Music is Meaningful

Most of the 8,514 days that I have lived on planet earth have been complimented with music. At some point along the way, the labels associated with particular bands/artists began to hold some significance in my listening choices. Countless debates about the "Christian-ness" of specific groups have occurred in Christian circles shaping the decisions people make in regards to the music the will/will not listen to. In my experience, they are some things that should never enter my ear canals based on the content communicated through the musical form. On the other hand, there is a lot of music out there that I can't pin down as "good" or "bad."

The advancement of technology has brought my generation into a reality that is seemingly shaped by social networking. For the aspiring musician/band, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter have become powerful tools to get their creative work to the masses. Say goodbye to bootleg demo tapes being passed in handshakes in the halls of your high school. By simply clicking the link that someone posts on your Facebook wall, you can be introduced to new music faster than ever before. This very thing happened to me yesterday. I saw an update concerning a surprise concert taking place in my home town of Kalispell, MT. Clicking on the part underlined in blue brought me to a site that was streaming the concert in high definition video. After seeing and hearing some new music, I went in search of a little information about the band.

Cyberspacetravel was once again an adventure full of distractions and detours. From Facebook to Wikipedia and a handful of sites in between, I finally found some information about last night's band, The Classic Crime. I noticed they were signed to one of Christian Contemporary Music's most notable record labels, read about their beginnings, and stumbled across a statement from the vocalist/guitarist, Matt Macdonald. Concerning the labeling of their band, Matt said:

"We believe faith is personal, and can be only held by an individual person. To entitle a group 'Christian' would be to assume that the group has a collective soul, or at least individual souls tied to a solid collective belief. Not everyone in our band is decidedly set in their faith, and we respect that."

Finally, I have heard a succinct and concise statement regarding whether or not the music is "Christian." The words Matt used concerning his band transcend into all areas of life and raised some questions which I thought were worth considering.

Was I raised in a "Christian" family?
Do I attend a "Christian" school?
Why am I listening to this "Christian" music?
Are my actions speaking louder than my words as I live the "Christian" life?
What is it that makes me a "Christian?"
When does my "secular" world intersect the "Christian" part of my life?
Is this a "Christian" blog?

Landing back on earth, I am once again aware that if I am to consider myself a "little Christ" and to let my thoughts, words, and actions be modeled after Christ's then something's got to change in me. There is no way I can live this life on my own. In Paul's letter to the Christians living in Rome, he says:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:1-2 ESV)

Faith is personal, and personally, I need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit each and every day. Christ died and rose again, paying the price for my sin, allowing me to be in a relationship with Him. That's something I can put my faith in.