My recent foray back into the heart of the Christian subculture got me thinking ... things have changed lot in, for example, the Christian music scene in the last 8-9 years. MXPX and Project 86 have gone from being attacked and embattled by the "Christian" side of the industry to being revered as pioneers, while bands like The Chariot and He Is Legend and Emery (who were at this festival) not to mention more like Anberlin and Underoath, have gained cross-market appeal making music that I simply don't think would have made it into CBD a few years ago.
So what does Underoath have to do with a book published in 1993? Well, you have to understand the context. Once upon a time in the 90s, as a market began to balloon for "christian" versions of all that was hip and cool, there was this guy named Bob. Bob Briner was a very successful businessman who worked in the television industry, who was a Christian and along the way wrote a few books sharing what he felt were good solid management principles. He became burdened to see Christians working in the secular marketplace, particularly the arts and communications fields, and making an impact on their world rather than ghettofying themselves into a parallel Christian subculture. He wanted to see Christians interacting with the world and making a difference and doing what they did with great excellence. At this point in the history of the Christian subculture, I think it's safe to say this was not a common philosophy. Anyone who gained a following in the "secular" music market, for instance, was immediately reviled for "crossing over" and "selling out." Perhaps it's appropriate to observe a moment of silence for Amy Grant at this point. After all, she was being attacked for her musical territory long before her personal relationship issues became public knowledge. Artists like the short-lived Seven Day Jesus talked about a "Jesus per minute" lyrical quotient that had to be met to gain approval from the Christian industry.
So, Bob's book became very popular when it was rereleased in 2000, thanks to the acclaim the book had gained among Christian artistic types. It was released along with a compilation cd. I was one of many who picked it up. After all, it had cool cover art, and a cool title, and a cd was included! But something clicked. The book really gave shape to the feelings and questions I'd been experiencing, at the ripe age of 17, about Christianity and art and life within our culture. Longtime producer Charlie Peacock published a book around the same time titled "At the Crossroads", which espoused a similar philosophy that was totally freeing to some of us who were struggling with the legalistic attitudes towards music that were far more prevalent in the Christian community then than now. (Not that those attitudes are gone). And in striking these chords and helping artists and the rest of us escape the ghetto, Briner and Peacock helped to create a world in which Christians were allowed to just make good and even disturbing music and still be Christians, and we were allowed to be Christians and listen to it ... a world where Underoath and Anberlin and Project 86 can make their music and be embraced by a broad spectrum of listeners. I truly believe we all - those who were inside the subculture and those who were out - owe a debt to books and thinkers like these. So thanks, Bob, for all you did.
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