Why don't more Christian metal bands write songs like this?

StarFire wrote:

sentient 6 wrote:

StarFire wrote:Heck power metal bands always sing about dragons and wizards but the Bible speaks of giants, a world wide flood, the three horseman and war between angels and demons not to mention God countless of times delivering his people in battle.

Maybe its just me but it just seems like so many of these stories would be a perfect fit for metal.

That's what I thought was so cool about Saviour Machine's Legend series. I just feel like Christians don't always take full advantage of the inspiration that is provided in the Bible when writing songs and that there is still a lot of unexplored territory.

I'm gonna disent here a bit. I think if someone is writing songs about giants, a destructing flood, war, etc just because it sounds " metal " I think we've missed the point of these things in scripture

Hello Sentient! Nice to finally get to meet you.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I agree it shouldn't be done just because "its metal" but that's the whole reason why I think its important for believers to not neglect these scriptures. I think its the secular bands like Metallica who write songs like Creeping Death just because "its metal." I think these musicians themselves approach the Bible just like they would any mythology.

We can agree to disagree but God charged us with spreading his message and he created us to be creative musical beings to worship him and wants us to remember all of the Bible's stories whether it was how he delivered Goliath to David because of his faith or flooding the world because of man's wickedness so I really don't see the problem with bringing Bible stories to life with music then movies do. As long as they don't deviant from the original scripture and message that is. In other words all glory and praise must be given to God. Not to the people who were merely God's instruments.

NoOneIsHere wrote:

StarFire wrote:

sentient 6 wrote:

StarFire wrote:Heck power metal bands always sing about dragons and wizards but the Bible speaks of giants, a world wide flood, the three horseman and war between angels and demons not to mention God countless of times delivering his people in battle.

Maybe its just me but it just seems like so many of these stories would be a perfect fit for metal.

That's what I thought was so cool about Saviour Machine's Legend series. I just feel like Christians don't always take full advantage of the inspiration that is provided in the Bible when writing songs and that there is still a lot of unexplored territory.

I'm gonna disent here a bit. I think if someone is writing songs about giants, a destructing flood, war, etc just because it sounds " metal " I think we've missed the point of these things in scripture

Hello Sentient! Nice to finally get to meet you.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I agree it shouldn't be done just because "its metal" but that's the whole reason why I think its important for believers to not neglect these scriptures. I think its the secular bands like Metallica who write songs like Creeping Death just because "its metal." I think these musicians themselves approach the Bible just like they would any mythology.

We can agree to disagree but God charged us with spreading his message and he created us to be creative musical beings to worship him and wants us to remember all of the Bible's stories whether it was how he delivered Goliath to David because of his faith or flooding the world because of man's wickedness so I really don't see the problem with bringing Bible stories to life with music then movies do. As long as they don't deviant from the original scripture and message that is. In other words all glory and praise must be given to God. Not to the people who were merely God's instruments.

I took (and maybe I am wrong) that sentient 6 is saying that it is wrong for the floods, disasters, giants, etc etc to be the FOCUS of the songs. When those stories are told in the Bible, they are used to show judgment upon the wicked, God's mercy or God's providing deliverance. A lot of times metal bands leave that out.

At least, that's my take on it.

It would be like if I was driving drunk in a car, had a head on collision with another car, both vehicles burst into flames, but God miraculously spared both of us. Then someone took and wrote a song about JUST the fiery drunken explosion instead of talking about what God did.....lol..ok..maybe not a good example....but hey

DevZor wrote:Are people that daft that we can't glean meaning from bible stories without some sort of exposition to explain everything?

NoOneIsHere wrote:

DevZor wrote:Are people that daft that we can't glean meaning from bible stories without some sort of exposition to explain everything?

Wow...really, dude?

No one here is that "daft".... It is just a friendly discussion.

DevZor wrote:Are people that daft that we can't glean meaning from bible stories without some sort of exposition to explain everything?




I really think it's just fine to write and enjoy songs retelling the stories, history, and prophecies of the word of God like earthquakes, Giants, kingdoms, the lake of fire without having to spell out the moral of the story like the ending of an episode of veggietales.




Even some of the books of the bible aren't even packaged that neatly. The book of Ester has no type of spiritual narritive to help explain the events that are being told. It is simply the facts and the history. There is no prophet to relay God's mind to the characters in that story, the author never slips into any kind of third party omniscient to explain the thoughts and feelings of Esther or mordicai or the king... It's just telling the story. The spiritual implications street for the reader to wrestle with and entertain. 

The source material (being biblical stories )is strong enough to stand on its own, be it in stories books, comics, song, poetry without always having to become some kind of pseudo-sermon. They make great songs even if there chosen based on how well they suit the heavy metal aesthetic.

DevZor wrote:Are people that daft that we can't glean meaning from bible stories without some sort of exposition to explain everything?




I really think it's just fine to write and enjoy songs retelling the stories, history, and prophecies of the word of God like earthquakes, Giants, kingdoms, the lake of fire without having to spell out the moral of the story like the ending of an episode of veggietales.




Even some of the books of the bible aren't even packaged that neatly. The book of Ester has no type of spiritual narritive to help explain the events that are being told. It is simply the facts and the history. There is no prophet to relay God's mind to the characters in that story, the author never slips into any kind of third party omniscient to explain the thoughts and feelings of Esther or mordicai or the king... It's just telling the story. The spiritual implications street for the reader to wrestle with and entertain. 

The source material (being biblical stories )is strong enough to stand on its own, be it in stories books, comics, song, poetry without always having to become some kind of pseudo-sermon. They make great songs even if there chosen based on how well they suit the heavy metal aesthetic.

I agree entirely. Sometimes an interesting story told in a specific manner will attract interest, where a blatant morality lesson might be rejected.

I also know that you weren't calling anyone here "daft" but referring to people in general.

BearDad wrote:

DevZor wrote:Are people that daft that we can't glean meaning from bible stories without some sort of exposition to explain everything?




I really think it's just fine to write and enjoy songs retelling the stories, history, and prophecies of the word of God like earthquakes, Giants, kingdoms, the lake of fire without having to spell out the moral of the story like the ending of an episode of veggietales.




Even some of the books of the bible aren't even packaged that neatly. The book of Ester has no type of spiritual narritive to help explain the events that are being told. It is simply the facts and the history. There is no prophet to relay God's mind to the characters in that story, the author never slips into any kind of third party omniscient to explain the thoughts and feelings of Esther or mordicai or the king... It's just telling the story. The spiritual implications street for the reader to wrestle with and entertain. 

The source material (being biblical stories )is strong enough to stand on its own, be it in stories books, comics, song, poetry without always having to become some kind of pseudo-sermon. They make great songs even if there chosen based on how well they suit the heavy metal aesthetic.

I agree entirely. Sometimes an interesting story told in a specific manner will attract interest, where a blatant morality lesson might be rejected.

I also know that you weren't calling anyone here "daft" but referring to people in general.

F1R3PR00F wrote:"Father, To Where Have The Bards Gone?

messiaen77 wrote: A lot of people think it is entirely up to us to get people to understand the Gospel, when in reality it doesn't have anything to do with us.  We praise an Almighty God the Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth.  We love God the Son, conqueror of Death, Hell, and the Grave.  But in a practical sense, many of us believe God the Spirit is virtually impotent and cannot accomplish the work of God on earth and relies on us to get it done.

Grindboy wrote:

messiaen77 wrote: A lot of people think it is entirely up to us to get people to understand the Gospel, when in reality it doesn't have anything to do with us.  We praise an Almighty God the Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth.  We love God the Son, conqueror of Death, Hell, and the Grave.  But in a practical sense, many of us believe God the Spirit is virtually impotent and cannot accomplish the work of God on earth and relies on us to get it done.

Really?  Who believes this?  Would anybody raise their hand and say "Yes, this is a fair and accurate representation of my beliefs"?  If you're pointing out the dis-harmony with which you find yourself struggling in your own thoughts, prayers, and actions in an effort to be transparent and move yourself forward, then I commend you.  If this is referencing the supposed positions of others, I would suggest that it's unfair and mischaracterized.

Gandalf the White wrote:


That's why all the songs on the CCM station here in town are about the same 6 things. And why a book by a Christian author won't be sold in a Christian bookstore, unless it specifically has an unsaved person come to know Jesus in the book (as a once-aspiring author, I was shocked to find this is actually in the contract of Christian publishers).

Gandalf the White wrote:

Grindboy wrote:

messiaen77 wrote: A lot of people think it is entirely up to us to get people to understand the Gospel, when in reality it doesn't have anything to do with us.  We praise an Almighty God the Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth.  We love God the Son, conqueror of Death, Hell, and the Grave.  But in a practical sense, many of us believe God the Spirit is virtually impotent and cannot accomplish the work of God on earth and relies on us to get it done.

Really?  Who believes this?  Would anybody raise their hand and say "Yes, this is a fair and accurate representation of my beliefs"?  If you're pointing out the dis-harmony with which you find yourself struggling in your own thoughts, prayers, and actions in an effort to be transparent and move yourself forward, then I commend you.  If this is referencing the supposed positions of others, I would suggest that it's unfair and mischaracterized.

Not to speak out of turn, much less for someone else, but while I think no one would raise their hand and admit to this, I think it's a fairly accurate representation of much of Christian music (and movies, and books...).

That's why all the songs on the CCM station here in town are about the same 6 things. And why a book by a Christian author won't be sold in a Christian bookstore, unless it specifically has an unsaved person come to know Jesus in the book (as a once-aspiring author, I was shocked to find this is actually in the contract of Christian publishers).

I don't think me77 was talking about himself. I think he was pointing out that Jesus commanded us to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength but most Christian media stops us from the mind activity....

NoOneIsHere wrote:

Gandalf the White wrote:


That's why all the songs on the CCM station here in town are about the same 6 things. And why a book by a Christian author won't be sold in a Christian bookstore, unless it specifically has an unsaved person come to know Jesus in the book (as a once-aspiring author, I was shocked to find this is actually in the contract of Christian publishers).

I have bought lots of books over the years from Christian bookstores that didn't have anything to do with an unsaved person coming to know Jesus.
There was even a whole line of "Hardy Boys" type books I bought my kid one time. They didn't have unsaved people coming to know Jesus either.

I couldn't tell if you were being 100% serious about that or not. Maybe it was just that particular publisher.

Friday13th wrote:

Gandalf the White wrote:

Grindboy wrote:

messiaen77 wrote: A lot of people think it is entirely up to us to get people to understand the Gospel, when in reality it doesn't have anything to do with us.  We praise an Almighty God the Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth.  We love God the Son, conqueror of Death, Hell, and the Grave.  But in a practical sense, many of us believe God the Spirit is virtually impotent and cannot accomplish the work of God on earth and relies on us to get it done.

Really?  Who believes this?  Would anybody raise their hand and say "Yes, this is a fair and accurate representation of my beliefs"?  If you're pointing out the dis-harmony with which you find yourself struggling in your own thoughts, prayers, and actions in an effort to be transparent and move yourself forward, then I commend you.  If this is referencing the supposed positions of others, I would suggest that it's unfair and mischaracterized.

Not to speak out of turn, much less for someone else, but while I think no one would raise their hand and admit to this, I think it's a fairly accurate representation of much of Christian music (and movies, and books...).

That's why all the songs on the CCM station here in town are about the same 6 things. And why a book by a Christian author won't be sold in a Christian bookstore, unless it specifically has an unsaved person come to know Jesus in the book (as a once-aspiring author, I was shocked to find this is actually in the contract of Christian publishers).

I don't think me77 was talking about himself. I think he was pointing out that Jesus commanded us to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength but most Christian media stops us from the mind activity....

It's sad. Christian media and entertainment is a laughing stock because of it. People see Christians as scratched records with nothing interesting to say. Of course leading people to Christ should a priority in our lives, but a work of art is not about repackaging the same snippet of the Bible a million times and hoping it gains power through repetition. Let the Bible be the Bible and let a song from a Christian perspective be a song from a Christian perspective. It's as if every Picasso painting had big letters written "THINK ABSTRACT!!! CUBES ARE COOOOL!!!" 

The problem I see is we're not bringing up intelligent questions and letting the listener/reader/viewer connect the dots. Which of the following do you enjoy more: a documentary listing the possible mishaps that could happen to an astronaut in space, or a movie like Gravity that ENGAGES YOU WITH VIVID EXAMPLES AND MAKES YOU THINK A LITTLE! Even if it's not 100% correct, it's good because it makes you think and draws your attention to questions you otherwise wouldn't have thought of. I'd say only like 5% of non-believers who turn on K-LOVE and hear "JESUS SAVES YOU FROM YOUR SINS" didn't know that's what Christians believe. It can be said so many times with no context that it will just be another "yada-yada" to a non-believer. The very thing we're trying to accomplish is being sabotaged. 

That's why I like when secular bands use the Bible. As long as it's not purposefully twisted or dramatically different than the correct interpretation, we're seeing non believers reading the Bible and thinking about it! It's not about slapping a sticker of John 3:16 on everything, it's about understanding the big picture. They're getting one step closer to figuring it out. Sure, Metallica probably thought "Creeping Death" sounded really   , but they clearly had to have studied it to know where the land of Goshen is. I also think it sounds really   and I also hear a great lesson about God's wrath on the stubborn. Or should we just keep the Bible only for ourselves who understand it fully? 

Friday13th wrote:

Gandalf the White wrote:

Grindboy wrote:

messiaen77 wrote: A lot of people think it is entirely up to us to get people to understand the Gospel, when in reality it doesn't have anything to do with us.  We praise an Almighty God the Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth.  We love God the Son, conqueror of Death, Hell, and the Grave.  But in a practical sense, many of us believe God the Spirit is virtually impotent and cannot accomplish the work of God on earth and relies on us to get it done.

Really?  Who believes this?  Would anybody raise their hand and say "Yes, this is a fair and accurate representation of my beliefs"?  If you're pointing out the dis-harmony with which you find yourself struggling in your own thoughts, prayers, and actions in an effort to be transparent and move yourself forward, then I commend you.  If this is referencing the supposed positions of others, I would suggest that it's unfair and mischaracterized.

Not to speak out of turn, much less for someone else, but while I think no one would raise their hand and admit to this, I think it's a fairly accurate representation of much of Christian music (and movies, and books...).

That's why all the songs on the CCM station here in town are about the same 6 things. And why a book by a Christian author won't be sold in a Christian bookstore, unless it specifically has an unsaved person come to know Jesus in the book (as a once-aspiring author, I was shocked to find this is actually in the contract of Christian publishers).

I don't think me77 was talking about himself. I think he was pointing out that Jesus commanded us to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength but most Christian media stops us from the mind activity....

It's sad. Christian media and entertainment is a laughing stock because of it. People see Christians as scratched records with nothing interesting to say. Of course leading people to Christ should a priority in our lives, but a work of art is not about repackaging the same snippet of the Bible a million times and hoping it gains power through repetition. Let the Bible be the Bible and let a song from a Christian perspective be a song from a Christian perspective. It's as if every Picasso painting had big letters written "THINK ABSTRACT!!! CUBES ARE COOOOL!!!" 

The problem I see is we're not bringing up intelligent questions and letting the listener/reader/viewer connect the dots. Which of the following do you enjoy more: a documentary listing the possible mishaps that could happen to an astronaut in space, or a movie like Gravity that ENGAGES YOU WITH VIVID EXAMPLES AND MAKES YOU THINK A LITTLE! Even if it's not 100% correct, it's good because it makes you think and draws your attention to questions you otherwise wouldn't have thought of. I'd say only like 5% of non-believers who turn on K-LOVE and hear "JESUS SAVES YOU FROM YOUR SINS" didn't know that's what Christians believe. It can be said so many times with no context that it will just be another "yada-yada" to a non-believer. The very thing we're trying to accomplish is being sabotaged. 

That's why I like when secular bands use the Bible. As long as it's not purposefully twisted or dramatically different than the correct interpretation, we're seeing non believers reading the Bible and thinking about it! It's not about slapping a sticker of John 3:16 on everything, it's about understanding the big picture. They're getting one step closer to figuring it out. Sure, Metallica probably thought "Creeping Death" sounded really   , but they clearly had to have studied it to know where the land of Goshen is. I also think it sounds really   and I also hear a great lesson about God's wrath on the stubborn. Or should we just keep the Bible only for ourselves who understand it fully? 

Neal Morse Code wrote:+1 trillion

Neal Morse Code wrote:+1 trillion

Friday13th wrote:

Metallica probably thought "Creeping Death" sounded really   , but they clearly had to have studied it to know where the land of Goshen is. I also think it sounds really   and I also hear a great lesson about God's wrath on the stubborn. Or should we just keep the Bible only for ourselves who understand it fully?