"Christian" Music, Movies, and Credibility

Sometimes I listen to Christian music and I think to myself “this sounds just like secular music but it’s seriously lacking talent.” It’s no secret that it’s easier to get into the Christian entertainment industry than it is getting into the secular entertainment industry. Here are some cases where “Christian” Musicians and Actors have shown themselves to be frauds:

 Katie Perry who kissed a girl and liked it started off as a Christian singer under the name Katie Hudson. She dyed her hair black and restarted her career where she would become a spokesperson for the LGBT community. The band Quiet Company started off as a Christian Band, but now releases songs that attack the existence of God and faith in Jesus. They played at the Christian Music Festival Cornerstone.

 Underoath lead singer Spencer Chamberlain said in an interview “If there is a God I hope we didn't piss him off to much.” What type of assurance does that person have in the word of God or in the gospel? I’m sure he’s a great guy but a Christian should have bold assurance that not only is there a God but his name is Jesus. And if you think that is disturbing you should check out what Ray Boltz has been up to these last couple years.

 Christian movies can be lame. From a dialogue standpoint they are horrible. The best Christian movie to date is “Chariots of Fire” which was produced by Dodi Fayed a Muslim. I’m not expecting computer generated images in movies, I’m not expecting explosions, but please have characters that are convincing, develop those characters, and tell a story that is believable. Be artistic.

 Several years ago I went to a youth pastors conference called the Youth Pastors Summit. This is a great conference where there are a lot of great resources provided to youth pastors for free. I’ve learned so much from the speakers at the Youth Pastors Summit. With that said several years ago they heavily pushed the movie “To Save A Life” (2009). I’ve watched this movie and it’s okay; they brought up some good things, but again it lacked convincing characters.

 Here is what is disturbing about this movie: the lead actor is Randy Wayne. He also starred in the Dukes of Hazzard (2007) where the unrated version contains topless women. In 2009 he also starred in a American Pie styled movie called Frat Party that is essentially soft core pornography. In my research for writing this post I discovered something that made me lose my mind. There was another Christian movie called Hard Flip (2012) that stars Randy Wayne as well. So this guy was in a movie with nudity, then a Christian movie, then a movie with nudity, then another Christian movie. WHAT THE HECK PEOPLE?!?!

 If you believe thats okay I seriously doubt your judgement, and I have some swampland I’d like to sell you (don’t worry it’s Christian swampland). We as Christians are not to be blind consumers. We are to think, analyze, and seek the truth out in our lives. For instances some of the most damaging foods today are marketed as being “Heart Healthy.” Many Americans are ignorant. They cannot think for themselves and are blind sheep. Consequently many Christians are ignorant as well. In my opinion Christians lose credibility when they blindly buy and endorse music and movies regardless of their quality. I love Christians and I want us to be able to question things in church culture just as much as we do secular culture to make sure that we are as the Apostle Paul would say "in the Faith."