Continuing on with my series on Defining Christian Music, today, I want to look at what’s wrong with the term “Christian musician.” This will be a short post, mostly questions, so be prepared to make up for its shortness by lots of comments.
This is something that really annoys me. I get it that the term “Christian Music” is problematic, but why do so many artists have a problem with being called “Christian musicians?”
And I’m not just ranting either. I really want to know why people have a problem with it.
I doubt a Buddhist who plays music for a living would be offended if I called them a Buddhist musician, yet many Christians who do the same react strongly against being called Christian musicians. Why? I honestly don’t get it. If you’re a Christian and you’re making music, aren’t you a Christian musician?
Why are people so freaked out to be called “Christian musicians” or “Christian artists?” I worked at a hotel in college and I wouldn’t have been offended to be labelled a Christian housekeeper. However, I would have been pretty ticked if you called me a Christian maid. Totally different territory there.
Please share your thoughts. Does the term “Christian musician” need to be revised as well? Are there good, logical reasons that people don’t like that label?
The Blah Blah 
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December 27, 2007 at 9:37 am
Jordan Peacock
The only context I’ve heard people shy away from the term ‘Christian musician’ is where it implies a ‘guilt-by-association’, usually with the christian music industry. In order to separate themselves from what is CCM, they avoid the term.
December 27, 2007 at 9:51 am
Santiago
It’s true that this reaction may come from the fear of being discriminated or put in the box of “christian music”, but I think the danger is that one may end up neglecting his beliefs in the process (at least in the opinion of the unbeliever)
December 28, 2007 at 11:22 am
Ryan
“Why are people so freaked out to be called “Christian musicians” or “Christian artists?”
I would assume that it’s because when a non-Christian hears that label the automatically lose interest because they worry they’ll be preached at. If an artist’s that a Christian wants to make money they need to go the route of Creed or Lifehouse and not advertise the fact they are Christians so that they can appeal to the masses.
December 28, 2007 at 8:02 pm
jakestimp
It’s just too bad that “Christian” is associated with “annoying and preachy.”
December 29, 2007 at 6:48 am
Nord
Christian is a noun and shouldn’t be used as an adjective. Just my humble opinion. A musician can be a Christian and shouldn’t hide that fact, but they shouldn’t wear it on their t-shirt for marketing/”evangelistic” purposes either. If they honor Christ with their talents, then people will see their good deeds and glorify the Father.
December 31, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Just Pete
I think the question is not why musicians reject the label “Christian musician”, but why we feel so desperately to know the answer. I know and appreciate a desire to be in a Christian community and receive support and discernment from other Christians. But I think it’s dangerous to lead with the question of Christian-ness when evaluating art.
I’m as guilty as anyone for feeling this inexplicable urgency to know whether an artist is Christian or not, especially when I’ve heard something I really like and want to make part of my regular musical vocabulary. I think it’s a pride and convenience factor that wants to surround myself with Christian stuff — I don’t have to discern as much when something is packaged for me as Godsafe.
The problem, of course, is many-fold:
• We quickly move from “Are they Christian?” to “How Christian are they?” and “How do we know they’re Christian?”
• We presume that Christians have a stronghold on truth of human experience or that we cannot learn or be held accountable or embrace discernment through the art of someone outside of the church (often our local church requisites).
• As Nord points out, Christian as an adjective is no different from Christian music as a genre. And please tell me that we’re all in agreement that Christian music would make a terrible and scattered stylistic genre.
It might be helpful for someone to construct a thoughtful argument in support of artists embracing the Christian label.
January 2, 2008 at 8:19 am
Jordan Peacock
1) Over the Rhine
2) Sleeping at Last
3) Sleeping at Last
4) Over the Rhine
5) Over the Rhine
6) John Davis
January 2, 2008 at 8:20 am
Jordan Peacock
whoops, wrong post.
January 3, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Warrn
I really don’t have a huge problem with ‘Christian’ as an adjective. Where it becomes a problem for me is when it’s used less as a description of a lifestyle or belief-system and more as a marketing demographic (and here I am, a former marketing student).
‘Christian’ means (or should mean) Christ-like. That’s how the early Christians used it, even after the Romans attempted to use it as a pejorative. Our problem has become that we no longer use it that way, or at the very least we don’t think of all the implications of that definition. When we can do that, artists won’t be ashamed of the name — it will not carry the baggage it has now.
April 4, 2011 at 11:48 pm
Evangelist Michael Hensley
Blue Grass folk do not have a problem with titles…we just play.