your music sucks

I'm normally not one to say something like "this sucks..." or "wow, you do what?" because I believe that everyone has the right to do certain things (to a limit) without being harassed about it.

I do have a certain passion against one thing: Christian Contemporary Music.

Now, let me begin by saying I believe in the concept of Christian Contemporary Music (CCM as it's known to the insiders of said genre).

I understand that some people generally believe that God has given them musical abilities that they use to praise and worship God with. I wholeheartedly believe that we are given talents that are to be used to praise and worship God with.

So let me say again: I believe in the concept of CCM.

I just have a hard time listening to it.

I grew up in the 80's raised on classic rock and some country music. I was a closet fan of Garth Brooks and to this day still listen to his Chris Gaines concept album. I jam out to Free Bird, Stairway to Heaven, and Back in Black. I learned to appreciate the early 90's rap explosion on the east coast, the rise of grunge and was a metal teenager, in my day. Known bands like Metallica and not so known bands like Blind Guardian. The early late 90's and 2000's I got into the dance, techno, industrial stuff and had a bunch of drum and bass albums, DJ's like Plasticman, and Moby before he made it big. Then, when I dedicated my life to Jesus, I was introduced to Michael W. Smith and Casting Crowns.

I love Michael W. Smith's music but a man can not live on bread alone, right?

I am a very musically based person. Music talks to me and I talk back then in that moment we're connected and I get the music. I understand Nirvana's 'Smells like Teen Spirit' and I feel every note of Emeinem's 'Cleaning Out My Closet'.

Don't get me wrong, CCM has moved me a lot but I'm missing something.

We are all called to be perfect, to be better, to be the greatest we can be because God created us and we have been called back to His everlasting arms. We are called to be in this world not in it. We're supposed to be outside of the mundaneness of it all but the CCM stations play the same music all week and it sounds like the stuff they aren't playing on secular radios because it's subpar!

Radio stations play what their sponsors tell them to play, what they want to people who are listening should listen to. Sometimes stations take money to play music for their signed bands and there's this huge backlash because it's unfair to smaller labels.

You can switch between five different stations and hear the same song. Train's "If It's Love" I've heard three times today, yesterday Justin Timberlake's "Sexy back" twice in the same 30 minutes on two different stations. Radio stations play what they are told to play.

Guess what CCM stations play? Yeah, you're following along but why are CCM stations playing music only "we" get?

Jesus pulls his disciples to the side and tell him to go and make disciples. He tells his people to stop what we're doing and go convert people into disciples. How are CCM artist changing non-Christian lives with their music? Is this totally counter productive to the Christian movement? Shouldn't they be writing music that run of the mill radio stations can play so when you go to these awesome band concerts you'll be surrounded by other people who have been moved by their music and see that there is a different way to rock than the 'destroy a hotel room, buy a hooker, snort a line' rock star life.

Creed doesn't count.

I have an idea why they won't.

Have you ever heard this great local band who played at a bar, did a few covers, did a few songs on their own, and at the end of the night you buy a $5 CD and fist bump the lead singer?

WHAT ARE YOU DOING AT A BAR YOU HEATHEN!!!

Seriously, though, have you? Have you then wished you could skip over the lousy song on the radio and play that awesome album you bought for $5. The radio won't play that local music during normal running time because they aren't signed and they are a subpar version of whatever band that inspired them.

There are few CCM groups that I will say are original. More than 90% of CCM musicians don't write their own music, they redo hymns in "new" (not new) and "original" (not original) ways. They sound just like every other CCM group, and at least one of their songs use the narrative of Kirk Cameron being saved during a rain storm. Yes, rain is a great example of God's love but the idea in a song is more than out done, find another great idea from the bible and ground it to death instead.

If we're called to be different, to be outside the fold, why are we listening to music that sound the same as every other boring secular song. Why do we think just because it's CCM it's okay to be mediocre?

Why are the standards of CCM so low? Why is there a surge of CCM music that only appeals to Christians? Shouldn't CCM actually appeal to the lost and seeking? Shouldn't CCM be great enough to be played on secular stations to reach the ears of those who need to hear the uplifting songs? Lifehouse and Relient K had a good stab at it until people found out the song wasn't about loving some girl but loving God so people paniced because CCM doesn't sound that good, ever. Casting Crowns had a great run with 'I Can Only Imagine' until their label allowed radio stations to edit out the parts about God. U2 isn't CCM but should be the level CCM should be inspiring to be. Bono may be a little crazy but their music changed lives and they're not CCM.

Why aren't CCM artists changing secular lives? because they're not good enough to be played on secular radio because we allow CCM to be subpar because it has to do with God and all of it must be good enough to play.

I don't listen to CCM while driving because I can't stay awake. I listen to CCM when I can't sleep, I turn on our local CCM station and the music bores me to sleep. When it's sung in church, I check out. Worship Leaders are using the same boring music on CCM to lead services because that's what their congregation knows. Instead of using their talents to write new music that is outside the norm of CCM, they just do what every other worship band does: plays over played boring subpar music.

If you do this, and you're a worship leader: your music suck.

Instead of just throwing a "Complaint Grenade" into the room and bolting off, I have suggestions to turn this failure that is CCM around.

I propose that artists, musicians, worship leaders and label executives that wish to be called Christian Contemporary Music, follow a set of specified commandments. I'm not putting them in any order as of yet, but they're numbered to keep track of how many I have.

1) Fight proactively for your music to be played on secular stations because God's message is for everyone, not just for us elitist. What's the point of keeping your light under a bucket?

2) Refuse to sign yourself to any list that takes money away from churches just for royalty rights to use your music in worship settings. I have HUGE issues with "christian" companies who charge churches licensing fee to have worship music.

3) As a worship leader, you must use your gift to create new music not heard outside the walls. Worship isn't about knowing every song on the radio just so your congregation can be comfortable in worship. You never know that one new song could touch someone like a million overplayed radio songs could.

4) Allow worship leaders direct access to your music without throwing up VIP access sections of your website. You have the right to own your music, without a doubt, but is your gift, stuck in a box, helpful to anyone but that box.

5) Use your talents outside of the church. Find places in the area that have open mic nights. Play outside of random places until you're asked to leave. Give away your music in the most random places. God has given you a gift to share with others, share it.

6) If you have musical conflicts with anyone... let me reiterate that: ANYONE - that includes pastors, congregational members, trustee members, anyone - find out why. If your music is not for the congregation you're leading, then find a congregation that will follow you to the beat of your drum. You have the responsibility to understand what your congregation needs and if you can't see that over your own ego, then recheck yourself, pray, focus. You'll find the truth in God's word in time.

7) You don't need light shows, ever, even if you've made it big. They are there for God's gift, not for a show.

8) Only God knows what the true path really looks like. Listen to every word he tells you, even the ones you don't want to hear.

9) Never hold back - No mater what. Ever. For any reason.

10) God speaks to people through your gift and because of that you have a responsibility. You can not sell out, you can not loose focus on your gift, you can not be mundane, average, so-so, you must give your 100% and then some because anything less than that is wasted. God did not create you or your gift to be wasted so stop trying to be like something else and be yourself. Stop trying to sound like someone else because they already sound like that and you're better than a cheap imitation. Stop trying to create this spectacle of your gift and just give it.

Personally, I think that worship leaders need yearly reviews of their vision of their congregation. There is more to worship than just music and singing and I think that's where a lot of smaller church congregation leaders fall flat. They get stuck in the rut of writing set lists they forget they're there for God's work not their own purposes.

In the end, it's not up to me to determine how worship leaders lead or how christian artists preform or how authors write but I really think there has to be some self checks and balances to keep away from being mediocre.

Contemporary Christian Whatevers have gone the way of the Dodo. The world has moved on and we're stuck doing things they same as everyone else. We're called to be better than that, for God's glory not anything else.

Grace and Peace,
Jesse