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I am not a music buff. I do not know the hip indie bands, nor do I really follow popular music. I wouldn't say that I am involved in the contemporary Christian music scene either. I don't have a large music library. Let's just say that I am not active in my musical enjoyment pursuits.
That being the case, I can easily tell a difference between the quality of "Christian" and "non-Christian"[foot]I dislike the need to use these labels, as I think they are mostly used for marketing purposes. What is "Christian music," music that has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior? No, "Christian music" is music that is marketed towards the Christian subculture. Perhaps moving away from this is the first step towards the Church being an artistic leader.[/foot] music. I understand that the former may have a spiritual value that makes up for the lack of quality, but I don't care to address that here. I only want to address the quality and the affect of music critics on it.
A friend of mine, who is much more into music than I am, was telling me about an article that had studied the average ratings of music in the Christian music industry and the secular music industry. The results were predictable: the Christian music industry produced, on average, higher rated reviews than the secular music industry.
Why the difference? Surely "Christian" music is not, on average, better than "secular" music.
I posit that, as part of Christian morality, negativity and overt criticism (especially of one's "own") is looked down upon. A Christian critic feels bad about giving a bad review of an album (particularly a "Christian" album).
My question is this: does this tendency create better music or mediocre music?
Do honest, difficult-to-please critics actually raise standards and encourage the development of art, and is that missing in the Christian subculture? As a group of people who should be creating a culture of original beauty, has the pious acceptance of mediocrity crippled the Church's potential in this area?
I wonder if a culture can be created within the Church that is driven by the incredible creativity of the God we worship. What are your thoughts?
Critics and the Advancement of Art
Do honest, difficult-to-please critics actually raise standards and encourage the development of art, and is that missin
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I am not a music buff. I do not know the hip indie bands, nor do I really follow popular music. I wouldn't say that I am involved in the contemporary Christian music scene either. I don't have a large music library. Let's just say that I am not active in my musical enjoyment pursuits.
That being the case, I can easily tell a difference between the quality of "Christian" and "non-Christian"[foot]I dislike the need to use these labels, as I think they are mostly used for marketing purposes. What is "Christian music," music that has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior? No, "Christian music" is music that is marketed towards the Christian subculture. Perhaps moving away from this is the first step towards the Church being an artistic leader.[/foot] music. I understand that the former may have a spiritual value that makes up for the lack of quality, but I don't care to address that here. I only want to address the quality and the affect of music critics on it.
A friend of mine, who is much more into music than I am, was telling me about an article that had studied the average ratings of music in the Christian music industry and the secular music industry. The results were predictable: the Christian music industry produced, on average, higher rated reviews than the secular music industry.
Why the difference? Surely "Christian" music is not, on average, better than "secular" music.
I posit that, as part of Christian morality, negativity and overt criticism (especially of one's "own") is looked down upon. A Christian critic feels bad about giving a bad review of an album (particularly a "Christian" album).
My question is this: does this tendency create better music or mediocre music?
Do honest, difficult-to-please critics actually raise standards and encourage the development of art, and is that missing in the Christian subculture? As a group of people who should be creating a culture of original beauty, has the pious acceptance of mediocrity crippled the Church's potential in this area?
I wonder if a culture can be created within the Church that is driven by the incredible creativity of the God we worship. What are your thoughts?
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I am not a music buff. I do not know the hip indie bands, nor do I really follow popular music. I wouldn't say that I am involved in the contemporary Christian music scene either. I don't have a large music library. Let's just say that I am not active in my musical enjoyment pursuits.
That being the case, I can easily tell a difference between the quality of "Christian" and "non-Christian"[foot]I dislike the need to use these labels, as I think they are mostly used for marketing purposes. What is "Christian music," music that has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior? No, "Christian music" is music that is marketed towards the Christian subculture. Perhaps moving away from this is the first step towards the Church being an artistic leader.[/foot] music. I understand that the former may have a spiritual value that makes up for the lack of quality, but I don't care to address that here. I only want to address the quality and the affect of music critics on it.
A friend of mine, who is much more into music than I am, was telling me about an article that had studied the average ratings of music in the Christian music industry and the secular music industry. The results were predictable: the Christian music industry produced, on average, higher rated reviews than the secular music industry.
Why the difference? Surely "Christian" music is not, on average, better than "secular" music.
I posit that, as part of Christian morality, negativity and overt criticism (especially of one's "own") is looked down upon. A Christian critic feels bad about giving a bad review of an album (particularly a "Christian" album).
My question is this: does this tendency create better music or mediocre music?
Do honest, difficult-to-please critics actually raise standards and encourage the development of art, and is that missing in the Christian subculture? As a group of people who should be creating a culture of original beauty, has the pious acceptance of mediocrity crippled the Church's potential in this area?
I wonder if a culture can be created within the Church that is driven by the incredible creativity of the God we worship. What are your thoughts?