You Will be as Gods

I have a real beef with "Christian" music artists. Don't think that this is fundamentalist talk. I have no problem with music that is honoring to God, even when it is put in a rapid tempo and accompanied with an electric guitar. My problem is the artists themselves, at least what they look like in their promo shots.

Take this picture. If you look at the band, what do you see? Most likely you see pride (the angle of the camera makes them look superior to us--and even looking down at us!), the hardness of gangsters, and a foreboding darkness that casts an ominous gloom over everything. These are hardly Christian virtues.

I have no clue what Decyfer Down's lyrics are like. (I do know something of Skillet as they were one of my preferred bands in high school--though I admit that that was a while ago! I am happy to say that their words often moved me to worship). But even if their songs were on the level of David's psalms, their front preaches a completely different message.

I understand that the cover of an album and promo's like this aid the sales process. A kid randomly flipping through the stack at the local Christian book store, will say "Hey, these guys look cool!" and buy the CD. But this sort of marketing strategy appeals to what is base in humanity. Moreover, it is a form of false teaching: The kid who sees these god-like figures will not walk away thinking about meekness and gentleness.

Nor should we overlook the direct call to worship that this image makes. It beckons us to praise, not the Triune God who fashioned us, but mere men who have made themselves greater than they are.