Why Christian radio stations need revamping.
I have three different Christian stations that I switch between. Two of them have always branded themselves using repetitive catchphrases that involve words like "positive" and "encouraging." The last one recently decided to follow this trend, calling itself the "NEW Shine.fm."
Um...what was wrong with the OLD Shine.fm? The one that tried to reach a broader audience by playing mainstream songs like Lifehouse's "You and Me" and The Fray's "You Found Me"? Was it because they talked about touchy subjects like unrequited love and death? I think the answer lies in the word "positive". I feel like Christian stations have always tried to rely on incredibly positive and uplifting songs.
The problem? We're surrounded by "positivity" everywhere, especially in America. Most mainstream stations play positive and encouraging music too. Their songs talk about how to have a more "positive" sense of self-absorption, and they "encourage" consumerism and instant gratification. The principle is the same, even though the subject is self destructive.
Christian stations recognize this, but the way they try to combat it isn't great. Rather than recognizing the negativity that is inherent in the world, they mostly play songs that try to cover it up. "My life was horrible before, but it's okay now because God saved me, and that's the end of it." The songs don't talk about what comes next. They don't talk about focusing outward and reaching out to the rest of the brokenness in the world. Instead, as long as your life has been "uplifted," you're good to go.
Ironically, this encourages self-absorption all the same. We care about issues only as much as they affect our own lives. But throw in controversy over Chick-fil-A or divorce, and we either keep our mouths shut or speak with polarized beliefs, having never been prepared to respond to these issues in loving and respectful ways because we were too busy focusing on ourselves.
The main issue is that the word "positive" doesn't equate with the word "hope." Being positive is something you can do even if you don't acknowledge all the negative, which is frankly pretty naive. Hope is something that you can only have when you understand just how broken this world is, something that is easily realized upon learning news of war, poverty, and oppression.
Christian stations need to start talking more about how much pain still exists in this world, even if it doesn't exist in your life anymore. They need to start playing songs like Relient K's "Failure to Excommunicate" and Tim Be Told's "Lament." Only then will American Christians be inspired by these stations to actually make a difference in this world.
turnnoffyourmind
kianamaiart
izzy806
blakekathryn
vaporwave
