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Southern Gospel vs. Christian Alternative
Dawn Whitmore - Guest Writer
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At least once a week I receive a complaint along the lines of “How can you play that music? It is not Christian!” There are many different genres of Christian music, but when the artist is wearing a T-shirt and his hair touches his shoulders, the complaining starts. The complainer never wants to remember that Jesus had long hair. Two of the most heavily debated genres of music within their own culture are Christian Alternative and Southern Gospel music. Many people feel that if the music is not the genre the listener enjoys it is not Christian. This is a very closed minded view. We are not robots and we have different likes and dislikes. I personally do not care for the singsong, harmonious style of Southern Gospel, but would not tell anyone who enjoys Southern Gospel it is not Christian music. So, it gets a little irritating when people want to tell me that the music I listen to and enjoy is not Christian, because it does not fit a standard the listener has set.

The lyrics in both genres have the main focus of glorifying God, but handle it in different manners. Southern Gospel music talks about heaven and God where, Christian Alternative Rock music talks to God not about Him. Christian Alternative Rock also deals with sin, repentance, redemption, temptation and surrender. A line from Bill Gaither, a well-known Southern Gospel singer, and the Vocal Band’s “Singing with the Saints” says:

For an end it all celebration
To begin eternity
With a righteous congregation,
This world's comin' to an end
And it won't be long;
The party's gonna' start
And go on and on and on.

Now let’s take a look at what a person hears when listening to Jeremy Camp’s “Take My Life”:

Laying it all down before my king

Offering all my everything

Laying it down before the one I serve

I can understand the reasons why you came on this earth to die

And now I give it all to you

Take my life

Take my mind

Take my soul

Take my will

I am yours now and I give it all to you

As can be clearly seen in the above lyrics, “Take My Life” is about surrender and relationship with Jesus now, not when we get to heaven. The problem comes when people hear the music. It does not sound like what the listener is used to hearing from the hymn books at his/her church. This music has drums, bass and electric guitars not just a piano or organ so, some listeners automatically write-off this style of music.

One would expect the main focus of the listeners to be the same, but it is not. A Southern Gospel listener is looking for stories and evangelistic songs where Christian Alternative listeners are looking for an intimate worship experience. The listeners even look differently Southern Gospel listeners normally are 35+ and most Christian Alternative Rock listeners are 18-35 years old. Both groups of listeners want to know God more intimately, but have different ways of receiving what they are looking for.

Artist image is a big thing in the music world and much money goes into the image of an artist in the secular market. This is not so in the Christian market. Ask a group of people what comes to mind when thinking of Southern gospel artist and the first image that pops into most minds is a clean cut, formal, suit-wearing men and women in old-style dresses. A completely contrasting image comes to mind for the Alternative artist. These artists are casual; normally wearing jeans, T-shirts with Christian sayings and longer or wilder hairstyles than one would ever see a Southern Gospel artist sporting. Remember, God is a diverse God and did not create us to be robots.

Attend a concert of each genre and one would walk away seeing many differences all surrounded around one main focus, Jesus. At Southern Gospel Concerts the slant is more of an evangelistic one, even though the Christian Alternative concert also wants to be evangelistic. A Christian Alternative concert also focuses on the attendees who are already believers; therefore a worship focus is also present. At the Southern Gospel concert the attendee would sit in their seat during the whole concert. This attendee is also dressed in what he/she considers appropriate attire, suits and dresses. Reverence is a big thing at a Southern Gospel concert. An attendee at the Christian Alternative would experience people on their feet, going up to the stage, and raising hands in worship during the Christian Alternative Concert. The dress of the attendee would be more casual compared to the Southern Gospel attendee.

No, matter where your likes and dislikes may lie whether, your cup of tea is the singsong, harmonious style of Southern Gospel or the drums and beat of Christian Alternative Rock. Do not forget the main focus is to glorify God. Our challenge is to remember that God did not create robots and He is a God of diversity even in styles of music.