Music Religion

Rapture Ready-Approved Christian Rock

As a follow-up to Aaron’s excellent post the other day, William Writes alerted me that […]

David Zahl / 5.15.08

As a follow-up to Aaron’s excellent post the other day, William Writes alerted me that Daniel Radosh, author of Rapture Ready, recently posted an annotated playlist of his favorite Christian rock songs on the NY Times blog. His introduction was particularly good:

“This is a list of 10 great Christian rock songs. Really. I know what you’re thinking. I’m a secular Jew who always took it for granted that Christian rock stinks. Indeed, until a couple of years ago I knew virtually nothing about Christian rock except that it stinks. But after spending time inside the “evangelical bubble” I had to admit I was mistaken. It turns out there’s Christian music that never gets played on those radio stations you accidentally stumble across on road trips — and that doesn’t reduce all expressions of faith to crass evangelism, anodyne praise, or crypto-romance.”

The list (“Ten Great Christian Rock Songs. Really”) could use some work but isn’t that bad:

1. Larry Norman – Why Don’t You Look into Jesus?
2. Sixpence None the Richer – Kiss Me
3. Over the Rhine – Born
4. Bob Dylan – Every Grain of Sand
5. The 77s – The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes and the Pride of Life
6. Pedro the Lion – Rapture
7. mewithoutYou – Nice and Blue (part 2)
8. Jonathan Rundman – My Apology
9. Vigilantes of Love – You Know That
10. Andy Hunter – Come On

You can stream it here.

So what’s he missing? I’ll work on a playlist, if you will… And speaking of Larry Norman, I’m excited for the anthology coming out on Arena Rock(!) later this month.