Do you remember?

The times when you discovered the Christian rock music instead of you secular music?
What were the bands you listened to when you quit to listen to your secular music?
Do you still listen to that old bands of years and years ago?
Or your musical taste has changed and you listen to other christian music?
Tell us about it.

GS Megaphone. It was the first CD I bought - I had no idea who they were or what they sounded like but it was only $5. What a gem. I listened to it for MONTHS in my car.

I hardly listen to it now, but that's just because I hardly listen to anything and I have SO MUCH to pick from. It's still one of the best Christian rock releases of the decade IMHO - very underrated.

I still listen to a lot of the music I first discovered in the Christian world. I already knew of Stryper from my secular days. When I first started finding out about Christian music, I first learned of Whitecross, Petra, Angelica, Sacred Warrior, Ken Tamplin/Shout, Barren Cross, etc. Those old bands still have a very special place in my heart.

The first Christian bands I started listening to were probably Barren Cross, The Crucified, Stavesacre, Project 86, DC Talk and P.O.D. back in late 98. I still listen to all of them. I did quit listening to secular stuff for a little while but now listen to both it and Christian stuff. Being mostly into metal and hardcore it would be very hard to be satisfied with just stuff from the Christian scene. Most of my modern rock type stuff is Christian, as there are many Christian bands in this genre and they do it just as well, or maybe better then secular bands.

I knew about Christian rock music long before I listened to it regularly. I had most of the Stryper albums through the 80's.

Several years ago (when I went Christian only). I found out about several classic metal and hard rock Christian bands, but was having a hard time finding any of their albums.

These were the first few I was able to find.

Guardian - Buzz (not a bad album, but not the 80's metal I was expecting)
Holy Soldier - Promise Man (did not care much for this at all, again expecting 80's metal).
Sacred Warrior - Masters Command (fantastic)
Whitecross - Unveiled & Equilibrium (good stuff)

I have since broadened my appreciation to some heavier metal (Tourniquet, Ultimatum, and even (gulp) some modern rock (Hammertown, Pillar). Most of those bands I wouldn't have even given a chance to before I started listening to Christian music

What's wrong with modern rock, Mr. Tunnel Vision?

Quote :

Guardian - Buzz (not a bad album, but not the 80's metal I was expecting)
Holy Soldier - Promise Man (did not care much for this at all, again expecting 80's metal).

Did you ever find any of the releases by these bands that IS 80's metal?

For me was Stryper the first Christian rock band I listened too.
I remember how happy I was to listen to cool rock music with good lyrics instead of the dark and often offensive lyrics of the secular rock music I listened too.

Later were Siloam, Whitecross, Crystavox, Bride and Whitecross the bands I listened too.
Sometimes I've "old Christian rock moods" and listen to the old bands.

I came at it from the opposite direction. When I was a kid, I was kind of searching for a musical "identity". I had heard a lot of different styles, but what really cemented my tastes in hard rock and metal music was an older guy
in our church youth group who introduced me to a lot of the Christian bands of the era.

Barnabas, Stronghold, Daniel Band, Resurrection Band, etc... were what really got me into the scene in the first place, and while I was in HS, I was pretty much a Christian music only guy. Later, I "caught up" with secular bands, but I was in with Christian music from the start.

My burnt offering went up to Jesus in April of '89 (over 2000 records and tapes of secular trash [lyrically speaking]).
Being a music fanatic though, it was hard for me cuz I knew NOTHING of Christian music aside from "praise and worship" and old Maranatha albums. I learned to appreciate the praise music and used it in my devotions. I unfortunately got into Jack T. Chick material and read that there was Christian rock and metal bands aside from Stryper.... but that they were EVIL ! Not to be listened to cuz the sound isn't pleasing to God and the bands secretly worshiped Satan and other crap like that.... thank God I grew in Christ and His Word and understood more about these bands and their efforts to reach the lost. By '91 I had bought a Christian rock sampler and loved it ! (what this label considered "rock" was MWS, Steve Camp, Margaret Becker and Whiteheart) I played this tape till it warped ! Then I set out to find full length albums by these artists.
Long story even longer, I grabbed any and every Christian CCM or rock album I could get my hands on. We had no Chrisitan radio in our area and we only had a small Christian book store in town and they carried a very small supply of music. It wasn't until I got online in the late 90s and started learning that there were thousands of Christian bands (beyond that of dear old MWS).... the rest is history.

But I still have my first albums of Praise, worship, Maranatha and Smitty and still enjoy the heart of them to this day.

I didn't have a burnt offering type situation with mine. I just felt that I needed to discover some Christian rock and went to a bookstore that I had heard had an awesome music department. They were having this huge sale on anything released by Frontline/Intense records. On those cassettes, they had those old "buy 4 get 1" coupons on the back. I ended up getting like 17 tapes!

Anyway, it was shortly thereafter that I felt God leading me to clean house on everything else. I ended up selling all my secular tapes at a used music store and using that money on some musical gear.

Quote :

those old "buy 4 get 1" coupons

OH YEAH !!!! I totally forgot about those ! Those were so great, I got a bunch of free cassettes after I discovered Berean Bookstores and saved those coupons like they were foodstamps or something!

Ha ! Good times, good times...

The whole burnt offering thing was sparked by Chick tracts. As I was reading through some different pubs by him, there were references to not selling, giving away or even throwing away "demonic" music, but burning them -

"A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas" Acts 19:19

also

"The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God." Deuteronomy 7:25, 26

Now, I'm not an endorser of Chick tracts, but this was a clear Word from God and I made a sacrifice to Him from my heart. However, I went overboard and destroyed everything secular. Again, my heart was in the right place and wanted to please my new adoptive Father, but some of what I burned, I've since replaced since I've grown in the Lord.
ie. I don't want Venom's music in my house quoting the Satanic Bible, or LudiChrist screaming that Jesus and His followers are idiots... it's pretty obvious those should be burned. But James Taylor, Gerry Rafferty, U2, etc can be played in my house without the Spirit being greived.
And I've since collected other bands that are "clean", not Christian, but not promoting New age, sex, self exaltation or God degradation and so on....

I thank God for those early years that shaped me musically as a Christian. For what I burned in '89, the LORD has replaced with Christian music a thousand-fold ! And to Him I am grateful.

Aw man I missed out on the whole burnt offering thing too (shucks).
Instead I sold my secular collection (for pennies on the dollar) and used what little I got from it to start my new "sacred" coolection.

topshot rhit wrote:

What's wrong with modern rock, Mr. Tunnel Vision?

Well nothing per se, (and I do like quite a few modern rock bands) but much of it sounds real samey to me. But so does a lot of prog/power metal too.

alldatndensum wrote:

Quote :

Guardian - Buzz (not a bad album, but not the 80's metal I was expecting)
Holy Soldier - Promise Man (did not care much for this at all, again expecting 80's metal).

Did you ever find any of the releases by these bands that IS 80's metal?

Oh yes! I pretty much have the entire studio catalog from both artists. With the exception of that elusive Guardian "First Watch" disc. Have seen it for sale several times, but I hesitate to shell out the $35 it seems to command.