Crossing Over - Christian Bands Shooting For Mainstream Audiences

WireTap Magazine recently published an article about Christian bands that have crossed over into mainstream entertainment. The piece talked about some bands of the past and some of the faces of today. Creed was the first band mentioned. The band came out of the gate in the mainstream and their lyrics made people wonder if they were a "Christian band". The official Creed response was that they were spiritual and searching, but not a Christian band. Going backwards in the timeline, Stryper was mentioned. In the 80's Stryper was the epitome of Christian hard rock. They never soft-pedaled their faith. Though To Hell With The Devil went platinum, they never achieved mainstream commercial success. WireTap writer, Nick Flanagan, said that bands of the 90's that wanted to cross over took their "cues from Stryper on what not to do; they're downplaying their Christianity."

The article goes on to talk about:

P.O.D. (who don't seem to want to discuss their faith)
Chevelle (who is classified as secular/mainstream, but they say that they are Christians, but their bios and websites don't mention their faith)
Lifehouse (who is classified as secular/mainstream, but they say that they are Christians, but their bios and websites don't mention their faith)
Switchfoot (who is considered a Christian band, and doesn't have a problem talking about faith in their lyrics, but is gaining success in the mainstream)
Big Dismal (who "never set out to be a Christian band", according to lead singer Eric Durrance, but is openly Christian)
Evanescence (who came out as Christians and then openly opposed being called a Christian band)

It also mentions Justin Timberlake, Prince, Beyoncé, Lauren Hill and Outkast, who say they are Christian, but don't have a problem singing about sex and in the case of some of them, don't seem to have a problem glorifying it.

The article ends with "Christian bands trying to cross over into the mainstream face an interesting paradox. They have so many groups to please: religious communities who may find what they are doing immoral; their secular audiences, who might be wary of their agenda or find them corny; young Christians who will be disappointed if they become too mainstream; and music critics who find it hard to take them seriously. For many Christian bands that are attempting to straddle the secular and religious music markets, that often times means sidestepping the Christian issue altogether by refusing to talk about it, keeping lyrics vague, and trying to blend into the MTV videoscape as much as possible."

The entire article brings to mind the age old question that all Christian musicians face ... Entertainment or Ministry? Some bands aim for entertainment only, and leave ministry for church. Other bands use their musical gifts as a platform for their faith. Some bands try to straddle the line and say that they are trying to "reach the masses". But with what? Vague lyrics? An image that isn't all about sex, drugs and rock & roll (as if being a "good person" automatically equals being a Christian trying to teach something)?

Next week we'll look at Skillet, who will be re-releasing Collide on the Lava label. I spoke with John Cooper, lead singer and founder and asked him the question that many have asked of late ... are they selling out or stepping out? Stay tuned for his answers ....