Christian music has a reputation, and it ain't great. Folks consider it derivative at best, and utter trash at worst. The sad part is, much of the time, that's accurate. But there are exceptions, and I'd like to highlight some songs that have some lyrical and theological substance.
Showbread, Anarchy
We want more out of god's love than only loving those who love us
We want to truly love the way of he who is above us
We want more out of our lives than the american dream can offer
She offers only scraps from the table of the rich white men that bought her
We want the truth that sets us free not freedom bought with guns
We want the everlasting truth no war can ever make undone
We want to live for the king of kings not the kings of armies and men
We want a freedom on which no place of birth will ever depend
A man cannot serve two masters, and the Christian can have no king but Christ. Our kingdom is not of this world, and the vanity of a few men calling themselves "governments" does not alter our kinship with all mankind.
The O. C. Supertones, Return of the Revolution
See wisdom and knowledge is one thing that we lack
You've been a Christian how long and you're still on Similac
So I call on Martin Luther and all the reformation
Back then the common people couldn't read God's revelation
You had to be a monk or a priest or read Latin
That was all before the revolution happened
But the fire cooled down ever since that generation
We put down the Bible and pick up the Playstation
And we can't defend our faith 'cause we don't even know it
We say we love his Word but pick a funny way to show it
The world walks by and we don't have a thing to say
I call 'em as I see 'em and that's what I see today
I appreciate songs calling the church to hold itself to account. See also Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows by Petra for a 1982 rock anthem with a related theme
Brave Saint Saturn, Blessed Are The Land Mines
Blessed are the black-tongued ravens
Substituting fear for reason
To hate war is to hate us
If you love peace, then you must love treason
Beat your plowshares into swords
Beat your pulpits, turn your tables
Blessed are the hand-grenades
Bless the church who rattles sabers
Needless to say, this is a bitter, sarcastic, and sorrowful look at the perverse blending of church and state in service to bloodshed and plunder. See also The War Prayer by Mark Twain.
Earthsuit, Against the Grain
I've been sent to your boat to rock it
Men flood hell while your hands are in your pocket
You separate from the life source and endorse
And force secret religious codes like morse
Constraints, why do you seize us? Just give me Jesus
I'll be free in this unruly world
Nowhere to hide, I'm going untied
I think this song transcends the generic rapcore sound of the time, and the lyrics are much more substantive than most of their peers. Earthsuit was one of those odd experimental projects that managed to get some airplay on Christian radio in spite of its strangeness.
White Heart, You Can't Take What You Don't Have
Strip me clean, chain my hands
And take my land
Cut my hair, try to shut my mouth
I'll still speak out
Tie me up, close my eyes
You can hypnotize
You can tear me apart
But you'll never touch my heart
'Cause you can't take what you don't have...
You can't take what you don't have
You can't take what you don't have...
You don't have me
This song may verge on cheesy, but the reality of true Christianity means inevitable conflict with the State as it engenders hate, misery, vengeance, cruelty, evil, unfaithfulness, harshness, and vice.
What do you think of these songs? Can you contribute any more anthems of independence and the revolution of the soul? How do you see the relationship between church and state? We're all experiencing the struggle of growth, so I don't claim any of these artists or I have a full grasp of Christian living, but if you belong to the Church, I want to encourage you to re-examine your relationship with the world. If you are outside the church, and equate it with "christian nationalism," please accept the possibility that the latter is a counterfeit.
