So let's get this going. My thoughts today were sparked by one of my friends who had the opportunity to go to Warped Tour in Detroit yesterday. Her complaint was that, when watching Relient K, she felt a bit disappointed because certain verses of songs were left out, God, Jesus or "anything remotely Christian" was not mentioned, and High Of 75 was jokingly said to be written about the weather in Michigan.
The thought process my friend has is something that many Christians are fighting as of late. The growing popularity of Christian artists in the mainstream has caused a bit of a backlash in the Christian community. People now have to contemplate whether a band is "Christian enough" for their liking.
For some artists, the questions posed are valid questions. The recent explosion of Christian artists in the mainstream has put some of these artists forward with little to say. The lyrics are empty and meaningless, much like your run-of-the-mill mainstream artist. It poses definite problems.
However, this so-called problem has been blown way out of proportion by a few. Artists like Relient K, Switchfoot, Underoath, Emery and MxPx (just to name a few) are doing their thing while keeping meaningful lyrics in the mix. Relient K in particular is one band that has been able to gain mainstream success while having lyrics that are obviously written from a Christian perspective. Their single, Be My Escape is a great example of this. With lyrics such as I've give up on doing this alone now/'Cause I've failed and I'm ready to be shown how/You've told me the way and now I'm trying to get there, it is difficult to say that a track such as this is about anything other than a reliance on God. Unless extremely disillusioned, no one out there can tell you that "This is a song about a guy/girl relationship" like so many argued was the case with Lifehouse's first disc, No Name Face (An idea clearly disproven on the band's second disc, Stanley Climbfall). It's simply not possible.
And why do we fret about a band "not mentioning anything remotely Christian?" Mainly because we so easily forget what I just mentioned: the lyrics. If nothing remotely Christian was mentioned in the concert and that's what you were looking for, then you're clearly listening to the wrong bands. If the lyrics are there, then you shouldn't be complaining about what the band says between songs.
So yeah. Don't sweat the minor details. If your favorite Christian band is having mainstream success and "doesn't mention God" during their concert, think again. You'll be surprised how quickly you forgot how that favorite band of yours wrote those lyrics about God, Christ and the Christian lifestyle.
Christian music lovers, continue your enjoyment of your music.