I have tried to follow the magazine Christianity Today (CT), but every other time I read an article there it seems like it is written either from a secular standpoint or by someone who might not be a Christian. Really nice image being portrayed by a so-called Christian magazine…
Case and point, the editors just came out with their 2012 CT Music Awards. I love Christian music, so I was excited to see check out the top Christian artists of the year. But the top 12 albums of the year include names like Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Rait, and Bob Dylan.
Most of the names there are secular with the blasphemous Springsteen leading the pack. His famous concert tirades mocking Christians and mocking God are now being rewarded by CT with a top 12 status! Reformed rapper Lecrae somehow made it at the bottom of the list. 🙂 This is the explanation for their choices:
“Our annual best albums list includes the usual mix of clearly Christian and “secular” music. The loosely defined criteria for making the cut is essentially this: The album should indicate some sort of spiritual search, a quest for life’s meaning. Sometimes the music comes from an orthodox Christian worldview, and sometimes not.”
It is no longer about a quest for the God revealed in the Bible… the Bible that Christians from Christianity Today should believe as God’s inerrant and infallible Word. It is now about “some sort of spiritual search.” Is Christianity now reduced to Universalism?
This is just a symptom of the counterfeit Christianity prevalent in CT.
CT’s stance on homosexuality is readily apparent by the large amount of articles with relatively friendly positions toward the gay agenda. They frequently include topics on gay membership in church and ordination of gays in ministry.
They have previously endorsed a definition of marriage as that being between a man and a woman, but with lukewarm stipulations: “Far more than the protection of the legal definition of marriage, our society needs a fresh understanding of marriage.” A fresh understanding? Really? I guess what Moses wrote in Genesis and what Paul and Peter write in the New Testament about marriage is too old fashion.
The Bible calls on believers to separate themselves from the world, because as Jesus said even though we are in the world we are “not of the world.” We cannot follow CT’s example in endorsing positions that require us to have to serve two masters. Since Dylan is on their top 12 list maybe they should listen to his song “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Since Paul quotes a pagan poet in Acts 17, I will quote Dylan here to prove this point:
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
The words of apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6 ring truer then ever in this era when the church is increasingly mixing with the world:
“14…For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God”
I question if Christianity Today is really Christian.
Delight in Truth 
for some organizations and for some people, the need to be relevant in a secular society supersedes the need to be ambassadors of Christ. Even if the intentions are good they contradict Jesus’s command to be light and salt to the world.
CT has been a problem for me for a while now… They are very ecumenical in their coverage, clearly not evangelical. They may have the entire spectrum of “Christianity” there from Catholicism to Orthodoxism, Anglicanism, Protestantism… That is the only explanation for some of the editorial views they have.
I like to recommend Christian Post for a more Protestant/Evangelical take. Russel D Moore and John Piper, as well as many other reformed and evangelicals are regular contributors there.
This is a great point you bring up. It is noteworthy to mention that even some widely accepted Christian artists gear their music towards a secular audience as well. There seems to be quite a bit of blind acceptance as to what constitutes “Christian music.”
Some popular artists categorized in the Christian genre have tried to include a larger audience by writing lyrics that are very general or inspirational without giving glory to God. One song I can think of is Staci Orrico’s “More To Life,” which garnered the attention of secular and Christian radio stations alike.
Even Carrie Underwood is considered a Christian artist, but if her scantily clad performance ensembles are any indication as to her knowledge of modesty, I’d say she’s lacking. She should not be considered an acceptable Christian role model, no matter how catchy her “Jesus, take the wheel” song is.
Every bible believing Christian should critically filter the music they allow in to their ears. Regardless of who sings it, if it doesn’t honor God, it is honoring something or someone else.
Great post, very thought provoking!
Excellent points on the ‘crossover’ movement in Christian music. This was very pronounced in the 1990’s when it was pioneered by Amy Grant and Michael W Smith. Since then Michael W Smith has repented 🙂 and come back… we’re still waiting for Amy Grant…
There are many immature Christians who listen to secular music, and I think that is a symptom of a greater problem in their lives. It may be that Christ is not at the center of their universe, unfortunately. I hope I am wrong on this.
Thank you for the input.
We have to look at the name “Christianity TODAY”… so they are reflecting today’s christianity …If they would do otherwise they should name themselves something like “Christianity Yesterday” or “Christianity one hundred years ago” or maybe “Biblical Christianity”.
Perfect name for what they represent …..
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