Not many years ago, I worked for a large, high-profile ministry in southern California. On days when my office duties slowed to a crawl, you could usually find me hanging out with the warehouse guys, listening to the high-decibel symphonic offerings of bands like Pillar, 12 Stones, and Seventh Day Slumber.

Many days, our resident computer guy, Steve (name changed to protect the guilty), would give us his usual, “You guys are going to get busted if you get caught listening to this secular junk!� Amused at his obvious ignorance, I finally offered to set him straight and let him know that these bands were, in fact, Christian. But my statement fell on deaf ears. Utilizing his vast pool of ignorance, he attempted to convince us that there was “absolutely no way this loud ruckus could possibly be pleasing to the Lord!� He didn’t succeed in changing our minds. In fact, he only succeeded in making us feel sorry for him.

Christian rock music has been such an incredible blessing in my life and it broke my heart to realize that Steve just didn’t get it. “Steve,â€? I said, “there are millions of unsaved people that listen to secular rock music. These are people that you most likely will never see sitting next you in the pews on Sunday morning. How do you suggest we reach them for Christ?â€? After a long pause, he finally replied, “Well… I don’t know.â€? Once he acknowledged that he just might be a little narrow-minded regarding Christian rock, I explained that these bands often perform in secular venues to secular crowds with secular attitudesâ€"much like Paul did during his missionary journeys. I shared with Steve that I’ve personally been an eyewitness to many lives being touched and changed through Christian rock music.

With the recent trend of bands like P.O.D. successfully touring with secular mainstreamers, the odds of an unsaved rock fan being exposed to solid, Christian rock music is growing exponentially. Even hip-hop artist, Toby Mac has been known to employ the talents of secular producers in an effort to reach a wider listening audience.
Christian rock isn’t only an evangelistic tool for the unsaved. It’s a ministering force for believers, as well. There have been countless occasions where a Spirit-filled song was the avenue that the Lord used to bring this prodigal son home.

I’m reminded of a conversation I had a few years ago with Christian rock artist, Jeremy Camp. He shared with me his surprise at how often his mission field consisted of other artists and roadies with whom he toured. He even led a backstage Bible study and witnessed several unsaved roadies coming to the Lord, as well as saved artists strengthening their walk.

I ended my conversation with Steve with a warning: “Beware: if these bands have anything to do with it, you just may find yourself sitting next to a hard core rocker in the pews one Sunday morning.�
That would be a good thing, Steve.

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