Is There Any Decent Christian Music?

Posted on: 05/24/11 1:10 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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I’ll be honest… I haven’t always been a fan of Christian music as a whole.

Don’t hate me. I just like good music, and the selection of quality Christian artists hasn’t always been abundant. I’ve found several good ones, but I’m always on the lookout for more. Let’s just say- it’s been quite an adventure trying to find stuff my family likes.

I’m not alone.

Parents always ask me, “Can you please suggest some decent Christian music that my kids will actually like?” A good example of this was a few weeks ago when my daughter Ashley and I spoke at a local church about parenting and making “Biblical media decisions.” Ashley shared a little insight into the music we listen to in our home, and the guidelines we’ve set for downloading music. You see, we allow secular music in our home as long as it isn’t against Biblical principles. So my kids will come up to me and ask me, “Dad, can I download this album from The Fray or this song from Bruno Mars?” We always end up having a good discussion about music content (I spend a whole chapter in my parenting book talking about this, there’s an excerpt of that chapter, “Dad, Can I Download This Song?, here).

In our talk, Ashley and I shared how we start off the first hour of our day and end the last hour of our day in our house with worship music (an idea that I heard my buddy Al Menconi share years ago in his parent seminars). We don’t think there’s anything wrong with secular music, but I’ve personally noticed a difference in attitude and behavior from my kids when they start and end their day with Crowder’s “How He Loves Me” rather than “Row, row, row your boat.” (A very clean secular song, mind you.)

After Ashley and I spoke, a parent in the audience talked with us and asked me something like this:

“My kids all listen to secular stuff, but we want to listen to some Christian stuff. I’ve tried to get them to listen to the Christian radio with me, but they don’t like much of it. Is there any good Christian music?”

After exchanging emails, I answered her with the following, providing my two cents on “good Christian music.” Check out my list, and then use the comment feature in this blog to chime in with your two cents. I wanna hear what Christian music you like:

CHRISTIAN MUSIC MY FAMILY LIKES

 

RAP:
A guy named Lecrae– songs like FAR AWAY, JESUS MUZIK (these are about the closest you’ll find to good Christian rap that’s mainstream. There are a couple other hardcore rap Christian guys like Tedashii… but that’s not really a sound like the typical popular LIL WAYNE or 50 CENT. Lecrae is probably the best.
A group called Grits– their song OOH AHH and FLY AWAY recently are pretty good.
RAP/POP:
Toby Mac– Let me explain. At first, some new Christians might initially think that Toby is a white boy wangsta. I think that’s a little harsh. I’ve found that when I play his songs for a while, kids (even unchurched kids)  will like several of his songs- he has some good hits. My kids grew to like his songs like CITY ON OUR KNEES, BREAK OPEN THE SKY (reggae), and most the songs from his album PORTABLE SOUNDS, songs like LOSE MY SOUL, ONE WORLD, etc.
Group 1 Crew have been compared to Black Eyed Peas- I wouldn’t go that far. But I like their song PLEASE DON’T LET ME GO.
A guy named Mat Kearney who does a nice blend of guitar and a little white boy rap- songs like UNDENIABLE, NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE, CRASHING DOWN, GIRL AMERICA

 

POP/ROCK:
Flyleaf has a good song ALL AROUND ME
Switchfoot is awesome- a more pop/grunge sound. Songs like YOUR LOVE IS A SONG, DARE YOU TO MOVE, THIS IS HOME, THE BEAUTIFUL LETDOWN….

 

Some kids like some of the harder rock sounds coming from Christian bands like Skillet (I like their song COMATOSE), Red (I like their song BREATHE INTO ME) or Thousand Foot Krutch (their song FALLS APART). Personally, I’m not really into music this hard (I only like one or two songs from each of these bands). And frankly, the majority of mainstream kids aren’t into this genre either (read my words carefully, I said “the majority” of kids, that doesn’t mean “no kids.” Some really like this genre). Unfortunately, most Christian concerts are primarily bands like these. No offense to these bands, but it would be nice to see some of the other genres emerge into Christian circles.

 

WORSHIP:
David Crowder is awesome at worship music that actually sounds good. His songs HOW HE LOVES, EVERYTHING GLORIOUS, SMS (Shine), THE GLORY OF IT ALL…  I love these guys! (that’s why this announcement was hard to hear!)
Anything from Chris Tomlin, especially I WILL FOLLOW, INDESCRIBABLE, HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD, HOLY IS THE LORD
Your turn. What Christian music would you play for kids that aren’t used to Christian music?

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American Idol Too Racy?

Posted on: 05/23/11 1:34 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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American Idol will most likely be viewed in more homes than any other show this week with its highly anticipated season finale both Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Historically this show has been deemed a show acceptable for the entire family, but recently some of the guest stars have been pushing the envelope with racy wardrobe and dancing. What are parents to do when Beyonce or Gaga reveal a little too much? How much is too much?

These are the questions I asked in this week’s timely Youth Culture Window article, American Idol the Family Show? How Much is Too Much? Here’s just a snippet of that article:

My family watches a few shows together each week, one being American Idol. But episodes like the ones we’ve seen the last few weeks have made media discernment a little more difficult.

A few nights ago we witnessed some heartfelt moments on the show as we watched “the top three” go back to their hometowns for a welcome that even brought a security guard to tears. This year’s top contestants, particularly the top two, Scotty and Lauren, are proving to be pretty wholesome kids (emphasis on “kids” –these two are the youngest final two in Idol history).

Cut to a commercial… and 5 minutes later the Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger is strutting around half-dressed, literally singing about being dirty while rapper 50 Cent is trying to grind up against her.

Did someone switch the channel?

This seems to be the template for most the shows of recent…

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

What do you think? Where do parents need to draw the line? Post your comments on the bottom of that YCW article or here in my blog?

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Something Clean in the Top 10

Posted on: 05/20/11 3:08 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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This week I’ve had my eye on the music charts as I was studying youth culture for my CONNECT WORKSHOP I’ll be teaching this Saturday in PA.

Most of what I saw in the charts was typical: racy lyrics and overly sexualized music videos. But then a small exception popped onto the charts like ‘Hope’ rising out of the bottom of Pandora’s box. Chris Tomlin’s video for “I Lift My Hands” has been in the iTunes Top 10 most of the week. I saw it in the number 4 spot Tuesday, and it’s at #9 as I write this (Friday afternoon).

Funny, as I sit and look at the list of the iTunes top 10 videos right now, there are only two videos that aren’t crude or raunchy in some way. In the top 10 songs, only one or two (depending on where you draw the line).

So… a big relief to see people downloading something pure.

Kudos to Tomlin!

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The Intersection of TV and Music

Posted on: 05/13/11 11:25 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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It’s always interesting to see what songs kids are listening to, and what TV they’re watching. But sometimes it’s even more intriguing to see the intersection of the two.

This week on American Idol (most recently the second most watched show on TV on any given week), Lady Gaga came on as the “mentor” to the top four (which actually created some pretty funny moments with Scotty, the church-going country boy who ended up kissing his cross necklace a few times after interacting with Gaga). Then Enrique Eglesias came on and sang his song, Dirty Dancer.

The question is, does this TV exposure boost these artists’ popularity? Do kids actually buy their music after seeing them perform on Idol?

The answer is a big “yes.” Take a look at one of the best indicators- iTunes. iTunes always provides a minute by minute glance at what people are buying. Look at iTunes right now:  (which will probably change a bit even if you were to pop on right now)

Adele is still #1 with Rolling in the Deep, and Gaga sits in second with her song The Edge of Glory.

But notice #4. Enrique’s Dirty Dancer is quickly rising ever since his performance on Idol.

But Idol isn’t the only TV kids are watching. On the same network (Fox), Glee continues to draw a young audience, who every week rushes to iTunes to buy their newest songs. Take a peek for yourself. As of this moment, Glee songs take the 8th and 10th slots on the iTunes charts.

iTunes isn’t the only place kids download music. That’s why Neilson’s numbers give us a good look at the top songs that kids are buying over all. Here’s this week’s chart:

(a lot of similarities to the iTunes chart, huh?)

As parents and youth workers, when it comes to our kids, I encourage you to occasionally “take a look at their many idols” (Acts 17) and familiarize yourself with them. Simply check the charts, then quickly Google the lyrics and peek for yourselves what these kids are simmering in for an average of over 2 and a half hours per day. (More on exploring the effects of media on our kids here)

Then… like the Paul did in Acts 17… respond by reasoning with them in healthy dialogue, and steering those conversations toward the Gospel.

We try to help you do this with free resources on our parent and youth worker web sites like our MUSIC DISCUSSIONS page and MOVIE REVIEWS & QUICK Q’s. Use these resources to steer toward the Gospel day to day!

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Gaga’s Judas

Posted on: 04/25/11 8:38 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Gaga is at it again… poking at what’s sacred.

This time it’s her new song, Judas, a song where basically she conveys that she identifies a little more with Judas than Jesus.

Where did Gaga get this idea? She tells the Washington Times… from God.

“I feel like honestly that God sent me those [“Judas”] lyrics and that melody,” Lady Gaga said, crying. “When you feel a message to give to the world and people are shooting arrows through it … there’s no way for something that pure to be wrong.”

(Click here for that entire article)

David wrote an entire YOUTH CULTURE WINDOW article about the song this week, including some great questions we can ask our kids. Take a peek here.

The song isn’t doing that well. It went #1 on iTunes when it was leaked, but I’ve been watching it sink for the last week. It was #2, then 4… then #8 over the weekend. As of this morning (Monday), it’s #14.

Hmmmmmmm.

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Connection Between Pop Music and Depression

Posted on: 04/19/11 12:58 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Earlier this month USNews.com posted an article with some fascinating findings about the connection between pop music and depression.

I encourage you to check out the entire article, but here’s just a snippet:

…in terms of media exposure, the more they (children) listened to music (via MP3 or CD players), the greater the likelihood of having major depressive disorder.

When the researchers divided media exposure into four levels, ranging from least to most exposure, they found each increasing level of music exposure was associated with an 80 percent increase in depression risk.

In contrast, exposure to print media was linked to a lower risk for depression. With each increasing level of exposure to print media, depression risk dropped by 50 percent.

TV, Internet, and video game exposure was not found to have a statistically significant association with depression risk one way or the other.

You can read the entire article HERE for context.

One thing I really like about the article is the fact that they acknowledge the chicken or the egg dilemma (my wording) with this kind of study. In other words, are songs making kids depressed, or are depressed kids listening to more music to cope? The article basically contends, we don’t know which… but there’s a noticeable connection.

As a guy who has three teenagers of his own, works with junior high students, and studies pop culture for a living, here’s my own observations:

1. Music affects our kids way more than they think. If you’ve read my blog for even a few months, you’ve seen me cite  the research over an over again.

2. Parents need to do a better job at monitoring the time our kids spend saturating media. Don’t take it from me, don’t take it from Dobson… take it from doctors at the Kaiser Foundation or The American Academy of Pediatrics. The research is overwhelming: we need to take notice of anything that takes up this much time in our kids’ lives. And we also need to set healthy media boundaries. I spend a whole chapter talking about this in my parenting book.

3. Consider a media fast. Call me extreme, but I’ve seen it work. All three of my kids just left for mission trips this week, mission trips that required each kid to choose something to fast from for one month. My son Alec, by his own choosing, fasted from video games for a month, my 15-year-old Alyssa fasted from TV and any music that wasn’t worship music, my 13-year-old Ashley did the same. This is the second year they’ve done this fast and the results were amazing. We spent more time in conversation and Bible this past month than in years. THE KEY: This was kid driven. They chose what they needed to fast from. I don’t recommend that all parents try to get their kids to fast from media for a whole month. But as parents build solid relationships with their kids and talk about these issues, they can easily suggest that the family tries a one day fast? Maybe a week?

Last week I was hanging with a junior high kid who I had been noticing some odd behaviors from. While the other kids were hanging out and talking with each other, he was isolating himself and listening to his iPod. I chatted with him for a while, then later, when he had his ear buds in, I asked him, “Hey, whatcha listening to?” I put my hand out like I wanted to see his iPod. He hesitated, then handed it to me. He was listening to Eminem (explicit in more ways than one).

I was talking with my daughter Ashley about this experience a few days later and she asked me, “How come you always want to see a kid’s iPod, Dad?”

I smiled. “Because the iPod is the window to the heart.”

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Gaga #1 Role Model

Posted on: 04/1/11 10:06 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Last weekend at my parents workshop most parents were shocked to discover that Lady Gaga was rapidly becoming one of the biggest role models and hero for this young generation.

Many of our Christian kids are confused. One moment they see her stripping down to a g-string and dancing seductively in her music videos, and the next minute, she’s thanking God and raising money for homeless, or more recently, the people of Japan.

Pay attention. Gaga is playing it smart in her marketing of herself. She’s giving kids everything they want, plenty of eye candy, permission to be risque’ (indulge in every desire you feel, after all, you were born this way), and then wraps it up in a pretty “I care for this world” package.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Gaga is a fake do-gooder. I think she truly is looking for something more in her life, and it feels good to help others. Gaga has given away premium concert tickets to people who volunteer at least 8 hours helping LGBT youth, and recently, she raised literally millions for Japan relief. Gaga was one of the first to jump on the “Help Japan” wagon. She immediately created a place on her site where people could buy wristband with profits helping Japan… efforts that were extremely successful.

I was pleased to see that the Christian community responded to these efforts as well. YFC international urged people to help Japan, and even local churches like Bayside in the Sacramento area helped Japan, raising $170,000 for relief efforts.

But when it comes to “do-gooders,” it’s Gaga who tops the list in many young people’s minds. DoSomething.org, a charity organization for teens and social change, took a poll of the top celebs who used their celebrity powers for the most good. They named Gaga the #1 key influencer, beating out Taylor Swift, Ellen, Justin Bieber… even Oprah.

Two month ago I taught a workshop where I spent some time talking to young leaders about today’s youth culture. In my presentation I talked a little about Gaga and what she was teaching young people, specifically the sexualization of our young girls. Afterward my workshop, a student leader, 17-years-old, came up to me and said, “Gaga’s not bad you know. She actually prays and helps homeless people.”

Well there we have it.

This was a kid that was one of the spiritual leaders of her group.

What would your kids say about Gaga? Does helping Japan trump promiscuity and irresponsibility? Maybe it’s a conversation worth having.

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Parents Getting Their Kids Talking

Posted on: 03/7/11 1:35 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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It seems that I hear it again and again as I’m dialoguing with parents after one of my parenting workshops. “I can’t get my kid to open up and just talk with me.”

It’s a common dilemma. Sometimes it maybe be because our conversations with our kids tend to be like this: me lecture, you listen! But often, it’s more than that. It often can be pretty difficult to get kids to open up.

That’s one reason why we created two new pages on our www.TheSource4Parents.com page:

1. MUSIC DISCUSSIONS:
The average 8-18-year-old listens to 2 hours and 19 minutes of music per day. Parents can use current music to springboard conversations with their kids about what they heard. That’s why we’ve created this brand new MUSIC DISCUSSIONS page just for parents (much like our MUSIC DISCUSSIONS page on our youth ministry website, but quicker, simpler, and designed specifically for parents). Be sure to check out this page, because we just added brand new music discussions for parents to talk about hit songs such as Gaga’s Born This Way, Bruno Mars’ Grenade, and more.

2. MOVIE REVIEWS & QUICK Q’s:
Ever walk out of a movie with your kid and wish you had some resources to talk with them about what you just saw? That’s why we decided to add “Quick Q’s” to our movie reviews when we launched our new parents website just a couple months ago. Our MOVIE REVIEWS & QUICK Q’s page, not only provides the reviews, it also provides questions that you can ask kids about what they just saw. Each one of these resources includes a relevant scripture to help you bring truth to the discussion. Check out this page this week– we just added reviews for The Adjustment Bureau in our theatrical release section, and 127 Hours in our rental release section.

Enjoy these resources.

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Gaga Trying So Hard…

Posted on: 02/28/11 3:24 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Gaga’s Born This Way video was released today, as announced. And again, she tries to out do herself.

Summary of Video:

– She gives birth to good, then to evil
– She dances around in her underwear, touching herself sexually and carousing with others.

Yeah… that about wraps it up.

We’ve posted a ton of resources about Gaga and this song– I encourage you to check them out.

As for the video now? YouTube has it posted for all to see and the buzz is out. You can bet many of our kids will be watching this in the next few days.

Here’s the YouTube link.

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Born This Way On the Mind

Posted on: 02/24/11 1:04 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Gaga’s preachy song Born This Way just continues to grow in popularity. It is #1 across the board (iTunes, Billboard… name it) and the brand new music video for the song arrives Monday.

A few resources that I wanted to put at your fingertips for this song:

I hope these tools are a help to you.

 

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