A People Christian

Today at lunch, one Mr. Bob R. came up with an interesting remark that, while made half jokingly, was a good thought nonetheless.

When did “Christian” become an adjective?

The conversation began with Bob critically remarking that he didn’t know what Christian music was, and particularly when taking into account the way the music industry works, with bands and record labels being in the business of making money.

Suggestions ranged on what, exactly, you do with the category of Christian music, especially as many genres fit into that umbrella term…and as a result, one can’t really say that Christian Music is a particular genre. Punk, rock, country, ska (yes, ska), cheese rock, etc. have all been adopted and used in the Christian Music scene. Thus, when someone says they like Christian music, you can’t assume he or she is a huge fan of a particular “sound.”

Then, of course, is Topher’s suggestion of JPMs, otherwise known as the number of times Jesus is mentioned in a song, or the “Jesus Per Minute” factor.

So, if I write a song, and declare myself Christian, does that mean I am a member of a Christian band that then gets put into the Christian music scene?

If you hunt around and wind up on wikipedia, you can get them to define Christian Music for you. The simple version of it is “Christian music is music created by or adapted for the Christian church.” If you want the full description click here. Using that simple definition, anyone who goes out, with the intention of creating music meant to be lifted up or presented to God, could be put in that category. As such, I could take a “secular” song and play it to or for God (thus adapting it for the Christian C/church) and I have transformed it into Christian Music.

I have to admit, I like that idea, as it rings true of our own selves. We are made of this earth but can be transformed into bodies living our lives for Christ.

But there are a couple of issues that still present themselves.

The first is that by and large, the above definition is a bit broad and doesn’t really get to the heart of what Bob was asking. I think the music we were talking about is more specifically CONTEMPORARY Christian Music. Wikipedia is helpful there, too, I guess: “Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM) is a classification of Christian music as well as popular music in general. It is not a musical style or genre, as it refers to several types of music. Instead, it is called ‘contemporary’ because it is distinct from traditional and southern gospel music. It is called ‘Christian’ ‘on account of a perceived connection to what [self-identified fans of CCM] regard as Christianity.’” (Again, for the full article, click here.) The result here is that there is a general collective throwing music into categories. And, what I consider to be Christian may not be what you consider to be Christian. I'll take a risk here and offer up Pedro the Lion as an example. Now, from what I know, many people consider this man/group to be a Christian band. But, if you do some listening, you'll hear the occasional "cuss" word. I think that's great, and I don't want to berrate the assumed status of a band for that reason (after all, I know many Christians who identify themselves as such and cuss on a regular basis). But, there are many who refuse to see Pedro the Lion as a Christian artist because of this fact. So, at the very least, there is a gray area.

The second is that we haven’t touched the adjectival use of Christian. To be honest, it isn’t something that I have really ever given thought to until the past couple of weeks, especially when thinking about a Bible Study that looks at how we might exploit Christianity by attaching the name to businesses, music, or industry in general. After watching The Corporation I’ve kind of had this on my brain a lot recently.

The practical eventuality here, for me, is that I end up feeling guilty for not supporting something Christian, or I feel that I should prefer something that is Christian just because that designation is given to it. All things being equal (price especially) when I have to choose between a place called Bob’s Auto Place or Christian Auto Place, I am indeed more likely to go to the Christian place.

But, I think most people know that just because a person calls him- or herself a Christian doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she can be trusted to keep something in confidence, refrain from gossiping, and in general refrain from sinning any more than the rest of us. One would think, then, that a business with a Christian title would fall into that same pitfall. That is especially true, one might think, when thinking about the end goals inherent in these two enterprises: Christianity and business. The goal of one (in a sense) is to be a servant and to shine God’s love and seek God's will while the end goal of the other is to make a profit.

I don’t mean to suggest that any and/or every business out there, or its owner(s), are actually wolves in sheep’s clothing, hiding behind the Christian name while taking advantage of the unwitting customer. But I do think that when one puts the Christian title up on a billboard and associates it with their business, they are in fact making a BIG statement. But maybe the problem is that they don’t think they are making a big statement at all.

Should I walk around each day wearing a T-shirt that says CHRISTIAN on it? And if I did, should you trust that it is true? And even if I made a big effort with my actions, does that mean that everything I do should be toted as an example of model Christianity? There’s only one person I know of that could carry that burden.

In the end, this discussion has wavered back and forth from the original question: when did “Christian” become an adjective?

Since when does one describe oneself as a “Christian” person? Is the problem in that description the same one inherent in trying to define Christian Music? Is it the same issue as a business claiming it is a Christian business? As Bob said at lunch, “If Christian isn’t an adjective, then it should mean the same thing when I refer to that as a Christian magazine and then call it a magazine Christian.”

So we coined a new phrase, and it is sweeping the nation (and when I say "sweeping the nation I mean that probably no one will ever use it). No longer are we a Christian people. Instead we are a People Christian. I am a Man Christian. She is a Woman Christian. Perhaps it is we that should be striving to mold ourselves to what Christianity is, rather than Christianity describing what we claim to be.

We could only hope our lives and our very beings would be an accurate adjective for that holy word.