cup of tea. I’m so glad someone encouraged and promoted that kind of Christian music.
As for ourselves, I’m not sure how we can help increase its popularity. Certainly supporting the artists themselves is one way. If we keep buying CDs and concert tickets they certainly keep making music! 🙂 Sometimes just playing it is enough to spread knowledge of an artist. I’ve had several friends turned on to Christian rock artists and they’re not even Christian! They just agree that these musicians are truly talented. I’m so glad I have the option of listening, not just to hymns, but to rock, rap, pop, or whatever other genre of music I like that also has a faith-affirming message.
Also an aside regarding the destruction plants via rock music: it’s bunk. They’ve tested that and proved it incorrect. Heavy metal played continuously in a greenhouse had no more negative effect on a plant’s growth than plants grown in greenhouses with other, gentler varieties of music.
 
Boy, I thought I was the only Catholic who liked some Christian rock.

As for the low-quality sound bit, have a listen to Skillet, Sanctus Real, and Red. These guys sound every bit as good as secular music and you don’t have to worry about the junk.

Skillet’s album Comatose is to be honest one of the most epic CDs I own, and I own secular and Christian alike.
 
And to what artists have you been listening that makes you so dubious as to the idea of talented Christian rock artists?
 
Leeta said:
Just listen to proponents of rock music. They say it is a new religion and that it is promotes self-will and doing what one wants.

The physical effects are very destructive to living cells. Heavy metal will cause plant destruction and rodents to die.

The Greeks had laws about music and rock music violates these laws by having the beat dominate. It is a physical effect which leads to the bodily passions dominating.

The Church says that the organ is to have pride of place in the liturgy. When the first Christians were giving their lives for belief in Jesus Christ, the organ was played in the Coliseum.

No, there are no Church documents that I know of, but then rock music is a new phenomena.

Father Basil Nortz, OSA has a CD series available from the Opus Sanctorum Angelorum in Detroit, which is vey thought provoking. Also, Andrew Puduwa has some talks on it.

Also, my own experience corroborates what these talks say. Our generation invented it. We also saw the influences for the bad in our friends and brothers’ lives from it. How come drugs were smoked at the rock concerts which I personally saw myself? You won’t see anyone lighting up a joint at a symphony concert!
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Before I begin, I would like to tell you that I am a fan of many musical genres. I play classical and jazz music on the clarinet, and on the guitar, I play blues, rock, pop music. I listen to almost any genre from funk to country. The only things I don’t really like are heavy metal (the excessive distortion is really distracting), rap (I don’t like the lyrics and drum machines replace real drummers), and atonal symphonic music (the chord “structures” are at least twice as dissonant as heavy metal).

So, what exactly is wrong about having the beat dominant? (which by the way is a very bad generalization of rock music; ever listen to the Beatles or the Beach Boys?) All those pseudo-scientific “experiments” out there about the “harmful effects” of rock music do not provide enough details to prove anything and commit many logical fallacies, typically “post hoc” (unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/fallacies.html)). About the plant experiments, please read this: plantphys.info/music.html. Basically, sound has little or no effect at all on plants. And I have never seen a single study showing the connection between a rodent’s nervous system and a human’s.

About the “negative influences” of rock music, why don’t you look at the “negative influences” of classical music? Haydn was born a Catholic but became a Freemason to fit in with his good buddy Mozart (newadvent.org/cathen/07158b.htm)). Beethoven was also a Freemason. Shostakovich joined the Communist party. Tchaikovsky was a homosexual. Ooh, classical music must be bad now! Why don’t you go try listening for repetitive syncopated music on your local classical station? Shouldn’t be too hard if you come across some of my favorite (renowned) composers.

Oh yeah, if your response to this is that classical music has positive effects on your mind while rock music doesn’t, read this: xenon.stanford.edu/~lswartz/mozarteffect.pdf (notice how it actually lists resources unlike many websites!). Even the original researchers of the “Mozart Effect” have criticized the media for blowing their studies out of proportion.

I was just waiting for something like this to come up on CAF…
 
If any of you are ever criticized by someone for listening to rock music, please tell that person what I have said, and see how that person responds.
 
Leeta said:
Also, my own experience corroborates what these talks say. Our generation invented it. We also saw the influences for the bad in our friends and brothers’ lives from it. How come drugs were smoked at the rock concerts which I personally saw myself? You won’t see anyone lighting up a joint at a symphony concert!
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No, doubt I am on my way to hell in a handbasket for listening to Little Richard, The Beatles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and host of other rockers. I also listen to Mozart, Corelli, Beethoven, Praetorious and a host of other classical, baroque, etc. composers. As a matter of fact - I listen to all types of music. It just happens to be that Rock and Roll and Classical are my favorites.

As for lighting up a joint at a symphony concert, just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. Lots of symphony concerts are held outdoors.

Now to answer the question - I say buy what you like in Christian music and that’s the best way to promote it since it should be sending a clear message as to what is selling. :harp:
 
ruslan said:
No, doubt I am on my way to hell in a handbasket for listening to Little Richard, The Beatles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and host of other rockers. I also listen to Mozart, Corelli, Beethoven, Praetorious and a host of other classical, baroque, etc. composers. As a matter of fact - I listen to all types of music. It just happens to be that Rock and Roll and Classical are my favorites.

As for lighting up a joint at a symphony concert, just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. Lots of symphony concerts are held outdoors.

Now to answer the question - I say buy what you like in Christian music and that’s the best way to promote it since it should be sending a clear message as to what is selling. :harp:
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Thank you! I love people like you!
 
For me, Christian anything (books, movies, music) has to be good (meaning I have to actually like it 😉 ) before I will promote it to others. I don’t purposely look for a Christian author or artist, but if I happen to find out that someone is, and I already like their stuff, what a bonus! Like most people, I’ve had a book or CD recommended to me, solely on the strength of it being Christian, and sadly that was its only appeal. At the same time, there is some good music out there, produced by people of faith, but it’s not promoted as Christian.

Rock music. A hot button topic for a lot of people. Is it really evil? Nah, don’t think so. The fact that people do drugs at rock concerts (and by the way also in front of the tv, on picnics, at home listening to classical music…) isn’t a reflection on the music, rather on the venue or the user.

I agree, the organ is imminently suitable for beautiful liturgical music. That doesn’t really have anything to do with rock music being good, bad, or indifferent though.
 
Tessa said:
For me, Christian anything (books, movies, music) has to be good (meaning I have to actually like it 😉 ) before I will promote it to others. I don’t purposely look for a Christian author or artist, but if I happen to find out that someone is, and I already like their stuff, what a bonus! Like most people, I’ve had a book or CD recommended to me, solely on the strength of it being Christian, and sadly that was its only appeal. At the same time, there is some good music out there, produced by people of faith, but it’s not promoted as Christian.

Rock music. A hot button topic for a lot of people. Is it really evil? Nah, don’t think so. The fact that people do drugs at rock concerts (and by the way also in front of the tv, on picnics, at home listening to classical music…) isn’t a reflection on the music, rather on the venue or the user.

I agree, the organ is imminently suitable for beautiful liturgical music. That doesn’t really have anything to do with rock music being good, bad, or indifferent though.
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Of course, there are also plenty of good rock songs with organs like Let It Be, which actually sounds slightly Christian. I remember I have a CD somewhere by some Catholic nuns, and one of their songs is Let It Be!
 
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