“Christian music is boring!”
No doubt you’ve heard something to this effect before. Many music lovers hear the musical stylings of Phil Wikham or Elevation Worship and make the point that most of their songs sound the same.
I’m not one to disagree. Worship songs often have a format. You’ll likely hear something to the effect of a soft verse, soft chorus, loud verse, loud chorus (twice), bridge that starts low and builds, and then the chorus again… and again… and again.
While I believe there should be a time and a place for basking in the glory of God while listening or singing this kind of music, many people discount the whole genre of CCM based on this small, often repetitive sample size.
In 2017, Plugged In writer Bob Waliszewski encouraged readers to listen to more Christian music and even attempt the Menconi 30-Day Christian Music Challenge (a challenge where participants listen to only Christian music for a month).
Just that idea might scare some people. You might understand that hearing the truths of God in your earbuds is probably better than hearing about another one of Taylor’s exes, but maybe her music is just too good to resist.
Is Christian Music too Jesus-forward to sound any good? Or are some artists just like the pop stars?
Still hovering in that Spotify search window? Here’s some ideas:
If you like Taylor Swift, try Mandisa or Francesca Battistelli. Billie Eilish? Lauren Daigle or Ben Potter. Eminem? T-Bone or NF. Morgan Wallen? Rhett Walker or Anne Wilson. Kendrick Lamar? nobigdyl. or Andy Mineo. Post Malone? Forrest Frank. Hozier? Brandon Lake. Teddy Swims? Zach Williams or Needtobreathe. Noah Kahan? Rend Collective. Ed Sheeran? Jason Gray or Colton Dixon. Metallica? Skillet. Bruno Mars? Tauren Wells. Coldplay? For King & Country.
And there's so many more.... Allison Eide (indie-rock), The Hillbilly Thomists (bluegrass), Emma Nissen (jazz), Blessing Offor (soul) and more.
“But the music I listen to isn’t bad!”
You may have heard something to this effect as well. And maybe it’s true. Maybe you stay away from explicit music or even music that talks about explicit subjects. In essence, your music taste is comfortably neutral.
Anything you listen to can have an impact that any form of media can have on your mind, your heart, your thoughts and your actions, but that impact doesn't have to be negative. Our minds, our hearts, our thoughts and our actions can be affected positively, too. Check out this blog I wrote for Plugged In on the subject.
It doesn’t have to be a chore, though. While I don’t exclusively listen to CCM, I would count Crowder, Natalie Layne and Ross King as three of my favorite artists, Christian or otherwise. So, I’d encourage you to find that Christian artist that scratches your popular music itch and listen to the truths of God and good music at the same time.
