Stop Commodifying Christianity!
Today, I stumbled upon a local station affiliate that played Christian music and called themselves " The positive alternative". Positive? Check. Alternative? WHOA.. hold on a second there!
If my interpretation of scripture is correct, the idea is to be in the world, not OF the world. The world we live in here in the US is mainly a market-driven, culture-conscious, and consumerist society. To sell goods and keep the economy going, we aggressively market products that reflect the lifestyle that is most idealized. This comes with pluses and minuses, but is a necessary part of any capitalist economy.
The station says it seeks to honor Christ, So where's the problem?
Christian media has started to reflect market Data. The band that you hear on this "alternative" station sounds exactly like the other bands on secular radio, uses the same look, jargon, and style, slapped with the obligatory mentions of Jesus and Lord, Saved, Blood, etc. It seemed like every other song was about "Me", or " I", talking about how the person was so grateful, so broken, so this, so that, so forgiven. Buzzwords combined with loud guitars in a way that was very catchy. Even I found myself pulled in by the guitar riffs. Still,I found the emphasis, time after time, was on the singer paying homage to his actions before God, but not about God himself. These musicians wanted to praise God, but instead started with their Ego's first, it seems. Appeals for what you could do for the station outweighed suggestions about what you could do to enhance your relationship with God.
Interestingly enough, not one song mentioned the Holy Spirit in any form, as if the idea of it wasn't trendy enough.
This leaves me concerned.. Where is the line between what is really Christian and what is secular drawn? Do we have to comercialize our faith for it to survive? Is the Holy Spirit "Unhip" to have on a youth-oriented station?
I shudder to think what will happen as we start to create Christ in our own image ( which I think most of us can agree is happening).Is being a Christian about listening to only Christian music? or is it about more than our labels? Christ came to shatter image, to shatter ego, and to shatter once and for all the way of sin and death. Let us not shatter HIS image by creating a "Hipster Christ".
If my interpretation of scripture is correct, the idea is to be in the world, not OF the world. The world we live in here in the US is mainly a market-driven, culture-conscious, and consumerist society. To sell goods and keep the economy going, we aggressively market products that reflect the lifestyle that is most idealized. This comes with pluses and minuses, but is a necessary part of any capitalist economy.
The station says it seeks to honor Christ, So where's the problem?
Christian media has started to reflect market Data. The band that you hear on this "alternative" station sounds exactly like the other bands on secular radio, uses the same look, jargon, and style, slapped with the obligatory mentions of Jesus and Lord, Saved, Blood, etc. It seemed like every other song was about "Me", or " I", talking about how the person was so grateful, so broken, so this, so that, so forgiven. Buzzwords combined with loud guitars in a way that was very catchy. Even I found myself pulled in by the guitar riffs. Still,I found the emphasis, time after time, was on the singer paying homage to his actions before God, but not about God himself. These musicians wanted to praise God, but instead started with their Ego's first, it seems. Appeals for what you could do for the station outweighed suggestions about what you could do to enhance your relationship with God.
Interestingly enough, not one song mentioned the Holy Spirit in any form, as if the idea of it wasn't trendy enough.
This leaves me concerned.. Where is the line between what is really Christian and what is secular drawn? Do we have to comercialize our faith for it to survive? Is the Holy Spirit "Unhip" to have on a youth-oriented station?
I shudder to think what will happen as we start to create Christ in our own image ( which I think most of us can agree is happening).Is being a Christian about listening to only Christian music? or is it about more than our labels? Christ came to shatter image, to shatter ego, and to shatter once and for all the way of sin and death. Let us not shatter HIS image by creating a "Hipster Christ".