Editorial: Whose Label do We Use?

Change is in the air. Literally.

Thanks to a tender request from a prospective student's parent and subsequent action from a number of current students, the sub-terrainian Northlawn dining hall will now strictly be playing WEMC. With its mission running parallel to EMU's, it is a safe choice for the school - especially with last semester's removal of the "activist and polarizing" program Democracy Now!

Why the request to change the programming? Despite the fact that the FCC prohibits broadcasting "obscene speech" as defined by an "average person in a community," apparently some persons felt that the music played on a local pop station was counter to EMU's Christian values. These people felt that a Christian institution ought to broadcast Christian music - perhaps rightly so.

This raises a significant question. What exactly is Christian music? Some might define it as "music which glorifies the Lord." Others may define it as "music which does not draw one further away from Christ." Though well-intentioned, these popular definitions seem restricting, exclusive, and dividing. There are those who only listen to "Christian" music and those who only listen to secular music. It's black and white.

Why the great divide? Why must all Christian music explicitly glorify Christ by saying "glorify Christ?" And subsequently, why must music which doesn't explicitly profess Christ be excluded? It's time for integration!

Eliminating the genre altogether has numerous benefits. First of all, it would be consistent with how nearly all other music is classified. Browsing through a record store reveals classifications such as rock, pop, indie, classical, and world, not atheist or republican. Secondly, it would open up Christian artists to some much needed competition. No longer could artists seek protection in a secluded market segment.

Finally, it would allow music that does not literally "praise Jesus" to be considered Christian, permitting many Christians to find God in the beauty and sublety of what is now considered the "secular world of music."