When I was a child I loved listening to Christian music. Rich Mullins was always my favorite, but I have to admit that I also loved Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, and even [gasp] Carman!

And then I “grew up.”

My musical tastes grew more refined, and I saw how ridiculous some of these musicians really were. Why would anyone ever voluntarily listen to a song like Carman’s “The Champion?” Didn’t Mr. Chapman understand how silly he was trying to rap? And Smitty…wow…shouldn’t he have retired a long time ago?!

When we get older our choices in music and art do change, but I’m sad to say that I bought into what many other Christians my age were doing. A lot of Christian music was and still is derivative, that’s true. And I do get sad when I see talented musicians who believe in Christ mimicking either the world’s taste in music and art or, perhaps even worse, what they believe Christians want to hear. There’s nothing wrong with constructive criticism and informed opinion.

But I was wrong to mock, even silently, and disregard the music I loved as a child. That music watered the seeds of my own faith, and I should find joy that I had parents who encouraged it and that I had a desire to immerse myself in Christ-oriented things.

So I’m a little more tolerant than I used to be of Christian music, which is a good thing since every other station in the United States seems to play Christian songs. I still get frustrated with some of the cheesy lyrics, the lack of originality, or how a lot of Christian music doesn’t seem to address real-life issues, but there’s also a lot of good stuff out there. More than there was 20 years ago.

And I don’t know about Carman, but Smitty and Stephen Curtis Chapman are still putting out good work. I only heard the song above (“Yours,” by Stephen Curtis Chapman) a few weeks ago for the first time, although I believe it came out in 2008. But it almost makes me feel like a kid again, getting excited about a song and even broadening my vision for life and ministry.

So I hope these guys keep writing music for the rest of their lives and encouraging believers to think outside the streets of their town.

And I’ll try to remember that God can use it all for His glory!