"In Defense of Rock and Roll"

Rock & Roll, Legitimacy and a Defense of its Use for Ministry
By Shawn Young

Opponents of rock & roll have been fairly vocal since its inception, at least in the more commercialized mainstream form; the form which could have a greater mass-impact upon society. Although the racism surrounding the 1950s rock culture loomed beneath many polite facades, venting toward music or any medium would not occur until that medium became a social threat of mass proportion. In short, rock & roll provided social gatherings (sock-hops) which would begin breaking down race and class structures. Vernacular music drains the dominant culture of its venom by creating platforms of social resistance. It is odd that the anti-rock backlash of the 1950s and even the anti-Christian rock backlash still existing today opts to focus on style rather than content. Never mind the melting pot of musical style which birthed rock & roll! The mixture of country, blues, gospel and bluegrass which parented our cherished language seems to elude certain independent, fundamentalist circles.

Through its language, dress and music, rock & roll helped to bring black culture into the mainstream of American culture. In a time when integration was a key battle in American culture and politics, white racists viewed rock & roll as a threat to southern segregation, as it popularized the very culture they were trying to separate from. It represented a method of climbing out of subversion and into a life which could provide wealth and power.

Although church leaders for years to come would still level charges of rock’s corruption of America’s youth due to its “degenerate animalistic beats and rhythms,” church members would later realize the unfortunate connection their clergymen were attempting to make; the prevailing negativity toward rock’s “rhythmic structure” was quite obviously an attempt to downplay African culture. Some of the most egregious racial slurs have been in the form of a forgotten culture or an avoided racist past. In his book Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley, Peter Guralnick draws attention to the inattention given to both African and African American history and culture as certain religious leaders defined life through their own eyes; “Preachers frequently objected to the lewd movements, racial fundamentalists decried the debt to Negro spirituals (particularly in the overt emotionalism of the delivery)…” Many adults saw rock ‘n’ roll’s fast beat, obscure lyrics, frantic performances, unorthodox wardrobe, and hectic dancing as lewd, lowdown, transgressive.”

In recent years scholars have grown increasingly certain of the racism which girded the anti-rock movement of the 1950s. Unfortunately it still haunts the church to this day. There are certainly those who are indeed far from the racism which is described here, although they are utilizing the rhetoric which was birthed under the guise of “godly concern.” For many years now I have listened to church leaders argue that; “scripture does NOT support rock & roll.” These arguments are fueled by a need to back up everything using scripture. If we embrace this logic we must take it to its completion, discounting a majority of modern life. It is clear that many areas of daily life are not in scripture, and therefore should not be used as an argument against changing styles of music within Christendom. Airplanes, electricity, modern medicine, (which by the way used to be seen as witchcraft by the church) bicycles, candy, sports, jackets, ties, sticky notes, palm pilots, typewriters, pianos, organs, televisions, electricity, automobiles, textbooks, toys, sliced bread, clothing with seams, eyeglasses, underwear, stoves, microwaves, baby monitors, telephones, pens, and the list goes on! None of these appear in the Bible, however we use them. Some argue that music was not used for evangelism in the Bible. I deal with these issues at greater length in my book. Interestingly, many of those who would argue that music should not be used as evangelism, are pointing this out on their own website, while attempting to evangelize!

There are those who will point out that scripture speaks of hymns only. If we read the passage used in this argument, we see that it also uses the term “spiritual songs”. We must also recognize that a “hymn” is not necessarily a style of music, in the sense of Western Hymnology that is, but is a concept. Western Eurocentric Hymnology as a “style” obviously came after the verses about hymns were even written.

History is a great captor. It draws us into a place we would sometimes rather not go. It is my prayer that we as a global body learn to digest the past as a nurturing substance, drawing from it a continuing reminder of what might be repeated, should be choose to diet. We should strive to complete a proper exegesis of passages pertaining to the subject of the arts and worship, as well as those pertaining to other methods of evangelism and worship. My prayer for us all is that the Holy Spirit will lead us into a correct understanding of our place within God’s universe and our responsibility as worshippers and witnesses within the greater Body of Christ.

Bibliography
·Michael Campbell and James Brody, Rock and Roll an Introduction, Schirmer Books, New York
·Pete Daniel, Lost Revolutions: The South in the 1950s, Smithsonian Institution, 2000
·Tricia Rose, Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America, Wesleyan University Press, University Press of New England, 1994
·Peter Guralnick, Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley, Library of Congress, Little Brown and Company (Canada) 1994
·John Hartigan Jr., Racial Situations: Class Predicaments of Whiteness in Detroit, Princeton University Press, 1999
·Glenn Kaiser, The Responsibility of the Christian Musician, Cornerstone Press Chicago

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