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The Rock and
Roll Rebellion The Rock and Roll Rebellion has a curious purpose: it's written for a genre it argues shouldn't exist. Mark Joseph presents a critical history of Contemporary Christian music and then argues for its demise. Joseph comes off abrasive, self-assured, and cocky. But in the end his point is more convincing than his overconfidence. Why is there a sub-category of music defined by something other than music? How do you go into all the world when you're restricted to places with the Christian adjective: Christian radio, Christian bookstores, Christian festivals? Joseph uses the history of the genre--and those who avoided the genre--to show that Contemporary Christian music would be more effective if it didn't exist--or if it only existed in a very modified form. Joseph uses artists like Kansas, Bob Dylan, U2, Johnny Cash, and Lenny Kravitz to show that the world will accept Christianity. Joseph also uses artists like Larry Norman, Phil Keaggy, Keith Green, and Degarmo & Key to show how Christians have failed to show the world Christianity. He acknowledges their contributions to the Kingdom, but laments that they could have done more. Sometimes he maligns them for not doing more, which is definitely the low point of the book. Joseph is so convinced he's right he doesn't even pretend to be objective. He comes off like a third grader who doesn't know how to win gracefully. It's an enormous topic to tackle, and Joseph goes for the historical hit, adding the weight of history to his arguments. He does include a contemporary sampling of artists pushing the limits of the Christian genre, including Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, dc Talk, Sixpence None the Richer, Kirk Franklin, and MxPx. Finally, Joseph gives us his vision of life without CCM and how we can possibly hope to get there. It's a good approach and Joseph makes a compelling case, but you wish he'd get there sooner. If you can get through the lengthy history lesson and the "I'm right, nanny-nanny-boo-boo" arguments, you'll find a compelling and freeing idea: What if Christian artists were actually in the world where every Joe Normal could hear them, instead of singing to the pews and hoping the Joe Normals outside somehow wander in? A few thought provoking quotes: Kerry Livgren, guitarist for Kansas: "Are we making converts to Christ, or to Christian music?" (page 245) Frank Hart, leader for Atomic Opera: "Most Christians' view of evangelism are along the same lines of the propaganda campaigns of Nazi Germany. They have this 'us against them' concept, and they destroy art. They want to make films and music that make their philosophical position look good, which is not the same as art." (page 254) |
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