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*insert a flame war about DC Talk's music*

kk, we can lock the thread now.

Quote from: Alex_Olijar on August 02, 2010, 11:33:41 AM

*insert a flame war about DC Talk's music*

kk, we can lock the thread now.

They weren't afraid of proclaiming Jesus as your savior.  Anyone got a problem with that?

It's a question of resources.

Example: listen to Switchfoot's Learning to Breathe.  The most successful album to that point (Grammy-nominated gold record) by a talented and successful Christian band on a Christian label, produced by one of the best minds in the sub-industry, Charlie Peacock.

Now listen to The Beautiful Letdown.  Same band (although I'll entertain arguments that adding that Mortal guy is a contributing factor), signed to a major label and using their resources and their production staff.  It's like night and day.

It's the same reason companies like WotC and Decipher and Upper Deck can release two to four sets per year of their headline card games, and Redemption releases one set per year.  WotC has WotC money and WotC staff, while Rob essentially runs the company with the help of his family and dedicated volunteers.

In terms of effort and results, I think there is a lot to be said for what Christian independents accomplish with their music and their films and their games and so forth, given what they have to work with.  But in terms of the quality of the final product, I think the disparity of available resources becomes apparent, in addition to the fact that the secular markets have a broader pool to choose from, and thus will tend to attract a higher percentage of elevated talent and innovative ideas.

^Very yes, I understand all that.  However, the Bible says that we should be making the gentiles jealous.

Quote from: SomeKittens on August 02, 2010, 06:35:14 PM

^Very yes, I understand all that.  However, the Bible says that we should be making the gentiles jealous.

Before you do that, you have to excel at what you do.  That's why I mentioned Phil Keaggy; he is the one who grabbed the attention of one Jimi Hendrix back when he was still playing with Glass Harp.  And there is no shortage of famous Christians throughout history: athletes, scientists, mathematicians, composers, kings and heads of state... I'm mostly referring to a rather narrow branch of the entertainment industry that has really only developed in the last 50-100 years, which is always looking for the shiny new thing and which is often targeted at teens and young adults who have disposable income and a healthy disrespect for authority fueling their tastes.  Art is a reflection of a society and its values, but in America it is also a sort of fashion industry, and it's difficult to be trendy or counter-cultural when espousing 10,000-year-old values to a disillusioned populace that sees cynics and hypocrites at every turn.  It's kind of an uphill battle even to be noticed, much less to attract the best talent in that environment.