 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
| Christian punk | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1980s, United Kingdom and United States |
| Derivative forms | Christian alternative rock |
| Subgenres | |
| Christian hardcore | |
| Other topics | |
Christian punk is a form ofChristian music and asubgenre ofpunk rock which contain Christian lyrical content. Much disagreement persists about the boundaries of the subgenre, and the extent that their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies among bands. For example,the Crucified explicitly rejected the classification of "Christian punk" while staying within theChristian music industry.[1]
Given the nature of punk and some of its subgenres, such ashardcore punk, many bands have been rejected by the Christian andCCM industry. Christian punk has been deemed novel in that it "seeks authenticity in two differently organized and orientated cultures: secular punk on the one hand and Evangelical youth culture and CCM on the other".[2] Some bands generally avoid specific mention ofGod orJesus; likewise some bands may specifically reject the CCM label or express disdain for that niche of the music industry. For example,Ninety Pound Wuss vocalistJeff Suffering said about the breakup of the band in 2000, "...[N]obody wanted to continue playing in [the] "Christian" music industry."[3]
It has been noted that "measured purely by record sales, Christian punk dwarfs all other religious contributions to the genre". Certain individual Christian punk bands outsold the entire market for the next-largest religious punk genre,Krishnacore.[4]
Christian punk originated in the 1980spunk rock scene. The genre has obscure origins. The rise of theJesus Movement and its cultural institutions, such asJesus People USA (JPUSA), served as an incubator for various Christiansubcultures including punk, in part through JPUSA's label Grrr Records and their annual music festival Cornerstone also referred to as a type of "Christian Woodstock."Crashdog is one characteristically punk band that was rooted in JPUSA.[5] In the 1980s, many bands performed atChuck Smith'sCalvary Chapel in Orange County California. One popular band within that scene wasUndercover, who proclaimed that "God Rules", with a combination ofrockabilly andhardcore punk elements. Other notable early Christian punk bands includedNobody Special,the Crucified,Scaterd Few,Lust Control andOne Bad Pig.
During the 1990s, the underground Christian punk scene grew as bands such asGhoti Hook,Squad Five-O,the Huntingtons,Slick Shoes,Dogwood,Pocket Change,Officer Negative,Blaster the Rocket Man andHeadnoise influenced many of their peers and paved the way for many bands to follow.
In the 21st century, developments in Christian punk have paralleled the broader punk scene. Band such asRelient K,Hawk Nelson,FM Static,Flatfoot 56,Stellar Kart, andThis Providence gained popularity with more mainstream audiences.
Fashion is similar to normalpunk fashion, but features Christian symbols such as the ChristianIchthys, thecross,crown of thorns, the JCHC symbol, and similar symbols.Chi Rho is a popular symbol amongst moreanarcho-Christian bands, such asThe Psalters.[6] In Europe the most used symbol is a modifiedanarchy symbol made up of the Greek charactersA andΩ.[citation needed] These two Greek letters, "Alpha" and "Omega" (the beginning and end of the Greek alphabet), are taken fromRevelation 1:8 and when used together in Christian art symbolize that God is eternal, omnipresent, and the giver and taker of life. The symbol is a visual play on theanarchy symbol but with a different meaning and intent.
Elements ofanti-authoritarianism within thepunk subculture and inChristianity include challenging the uncritical acceptance ofsocial norms in the church and the world. One illustration of this is seen in the concept of "anticonformity", which can be seen in Christian punk music, including the song "Anticonformity" byKrystal Meyers. Within this perspective, the Christian's view of anticonformity is different from the punk view. The Christian's reason for anticonformity is found in the BiblicalEpistle to the Romans: "Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed."Popular culture is also commented on, or satirized by, Christian punk bands. One ofRelient K's most popular songs from their self-titled debut album, "My Girlfriend", contained the line, "Marilyn Manson ate my girlfriend."Calibretto 13 wrote songs critical ofMTV, such as "Why Can't I Be on MTV?" and conformity, as in "Sheep of the USA".The Deadlines, likewise, parodiedhorror film themes on their albumThe Death and Life Of.... One analysis notes that the "Evangelical authenticity of Christian punk is also predicated on the same anticommercialism of secular punk", which is "not a total rejection of commerce, but an insistence that the music and its spiritual sentiments supersede the profit".[2]
Detractors, however, view punk as anti-religious. Adherence to the practice of Christianity (or any religion, established or not) is, by definition, conformity to rules set forth by someone other than the individual for themself. Because punk is ideologically nihilistic, many view "Christian Punk" as an oxymoron and view it simply as a subgenre of Christian rock and completely separate from punk rock; although Christian punk appropriated punk sound and fashion, no other similarities exist and the two genres have completely isolated origins. Followers of Christian Punk tend to cite punk's individualistic values and argue that punk ideology does not preclude critical and non-dogmatic religious belief.
Some Christian Punks also do not agree with, or are very critical of, organized religion. They say that real Christianity is not just a religion because it's not supposed to be about rituals and rules; attacking these notions oflegalism is a common theme in Christian punk lyrics, especially with older Christian punk bands, such asNobody Special,Ninety Pound Wuss,Scaterd Few, andOne Bad Pig. They believe true Christianity is arelationship with Jesus Christ, not necessarily a religion. Many Christian Punks are against religion like other Punks, yet they are strongly in support of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, separate from rules and tradition. This idea gave rise to Christian punk's term "JCHC", meaning "Jesus Christ Hard Core", which draws its name from anOfficer Negative song of the same name.
Punk rock has strong ties toanarchism and, arguably, withMarxism. Christian punks are not a subculture of Marxism or a form ofanarchy orcommunism, but a subculture with both Christian and punk affiliations. This belief was often held by extremeconservatives during the 1970s and 1980s, however, this was primarily used because of the clash between theKing-James-Only Movement and theJesus Movement. Evangelists such asJimmy Swaggart associated theJesus Movement andChristian rock in general as anti-Christian.
The majority of Christian punk bands do not espouse anarchy or communism;Officer Negative's logo is a parody of theCircle-A commonly associated with anarchism. Many Christian punk bands, especially pop-punk bands such asRelient K,FM Static, andMxPx, have very few songs about political topics; others, most notably older bands, contain strongly political lyrics in many of their songs. Political Christian punk bands come from a variety of areas on thepolitical spectrum.The Psalters, who openly advocate the ideas ofanarcho-primitivism,liberation theology andChristian anarchism, are Christians who believe God is the only true authority.Showbread (band) have spoken in favor ofanarcho-pacifism,Christian anarchism andanti-patriotism as well. Some politicized Christian punk bands are also socialists.Crashdog operated a section of their website devoted to political issues and candidates that they supported, such as former United StatesGreen Party presidential candidateRalph Nader and varioushuman rights causes.[7] Crashdog disbanded in the late 1990s to startBallydowse, a more political band which also took strong stances on human rights issues.[8]
Other Christian punk bands take more conservative stances.Calibretto 13's song "America", from their albumAdventures in Tokyo, expressed the band's displeasure with America's moral decline. Christian punk bands are also often vocal againstabortion in their songs.Rock for Life categorizes bands based on their advocacy for or against abortion; they include many Christian punk bands, such asDogwood,Flatfoot 56, Relient K, and One-21, on their list.[9]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
