Taking Christian Metal to the next level

Hosting my show The Anvil has gotten me thinking about something God has laid on my heart. I've met a lot of cool people and been turned onto a lot of awesome bands thru The Anvil and forums such as CHM. Here's my dilemma: it seems that for the most part Christian Metal reaches only Christians. Don't get me wrong cuz it's awesome that we have a metal scene that we can be a part of as an alternative to the secular scene. I just don't want to feel like I'm part of a "Christians Only Metal Club". The Great Commission is to go out into all the world and preach the gospel. My question is how do we get this music out to the unsaved metal community? There's a lost and dying world out there that needs Jesus. Most of our metal brethren will not step foot in a church. So how do we get this music out to the people who need to hear it?  I'm not just talking about The Anvil bit all of us in the scene. How can we as The Christian Metal Community use this music God has given us and compel them to come in?

Most of what we can do would be through word of mouth and personal relationships.  Oh, I am not talking about the bands themselves as they are busy and possibly touring all over the place.  Having that many close relationships would not be possible.

If WE the fans were to build relationships with other metalheads and perhaps give them free CDs once and a while, we might could get the message out to more people.  At the same time, it might win us a chance to actually tell someone about Jesus. 

I've been reading this topic at the CMR, and mostly I agree with their feelings, though.  To be an effective witness, we need to stop watering down the message.  However, when we do that, the masses are going to reject Christian metal because they want nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity.  If you water the message down so that it is palatable to the masses but Christians can still assign a little message that only we understand like so many modern rock bands have done, then the music and ministry becomes ineffective.

I think what we can do as metal community is to befriend fellow metal heads. Don't over spiritualize. Just talk to them about the different bands. But more important just show them Jesus Love!

Sometimes it is hard to really be friends with other metalheads if you don't listen to non-Christian music.  I don't know what's popular and haven't kept up with the old bands I used to love.  Conversations with other rockers, to me, come off as one-sided as I can really only speak about those things I know.  That still turns most rockers I've encountered off as I don't know what Kiss or Motley Crue have done over the years.  I don't know the big names in metal anymore, either.  And, lastly, I can't stand the metalcore scene, so I really can't speak to young kids about that either.  I've tried.  While people think it's cool that you play and love heavy music, they soon get bored with the conversation is talk about the Christian bands you like without being able to speak to them about the ones they like.

Sometimes listeners to only secular rock doesn't understand why you are listening to Christian hard rock bands.
I've no idea anymore what are populair bands in the secular hard rock.