It has always amused/annoyed me that those who trumpet their Christianity loudest seem so often to be the least Christian people. Reminds me of the 'Pharasee and the Publican'.
I don't like the commercial overtones of this sort of music where people are milking bucks off of the faith of those who honestly believe and want to express their beliefs in that way.
Non-commercial traditional religious music has about a two thousand year development of reverently expressing faith and love of God. And, its definitely not all boring stuff. On the other hand commercial "Christian" music seems to me to be a rather cynical way to provide, for a profit, mindless feel good music for those who may well have genuine feelings of faith but who have not made the effort to examine and consider just what Christianity is all about and how to serve the God they are praising. It seems to come off much like singing a fight song or a love song better suited to eros than to agape.
When I was still in school our Rector used to ask, "When God gave you a brain do you suppose He had in mind for you to do something with it?"
Despite my mistakes and failings I would prefer to try to 'walk the walk' and not just 'talk the talk'.
AMDG!

We're lazy and let the kid watch QUBO on Saturday mornings. It seems like every other commercial is for a contemporary Christian CD set. Man those oog me out.

Dekeguy, I'm with you on people of whatever stripe who seek to capitalize on religious sentiment. (Although I certainly wouldn't hazard a guess as to how many purveyors of Christian rock fit that mold.)

I think you may be making some unfounded generalizations elsewhere, though. Why would you assume that those who like to listen to Christian rock "may well have genuine feelings of faith but . . . have not made the effort to examine and consider just what Christianity is all about and how to serve the God they are praising"? It's my experience that persons meeting that description can be found singing Christian rock, Gregorian chant, metrical psalms or gospel songs.

My own tastes in church music are, I'd have to say pretty catholic. (Note the lower-case c.) There's good and bad, worthy and unworthy in almost every genre of music. (Or, as Duke Ellington said, "There are two kinds of music -- good music and the other kind.") But I try to remember that even the music that is bad to my ears may speak deeply to someone else and help them walk the walk.

I like all types of Christian/gospel music. I am attracted to the songs (message and rhythms), not the genre.

I have a gospel compilation CD with Christian rock and contemporary gospel on it.

Ditto. Well, mine is a Christian rock compilation with gospel on it. :rolleyes::D. I actually prefer contemporary Christian music to gospel. It's not all rock, but most of the stuff I listen to (Casting Crowns, Switchfoot, Mercy Me, Chris Tomlin) have a rock-ish-ness to it. It's not all I listen to, though. I'm most genres of music except country and heavy metal. Almost everything else is fair game. I don't like music with a lot of cursing or about sex, which seriously diminishes my music base, so I actually listen to a lot of "alternative" (I guess that's the genre...Vertical Horizon, Nickelback, etc.)

MC, see if you can find the thread where the Lutherans are complaining about WOV (our "updated" hymnal). I would have no problem w/ Christian rock if it...well, rocked. But a lot of it just isn't very good, production wise, IMO. I don't disdain people's listening to Christian rock, I disdain their bad musical taste.

I did like, however, the comment from whoever said you can replace "Jesus" with "baby" and have a normal rock song. LOL

They just updated our hymnals for the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and I actually think they did a good job blending the blue hymnal, the old LW red hymnal and the 98 supplement. They brought back some of the old wording from the LW hymns and services but added some of the new things from the 98 supplement.

I did not like the contemporary service we went to a few weeks ago when the husband's nephew was baptized. The electric guitars, trap sets and clapping were a bit OTT for me. The hand bell choir was lovely, though.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find that thread -- too bad, since I'm sure I would have found it very entertaining. :D

Although, I would guess that the "contemporary" stuff in it, if it's like the similar book we Presbies have, is more praise music that Christian rock. I know that the line between the two can sometimes be kind of blurry.

But yeah, I question other people's musical taste all the time.

ETA: 33girl, I'm blaming you for the fact that now I can't get "Shine, Jesus, Shine!" out of my head. :p

I am so not into any contemporary music when I am praising Jesus unless a campfire is involved and someone in Birkenstocks is playing an acoustic guitar. Camp songs belong at CAMP. I didn't grow up ever seeing or using the blue WOV, and I am NOT a fan. If I wanted upbeat contemporary music I'd either a) drink my coffee before and not after the service or b) not be Lutheran.