Preliminary analysis: viewpoints on the Christian-ness of music

So far, I have heard back from two informants, one of whom was kind enough to do an interview. They represent an interesting set of ideas through which I can filter others' definitions of Christian music, whether that would be through a questionnaire or a series of informal conversations.

From the point of view of Rob, a fellow student at my C4C Bible study, Christian music needs the message. So long as it glorifies God, it can take several paths to reach that goal, whether through hip-hop, heavy metal, or glam rock. Though the songs adopt the vocabulary of the genre as well, the message can still be heard, and this can be beneficial to the groups whom this music caters to.

From the point of view of Cara, the social co-ordinator, Christian music must glorify God not only in the content, but also in its delivery. In general, this means that it should be clean in language and contain nothing questionable. The litmus test that Cara proposed was whether anyone in a church setting would be confused or use God as a coping mechanism, rather than centre on Christ.

There may be views that are more extreme than these two, but I believe that these equally worthy yet contrasting opinions are suitable to build a framework on which I can study the question in greater depth.