Why I listen to Christian Metal (And... maybe... you should too)

First, a word:

(Skip if you aren't easily offended)
Musical tastes, for some reason, inspire great defensiveness in people. Suggesting someone's taste in music is "wrong" evokes a sort of gut-level response as if you've insulted their intelligence or character.

I was once, in an attempt to prove to me that music with drums was displeasing to God or at very least inappropriate in a church, given a pamphlet entitled "The Kind of Music that Honors God." That was indeed an unfortunate bit of Pharisaical propaganda, though I should mention it was given in good faith and I appreciated the gesture, if not the explicit promotion of generational preference to theological mandate.

In Romans 14, Paul is clear that we are not to despise/look down on those with a weaker conscience, which in this case, would be those who feel compelled to isolate themselves from various genres of music. (Note: I said genre, not lyrical content) I do not criticize anyone for this by any means; I think the intention to forgo what is perceived to be harmful to one's Christian walk is right, and vastly preferable to so many in the Church who listen to profane and sexually explicit lyrics without a second thought because actually they just listen to whatever is popular without filtering.

That being the case, I do not necessarily apologize for offending anyone (I think it's good for us to be offended now and again), but I do apologize if at any point I could be accurately accused of adopting a condescending attitude. I intend various things with this post, but that is not one of them.

Important Note: Anyone can run out and find examples of bands that call themselves Christian Metal bands who are not glorifying to God, and if anything glorify the darkness they would claim to be opposing. This problem is present in every genre, and I am obviously not speaking of those bands.

Also, for younger students: Read to the end. If you get in trouble with your parents for listening to Christian Metal, you have my sympathy, and feel free to point out some of the principles I have outlined here, but you also officially do not have my permission to tell them that you should be able to because a missionary said it was ok. (If it's any consolation, God said that He will reward you specifically for honoring your parents, and I wasn't allowed to listen to that kind of music growing up either!)

A Closer Look at Christian Metal: Content

In a Christian church? Shameful!

Few people today would think it odd to see an organ's pipes peeking out from somewhere in the walls of the sanctuary of an older or larger church. Yet for centuries the organ was banned on and off, a controversial instrument which to many of the Protestant reformers was a symbol of the pomp and unspirituality of the Roman Catholic Church. Too loud and showy, ruining the simple act of worshiping God.

Sound familiar? Yet, go listen to "A Mighty Fortress is our God" played by a master organist; this is high praise and the glorious magnification of God's name through a powerful and beautiful instrument.

I have experienced that Christian metal can accomplish the same thing. I'm not saying it should be played in church, but I am suggesting that for some of us it can be an important part of private worship. First, let's look at the lyrics of some selected Christian metal bands. And yes, as with anything else one chooses to put into one's mind, selection is highly necessary. I don't advocate Christian metal "in general" any more than I recommend reading fiction "in general."

The following is from the song Crown of Thorns (by For Today, who I would recommend).
A sampling of lyrics:

We crown Him... with a crown of thorns 
This is the end of our life that’s been burdened for all that comes
The suffering manifest glory has come with the fullness of God

(And later, more poignantly)

It should have been me
With the nails through my hands and feet
Facing the wrath of God

It should have been me
Left to pay for my sin forsaken
But in the blood I stand

Hard to argue with any of that, right? If I preached that more or less verbatim in a sermon, I could probably get a few Amens, depending on the church. But it's "the devil's music" to many, because it happens to be accompanied by shredding guitars. This insistence that forms take precedence over content is a persistent attitude in the church, which I would argue is not only intellectually lazy but weakens our witness as well.

I am aware that, in earlier generations, this music was identified with purely secular and often outright satanic references. I am also aware that A Mighty Fortress, used in my example above, is set to an old drinking tune. (For that matter, the music used for the Star Spangled Banner has even less reputable roots...)
Clearly, forms can be redeemed when their content and message is directed appropriately.

Another example, a band called 7 Horns 7 Eyes (referencing Revelation 5:6) has a song called Vindicator, which is a compilation of parts of various Psalms.

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck
I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold
I have come into the deep waters, the floods engulf me
Fear and trembling have beset me, horror has overwhelmed me
I am worn out calling for help, my throat is parched
My heart is in anguish with me, the terrors of death assail me
Many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me
They sharpen their tongues like swords, and aim their words like deadly arrows
When they draw the bow let their arrows be blunted
O Lord, how many are my foes!
But You are a shield around me, O Lord, You bestow glory on me
I cry aloud, and He answers me
I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me 

Here's another example, from a band called Becoming the Archetype (a personal favorite), who did a whole album ("Dichotomy") inspired by a C.S.Lewis novel. These lyrics are from the title track:

Initially they rationalized with futile speculations
Which brought about their ultimately fatal calculations
They sewed their own eyes shut
To protect them from the light
Closed the doorway of their minds
Barred and sealed it tight
Their foolish hearts were darkened
Their vacant minds deceived
The lies that they exchanged for truth
Became all that they believed
They exchanged the incorruptible
For the image of fallen man
Worshiped creature rather than creator
The image rather than his hand

C.S.Lewis + Metal = win-win!

Not only are these lyrics communicating Scriptural truth, based on C.S.Lewis and Romans 1, but they are also intellectually valuable. I submit they compare very favorably to much of what ends up on "positive, uplifting" Christian radio stations.

And that leads me to another observation which is one of the roots of my appreciation of Christian metal.
I firmly believe that God as typically portrayed on Christian pop radio stations, is not the God of Scripture. A God who is accurately described in a song that needs but one or two words to be changed to be just as easily be speaking of a boyfriend or girlfriend is simply not the God of the Bible.

I submit that a large portion of the problems we all like to complain about regarding the church in America are simply based in the fact that in our haste to emphasize the nice and "positive" parts of the gospel we have forgotten what God is like.

Who is God, and what is He like, according to Scripture? Go back and read the description of God descending upon Mount Sinai in Exodus. Go read the description of Jesus in Revelation 1. In fact I will post that here (Rev 1:12-18):

"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades."

"Gentle Jesus, meek and mild"? Jesus as a man "had no form or majesty that we should look at him"; Jesus as the Alpha and Omega, the Victorious Conqueror, is terrifying. As believers we see Him in the light of Grace, as citizens of His kingdom and sons of God. Yet John, Christ's own apostle and "the one whom Jesus loved" falls at His feet as if dead, at the sight of His glory and power. Proverbs states that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We can approach the throne of God boldly only because of the astonishing truth of the sacrifice of God Himself for us. When we forget the greatness of the God to whom we had not yet been reconciled, we find it more difficult to cry out in thankful relief that we are saved from His wrath and adopted through love into His own family.

The "Old Testament" style* lyrics of Christian Metal, with its focus on the power of God, His righteous judgment, the darkness of evil and sin and humanity's despair apart from Him, and the hope of His return, are a stark call to remember the nature of God as He has revealed Himself to us, Sovereign Lord of All by Might and by Right. Not as we would seek to revise Him, into a comfortable, friendly sort of inclusive God who mainly is concerned that we be happy.

(*-I regret that people pretend there is a difference. The New Testament God and the Old Testament God are one and the same, even the language used in the New Testament to describe Him is the same, when it's not simply quoted directly from the Old Testament)

A Closer Look at Christian Metal: Style

The God I worship, the God I serve, the God who died for me, is One at whose feet I would fall not only in devotion but out of necessity. There is none like Him. None greater, none higher, none to compare.
Those moments I find myself lacking in obedience or wandering from my walk with God are not those moments that I forget that He loves me. That, thankfully, is a lesson He has taught me and something the Church has not failed to communicate.

What brings me back into obedience and sends me joyfully and worshipfully into the world to proclaim the glory of His name are the unavoidable reminders of Who He Is. One tiny glimpse of His all-consuming majesty is all it takes for my soul to remember the One to whom it belongs. That is what propels me to ministry in Taiwan: that they might know and glorify God as He has revealed Himself to us, the God who is stronger than the spirits of the dead they fear, the great I Am who is worthy of our praise and devotion simply because of who He Is.

To be straightforward, a folksy bit of acoustic guitar soloing or even "light rock" contemporary worship style simply does not convey God's power and majesty to me. That sense of overwhelming awe at His presence is absent. It may speak of His love, of the intimacy of fellowship with Him, it may be profitable and edifying in various ways which justify the experience and even pursuit of it, but it does not send me to my knees in humility before the Lord of the Universe. It may do so for you; I can only speak from my own experience, and the experiences of those who have expressed similar feelings to me.

Glorifying, yes, but not Awe-inspiring

Rock as a musical style conveys power. There is a reason people listen to it to get "pumped up" before and during a workout, why mosh pits break out at rock concerts, etc. This is even more true of Metal as a subgenre of Rock. It delivers an explosive energy that registers on more than a merely surface level.
We are spiritual creatures, and music affects us on a deeper level even than merely mental or psychological. Indeed, one reason musical styles have so often been a controversial topic in the church is the acknowledgment that music touches us on a spiritual level as well as mental/physical.

In this power lies a danger which the Church has recognized in the past, and given the associations with secular or even satanic ideas, heavy metal type music had long been condemned as a purely evil coupling of that power with corrupting influence. That is a sensible reaction, perhaps the only correct one that could be made under the circumstances.
But when that influence is turned on its head, when the power of rock is used to drive home the glory and majesty of the Creator, the pain of sin and separation from Him, and the hope of His coming*, then we have the redemption of form. The powerful music which so greatly impacts the psyche of many has been repurposed to glorify God. We should appreciate it accordingly.

(*- The Second Coming and final judgment of evil is a very common theme in Christian Metal)

My Plea

I recognize Christian Metal is never going to appeal to more than a small minority of believers, stylistically. The album art can look disturbing, it is too hard-hitting for many, and some simply cannot understand the lyrics when sung/screamed/growled heavy metal style. I'm not suggesting that all Christians ought to start listening to it, but rather that what it's getting right ought to be incorporated into how we all worship.

And between rap, metal, reggae, or any other genre, I'm hoping that we can all stop saying "nothing that sounds like that could be glorifying to God" without first checking out what's actually being said. One beauty of the Church is that Christians exist across the spectrum of subcultures. Let them glorify God within their own musical environments to speak to others of similar backgrounds without condemning what is unfamiliar.

To summarize, what I ask is two things:

1. That we stop judging music only by its style, and start looking closely at content, with high standards.

I really am shocked by how many Christians listen to music with no filtering at all (regardless of the profanity of the lyrics or the sinfulness of the message conveyed... "I don't pay attention to the lyrics, I just like how it sounds," they say. Your mind is never not paying attention to the lyrics, and getting them subconsciously is more dangerous than memorizing them consciously.) On the other hand, many Christian "praise and worship" songs are mere fluff. I won't call out any songs specifically, but the "I, I, I, me, me, me" songs are rampant, and I think you all know what I mean when I say some songs are just pop romantic songs repurposed with God replacing the boyfriend or girlfriend. We can do better than this, and God deserves our utmost efforts.

2. That we start worshiping with regard to the majesty of God like we really believe He's listening

This is a tougher one. It might require a few new hymns, or that we go dig up some old ones that were lost to time. But I am convinced that as much as I enjoy Christian metal and find it edifying, I shouldn't be forced to listen to it in order to find appropriate reverence for our God who is an All-Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12, quoting Deut 4). My soul craves a worship time with other believers on Sunday morning when we truly exalt God as He has revealed Himself to us. We ought to always do this, but how we approach it matters, and how people are led to worship will affect how they worship. Maybe it's as simple as pushing away the chairs, leaving the coffee outside the sanctuary, and approaching God as if He really is the God we are singing about. That would be a great start.