Directory of Contemporary Worship Musicians - Way of Life Literature

Directory of Contemporary WorshipMusicians____________________7eventh Time DownOne of the many great problems with Christian rock is thatthe message is typically vague, abstract, even meaningless. Inresearching for the book Contemporary Christian MusicUnder the Spotlight in the late 1990s I examined the lyrics ofhundreds of CCM songs, and this was true then and itremains true today. Consider the song “Jesus Machine” by7eventh Time Down from their 2011 album “Alive in You”:“Faith is so bionic/ You know you’re gonna want it/ It’s strongerthan your money/ Or your million dollar honey/ Love is like adrug/ You’re addicted once you’re bitten/ We know where tohit it/ If you want it, come and get it.”What does this song mean? Anything you want it to mean!What “faith”? What “love”? What “it”? 7eventh Time Downcould just as well be singing about Oprah Winfrey’s New Agegod or e Shack god. Ric Llewellyn made the followingobservation back in the 1980s.“Perhaps it is true that music is an art form. But as Christianmusicians become more and more ‘artistic’ the lyrics ofContemporary Christian Music become more and moreobscure until they retain virtually no substantial spiritualvalue. Lyrics become so allegorical that a truly spiritual lessonis imperceptible. is indefiniteness opens the door to manyincorrect understandings concerning the point of a particularsong, which fosters the acceptance of teachings which areunbiblical and even anti-biblical” (Llewellyn, “ChristianRock?,” Foundation, Vol. VI, Issue 2, 1985, p. 17).e vagueness of the message is an aspect of ecumenism,allowing “the broader church” to appreciate the musicregardless of a particular doctrinal position. e vagueness of4