I was talking to a fellow college student one day and we got on the subject of music. Now take in mind at the time I was 28, and the other student is probably 5-8 years younger than I am, which in my opinion is a big gap when it comes to music preference. With that said, after he was done explaining his music interest, he asks me, “What are you into?” I mentioned to him, “I am a big fan of anything rock, but currently I am enjoying the modern rock seen, like Nickleback, Fuel, and especially the front-runner of today’s modern rock, Creed: even though they are no longer band.” Then he said, “Creed: Weren’t they a Christian band?”
Yes, I am a Christian and I believe as Christians we should not shy away from our faith, but for some odd reason that comment has always bothered me. The only thing I can gather is that in every since, not just Creed, when a band does not state or claim to be apart of any genre of music, but because of their lyrics, background, or one comment they make, the media wants to label them. Though the members of Creed did state their faith and never denied any relation in interviews. That does not mean they were a Christian band.
Can a band have Christianity as a background or write Christian/religious style lyrics and not be considered a Christian band? Yes! If lyrics can label a band, then I guess Ozzy Ozbourne is a Christian artist as well. In his song, “I Don’t Want To Stop,” Ozzy says, “So many religions/but only one God/I don’t need another Savior.” Well, I guess according to the lyrics, Ozzy believes in God and has a savior, which is probably a reference to Jesus, then I could say he is a Christian artist--Right. Moreover, what sets Creed apart from the Christian label is that it would be difficult for a labeled Christian artist or group to sale 35 million albums in eight years, win a Grammy for Best Rock Song, spend weeks on the top 10 Billboard rock and mainstream charts, and their videos constantly being seen on VH1 and MTV, which this was all accomplished by Creed. Knowing anything about modern Christian music, even the big-ticket groups like Casting Crowns or Jars of Clays in their whole career, probably, won’t even get close to accomplishing what Creed has, and probably never will because Christian music, in general, has different goals for their music compared to most mainstream music--quality more than quanity. I said all that to say this: based on Creeds accomplishments, in no way was Creed ever a Christian band and to say they were is ridiculous and far from the truth.
Scott Stapp, singer and songwriter, of Creed once said, “When you see a cop and then later find out he is a Christian. Do you now refer to him as a Christian cop; of course not, you still call him a cop.”
Yes, I am a Christian and I believe as Christians we should not shy away from our faith, but for some odd reason that comment has always bothered me. The only thing I can gather is that in every since, not just Creed, when a band does not state or claim to be apart of any genre of music, but because of their lyrics, background, or one comment they make, the media wants to label them. Though the members of Creed did state their faith and never denied any relation in interviews. That does not mean they were a Christian band.
Can a band have Christianity as a background or write Christian/religious style lyrics and not be considered a Christian band? Yes! If lyrics can label a band, then I guess Ozzy Ozbourne is a Christian artist as well. In his song, “I Don’t Want To Stop,” Ozzy says, “So many religions/but only one God/I don’t need another Savior.” Well, I guess according to the lyrics, Ozzy believes in God and has a savior, which is probably a reference to Jesus, then I could say he is a Christian artist--Right. Moreover, what sets Creed apart from the Christian label is that it would be difficult for a labeled Christian artist or group to sale 35 million albums in eight years, win a Grammy for Best Rock Song, spend weeks on the top 10 Billboard rock and mainstream charts, and their videos constantly being seen on VH1 and MTV, which this was all accomplished by Creed. Knowing anything about modern Christian music, even the big-ticket groups like Casting Crowns or Jars of Clays in their whole career, probably, won’t even get close to accomplishing what Creed has, and probably never will because Christian music, in general, has different goals for their music compared to most mainstream music--quality more than quanity. I said all that to say this: based on Creeds accomplishments, in no way was Creed ever a Christian band and to say they were is ridiculous and far from the truth.
Scott Stapp, singer and songwriter, of Creed once said, “When you see a cop and then later find out he is a Christian. Do you now refer to him as a Christian cop; of course not, you still call him a cop.”
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3 comments:
i have heard creed was a christian band. i'm not really sure why every band has to be labled into a certain group, but if you have to put them in a group i woulden't put them into christian music. i agree with you i'm not really sure what qualifies your band as christian. it can't be lyrics. i can't be actions. scott stapp (their lead singer)was so wasted once at a show that several fans sued him because he coulden't even performe. even though most christians disagree on points: most aggree that drug abuse and alchoholism is wrong. i'm not sure how they got labled as a christian band.
AM--
Great post, and food for thought. Since Creed hit scene at a time when my musical tastes were pretty set, I didn't pay them much mind, other than having been told that they were the Christian music version of Pearl Jam (Stapp's and Vedder's voices are quite similar to my untrained ear). It is interesting to hear that they do not consider themselves as artists in the Christian music scene. I wonder where their records are sold in stores.
I'd encourage you to the band's direct web sites rather than Wikipedia entires when possible. This takes us to a more direct source (although I think the Creed milestone link is a fitting one). Also, learn the difference between "since" and "sense" and watch more possessive nouns needing apostrophes.
Stapp is an interesting character to say the least, i think he wants to bring a relevant message to the general masses without being hindered by any religious labels.
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