Does anyone write christian based songs?

  • Thread starter Thread starter George Parler
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jimistone said:
What amazes me, more than atheists bashing christian songwriters and music, is christians that bash a christian musician for doing some secular music. To me, its OK for a songwriter to do both.
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The talent that God has given us should always glorify Him no matter though.

Can God be glorified singing romantic music?

Can a Christian actually sing a song about making love?

Huh!!!!!!! Can it be done?

Ofcourse!!!!! God wants us to romance our wifes.

But reality is that most artists are doing it for their own glory and not for their Creator.
 
I write blues/rock music, I sing, play Bass(primary inst), Piano and Guitar, the lyrics I write are what defines my music as Christian. I am also an Evangelical Friends Pastor providing pulpit supply in south central Kansas. My style is similiar to Phil Keaggy's. Who by the way Edward Van Halen considers to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time. I like the idea of this forum because the Christian market is in a state of flux. You have bands like Switchfoot and Audio A trying to cross over, and those who have no intention too. Christian radio is even harder to please because they try to cover a larger audience base. How do we write in this environment? What are others doing that is getting noticed? BTW I write most of my stuff on a Mac, but I have both PC and Mac's, my DAW is DP4 and I also use Ableton Live on both Mac and PC.
in His grip
j
 
I think....

Gorge, I think that some christians write very good songs (Steve curtis chapman (of however you spell it) for example) but the real shame is that they are all about the same thing! It dose seem a bit like cheating (using frases out of the bible or even some of the psalms). You should try to write about somthing els, I know that you whant to give God a gift of your music, but he has given the gift (of writing music and coming up with the songs) to you, and to give it back to him by writing songs for him would be a bit odd! He knows that you're gratefull so there is no need to show it! Also, you can't make someone beleve and follow because God chooses you, You don't choose God! And anyway people will prefer to listen to somthing that is'nt christian and talking about the same thing all the time!
Whenever i've talked to christians they've always answered with quotes from the bible, and they always say that without the bible you can't tell if you're going wrong, but that's what faith is all about! if you're going wrong, god will soon put you right but if you keep turning to the bible you can easaly get lost, I'll explane: trying to understand what you think God has said by turning to the bible and makeing shore it's correct gets you too involved in the bible wich is a distraction when God is actually trying to talk to you! You need to just go for it and not question it, cos that's what faith is all about and there is no faith needed when you're following a book!

Anyway i won't bore you any longer, I was just giving my opinion!
Please excuse the spelling!

Jayme ;)
 
if you're going wrong, god will soon put you right but if you keep turning to the bible you can easaly get lost
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Unflinching faith is easy to espouse if you have not been severely tested. Keeping faith in the face of adversity is the greatest challenge; the bible is a good source to lean on. If you have seen death, been challenged by cancer, lost a loved one to sensless murder and can rise above this with your faith, I salute you, many cannot. All of the great stories in the bible show an example of faith being tested and the rewards for staying the course. People need strengthening in their hour of need and the bible can help.

I am not for mindless repeating of bible texts but the only truth I have found during my existence lies in the pages of the bible. I think it enhances faith not detracts from it.
 
I've written quite a few "Christian-based" songs, but I do not perform them anymore. I used to play with a Christian band, but had several issues with the "Christian scene" in general where I'm from, as well as issues with God, so I decided to quit the band. I'm just much happier playing secular music. There are no boundaries, and I don't have to worry about, "Oh, my gosh.. am I going to offend so-and-so if I say this or that?"... It's actually quite liberating.
 
Middleman said:
Unflinching faith is easy to espouse if you have not been severely tested.QUOTE]

That is very true but God brought me to him by testing me whith un understanderble situations! I didn't need to read the bible. but i'm NOT saying to not read the bible, The bible is for us to learn from, I'm just saying that if you get too involved in the bible, you can easily get distracted from God!
That's why i think that people can easily follow the book more than God!

Jayme

Sorry about the spelling
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Someone left a post that said Christian music is an up and coming genre. It may be getting more popular but I'm Jewish and I still know there hasn't been any good gospel music since Sam Cooke left the Soul Stirrers and the day the great Mahalia Jackson passed away. Even after Sam Cooke stopped recording sacred music himself he continued to produce several gospel acts on his own record label and was quoted as saying that, "Real gospel music has got to make a comeback." Now, 40 years after his death, Christian music is an enormously popular, multi billion dollar industry and those words still ring true, "REAL gospel music has got to make a comeback."
 
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I just want to make a comment about the idea of praise and worship music...
It was said that praise is about God and worship is to God..

I don't think it should be divided like that.
Worship mean to glorify God.. we don't have to use music o do it, in fact, generally inthe NT the word refers to acts of service as well as lying prostrate etc. We glorify God by singing about what He's done.. and this often causes a heart of thankfulness.. this is worship... songs to God, as thanks, should come as a response to what He's done. Songs to God telling Him what we are going to do for Him are just dodgy I think.

BTW.. I write praise and worship songs.. but I prefer to use the term congregational songs.
 
Exactly what is a Christian song. I just recently did a collab with a female singer that wrote a piece of music in that genre. I did the string arrangement without the lyrics, just the piano part. In fact I did'nt even know what the song was about until I finished it. When she got back to me she said that the strings were perfect, and she said they could'nt have been done any other way and still fit the song.

Now being a non believer, so to speak, do you think it was your so called God that directed me in this endevour or was it just my ability to write the arrangement with my musical knowledge? I was not writing it for his glory or mine. I was writing it because I knew I could put a beautiful score to a beautiful piece of music.

Not trying to ruffle anyones feathers, just wanting to know your feelings on this. Reading some of your posts got me thinking about it.
 
lascalaboy said:
I just want to make a comment about the idea of praise and worship music...
It was said that praise is about God and worship is to God..

I don't think it should be divided like that.
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They are not divided. They go together like white rice on beans. The reason it is distinguished differently is because they are somewhat different. (It's too early for me but if I am mistaken I'll correct it later). Angels can only worship God because they have not been redeemed. We can do both! We praise Him because we are alive, we have a job, wife, kids, car, health, saved us from this and that, etc... Worship everyone should do just because He is God. Nothing else matters, not even if you've had a bad day. He still deserves the worship. Just because we change...he doesn't. He is still God.
 
pkmusic said:
Worship everyone should do just because He is God. Nothing else matters, not even if you've had a bad day. He still deserves the worship. Just because we change...he doesn't. He is still God.
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ABSOLUTELY!!
 
This is a great thread, and I'm sorry I didn't have time to join until this far along... :mad:

I do not write christian-based lyrics or songs. In fact, I write from a very non-christian point of view. However, I describe my music as being spiritual at times, and, more than once in my experience, a christian has pointed out that some of my songs are about God and/or Jesus, which is very surprising!

I have a friend who wants to talk music, yet each time we compare CDs she will only come up with christian music, as though she has been 'programmed' to only accept music of that genre. I offer criticism on the music itself, but I have a hard time with christian rockers who are trying to preach to me.

[I'm actually coming to a point.... :) ]

To me, music itself, even instrumental music, is about spirituality ('of the spirit or soul as distinguished from the body or material matters'-Websters). To categoize some music as 'christian' and the rest as 'secular' is really something I resent. It is like christian music is a special club where only special people get to go. The rest of us are just wasting time and will burn in hell, or so it seems.
 
Toonsmith...

We are creative beings, because we are all made in the image of a creative God. Wether we intend our creations to reflect His glory or not doesn't change the fact that we are creative because God is creative...


PKMuisc... If I praise God because He saved me.. that's worship... literally, declaring the worth-ship of God. We can do this both by living out a life pleasing to Him and by declaring the good things He has done(praise). praise is worship.
 
poor royston

i write christian music two. anybody in Ct wanna jam? Im really into the Dead and floyd so i love exploring and jamming with a great pop sensibility. i really cant stand aolt of the new brian adams sounding christian rock, but if its from the heart, then why not. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/wri...id=190345&bandnamesave=drippyandthenosebleeds

copy that address above and listen to a couple of my tunes i recorded in my home studio.

remember christianity is not a religion. its being christ like. man turned it into a self centered religion i like to call christianism with the christmas crap and everything. you should just read the bible and really get to know the One who saved you. he's alive and i guarentee your life will change. i just dont understand how anyone so "smart" can instantly deny God without even to check if He's for real themselves!! anyways.... lets jam!
 
Need help with the E-MU 0404

Going to convert my pastors sermins from cassette to pc(mp3). I just bought a Yamaha Deck. What connections do i use on the card(0404)?
 
Controversial issues regarding religion and faith arise all the time. I think it is pretty obvious that it's not going to end anytime soon.

Music is everywhere. You can go to any country and music will be there. It's brought our cultures together, like how jazz is a fusion of so many different types and styles of music.

So why argue over why Christian music is labeled Christian music? There are many different Christians out there. From what I know, Christians shouldn't be out there deliberately hurting others. Also, Christians are not perfect! I can honestly admit that even though I am a Christian, I have many faults and I have committed many wrongs. Even still I do. Some people tend to have expectations of Christians. Who said being Christian is easy?

I think I'm getting a bit off topic.

Let composers compose music.
Let musicians play music.
Let Christians use music.

thank you :D
 
George:

How are the folks in Many, LA. I met some young people from there many eons ago when I was in high school. Their last name was "Ammon." Being from northern Missouri, it was very entertaining to watch "cool" high school kids revert to a kindergarten state of mind when they first experienced a wintry phenomenon called "snow." I helped a 16-year old girl build her first snowman and fell in love for the first time--with her, not the snowman.

I realize that's way off target for this forum. Yes there are those of us out here to try to inform our music from a Christian worldview. You are not alone.

My recording set up right now is a Behringer UB802 mixer (for pre-amping) into a Fostex VF-80. :)
 
By the way, for those who are looking for a friendlier forum to discuss issues of faith as it relates to music, there is a forum for Christian musicians through the "guitar-notes" website. There is one basic rule:

1: Love one another.
 
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