Singing/Songwriting

I wanted to make some comments on the link I posted last night Best song about God that probably isn't.

Mainly, I am refering to the comment by Pei Yusei which says,

"The whole art in songwriting is to create something that captures human emotion/longing at some deeper level, which is what separates poets from everybody else in society. It's not just anyone that has the talent to take a look at just regular, everyday life and come up with beautiful ways of characterizing it: seeing both the hope and the despair that characterizes all human existence. The problem with contemporary Christian music is that they don't care about any of that . . .Personally, I don't think 'Christian' music in itself should exist, as if there is some invisible, God-ordained barrier separating what is Christian from what isn't."

As someone who enjoys singing and writing songs, I found these words addressed things I myself have wondered about. As a Christian who is a singer/songwriter it almost seems as if you are expected to write Christian music. For a while that is all I would write--mainly slow thoughtful songs about suffering in this life and turning to God. As I become more aware of the beauty that exists in the world, as found in other places besides the Christian bubble so to speak, I began to want to write differently. I wanted my true feelings to be expressed. Not that my songs of God and for God were not brought about my true emotion, but I wanted the freedom to sing about love that wasn't just of the Lord, or of pain and stuggles that don't end in the Christian solution of "but then I found You, Lord". I want my songs to speak the truth of God, but maybe in not as many words. This is a hard balance. I therefore have been pursuing a different writing style, but I still stuggle with the issue of Christian music and Non-Christian music. I used to look down on artists that were Christians but didn't make bold Christ statements...and now, I seem to want to become one of them. Funny eh?