Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Hound Dog Harmonies: "Light of the World"

Incidentally, I've discovered a few Christian bands through my favorite authors. In this new series, I'm going to explore some of that music and analyze it a little. I'm going to start out with a shorter post/analysis today and hopefully expand to something a little more in-depth. Let me know what you think down in the comments! 


The Short: 

Song: "Light of the World"

Artist: Theocracy

Album: As the World Bleeds

Genre: Metal

Listening Suggestion: Car jam session

Christian Author Listener(s): Wayne Thomas Batson

Selected Lyrics:

You are the light of the world, he said.
But we've blown out our candles and left men for dead.
Singing, "We are the light of the world, he said".
As the darkness descends on us all.

If we were the light of the world today,
Would we hide in the shadows and scare them away?
Are we the light of the world, 
Or are we failing to answer the call?

You can listen to the full song on Youtube, through Spotify, through Amazon Prime Music, or whatever your favorite outlet happens to be.

The Long: 

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not really a Christian music fan. I find most of it to sound similar, to have (at best) questionable lyrics, and overall it just isn't my cup of tea. I found Theocracy about a year ago through a Facebook group and then quickly discovered that Wayne Thomas Batson, one of my favorite authors, is also a fan of the band. 

At first, I wasn't sold on the group. Depending on the song, their sound's a little more "thrashy" than I typically like. However, what sold me on the group was their lyrics. 

Where many bands might have stopped at reminding us of Jesus' statement that we are to be the light of the earth, the Theocracy crew didn't hesitate to point out that we often fail at that mission without any shame. Ouch.

As I wrote about a while back, I find it interesting that we don't always consider the target audience for Christian media. While we as Christians certainly need comfort and uplifting songs, I think there's also a place for songs that convict and challenge us, lest we become lulled into a sense of self-righteousness.

 What was the last song that made you think about your faith?

4 comments:

  1. This is interesting! I've definitely fallen out with Christian music as I've gained a more critical mind. Still, your discussion of this song makes me curious. I'll have to listen to "Light of the World." Thanks for recommending it!

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    1. Glad I piqued your interest. You might also enjoy the lyrics to "Paper Tiger". It's sort of an interesting song about the mindset of American Christianity.

      Thanks for the comment!

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  2. These lyrics seem confronting, but in the right kind of way! We all need to be challenged in our faith. I also love Casting Crowns, as some of their songs are uplifting, but in others their lyrics dig deep to the core. I'll have to check this song out! :)

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    1. I'll fully admit that I ran away from Casting Crowns after only hearing my high-school praise band's (well-intentioned but poorly executed) renditions of many of their songs. Perhaps I should revisit them. Any songs you'd recommend in particular?

      Thanks for the comment!

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