Before I begin my "complaints" as to why I believe Christian music is not "good," I would like to first point out that by "good," I mean "good sounding" or "creative." I do not mean that the music itself is not good for people to listen to, I mean to say that I don't find it innovative or creative like various other genres of music. This article is not meant to speak poorly upon any Christian music artist(s) in particular, I will mainly be focusing on the Christian music that some might hear played on the radio. This article is also not meant to say that I don't like Christian music, I like certain songs and bands, but I'm trying to speak about the genre through an artistic viewpoint.

I do not find most Christian music to be creative or innovative. That is the basic premise of what I mean when I say that it "sounds bad." If I turned my radio on to a Christian station right now, I would most likely find a song with a basic 4-chord progression (very common in all genres, and that's fine), vague lyrics about not giving up or someone's struggle, and instrumentation that lacks originality or complexity. Sometimes the music itself sounds so similar in various songs, that I think I'm listening to a song I know, until someone assures me that that song is a new song. I also understand that when Christian musicians write these songs, they are writing to praise God first. That doesn't mean they need to leave out the creativity and passion that other artists in different genres put into their songs.

Take a look at these lyrics from a of couple songs I heard the other day by Christian artists: "I can't go on, I'm too far gone. I'm fighting, but I'm so weak. So reach into this hardened heart, so I can find the words to speak." & "My voice is failing me while I'm drowning in this sea. Please save me from my ways, I'm holding out for brighter days."
Sound familiar to you? They shouldn't. Because I made those lyrics up just now. And that is my point when it comes to lyrics from Christian music; almost every song (unless it is an obvious praise song) is about a vague struggle. Where is the honesty? Where is the heart? It's fine to sing about something that you're going through, but to use various cliches and simplistic concepts is just lazy.

There are Indie Christian bands, Metal Christian bands, Hip-hop Christian artists, and I'm sure various other artists in genres who put Christ at the forefront of what they create. But I do wonder why these artists are never played on the radio. Why keep the heart, soul, and passion in the underground rather than show it to the world? Even these artists have struggles that they sing about, but most of them do so in a way that is real in a different sort of way. Sometimes they use specific instances in their lives where they've had to deal with death, or loss, or addiction, and use those experiences to tell stories and create something real rather than a robotic "positive" song.

Sometimes "Jesus loves you," isn't even what someone wants to hear. Yes, that is true, and yes, it is good to hear that, but sometimes it's not what someone wants from Christian music. Sometimes it's good to hear the honesty, the raw grittiness of the fact that the person is struggling, or angry, or confused about God. A song about the goodness of God won't necessarily help someone with that. Is that song comforting in its own way? Absolutely. Is that what the person wants to hear with the problem in their life that they're going through? Probably not. The simple fact is that although Christian music from the radio is positive, it is not honest. "I will trust You" might be a good lyric for some people to work with, but for others going through a difficult time, it could prove to be unhelpful. Using an extreme example, for them it would need to be something like, "I will trust You, but please reassure me that I'm not crazy and that the fact that I believe in You isn't weird because the world tempts me and it's full of war and death and hatred. I need peace because I am a drug addict (or in a gang or I've stolen or hate others) and I know You give it but I can't seem to find You or my home."
The words in those songs lack depth, and because of that, lack honesty.

I listen to punk and metal music though, how is that different? Well, in those genres defenses, I must say that at least the lyrics are about different subjects, although sometimes the chord progression is the same the tuning is different and riffs don't remain the same, and usually the bands take time to make sure their sound is good and creative. Although I will admit, sometimes it's not. I realize a certain portion of my argument for this article would also most likely rely on a person's taste in music.

Not all Christian music is bad, and some days I even find myself listening to it if I need to remind myself of the goodness of God or that He's with me through certain struggles. But I certainly don't go to it for quality, well thought out lyrics, or intricate instrumentation.