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Reformed Christian Musicians
- 04/20/04
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A post in this thread about the band Blackball got me thinking about Christian artists who are theologically Reformed. It occurs to me that a huge number of Christian musicians attend Scotty Smith’s church outside Nashville and that is a Presbyterian Church, but it seems there is a vast difference between attending a Prebyterian Church and holding (and claiming) Reformed theology. So I am wondering, what are some of the Reformed artists out there?
To head-off the criticism before it comes, I do not wish to say that these artists are better than non-Reformed ones. I just happen to love the Reformed faith and am wondering what musicians share it.
Here are a few I can think of off-hand (with a bit of information about each):
- Derek Webb - Just check out the Resources section at his Web site
- Caedmon’s Call (though perhaps Webb was the only Reformed member and he is no longer part of the band).
- Precious Death - Their album covers often had Reformed creeds written in them. Their self-titled album had a list of “Fifteen great books in no particular order” that included titles by Packer, Sproul, Calvin, Owens, Hodge (both A.A. and Charles), Boetner, etc.
- Blackball - Christopher Scott who was lead vocalist and songwriter for Blackball was also lead writer and singer for Precious Death (see above).
- Steve Camp - Wrote an album based on Piper’s book Desiring God and has often identified himself as Reformed.
That is all I can think of at the moment. Care to add any?
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Comments (22)
Fernando Ortega seems to be quasi-Reformed in much of his content…
Steve Green seems to lean towards a Reformed perspective. See http://www.farese.com/index2.htm
Michael Card is an elder in Scotty Smith’s church. I’m fairly confident that he’d consider himself Reformed.
Wes King is also part of that congregation, and his lyrics do seem to me to be Reformed. He even has R.C. Sproul narrating on one song.
Kerry Livgren considers himself an Amyrauldian. I don’t know if that’s close enough. He’s got predestinarian stuff in his lyrics.
I wonder about Bob Hartman of Petra. Some of his lyrics sound Reformed, but then he chose I Don’t Want to Fall Away From You for Petra to do on the Keith Green tribute album. There’s a Reformed way to read that, as with “take not thy Holy Spirit from me”, but it’s not the sort of thing I’d expect someone Reformed to choose to do without qualification.
I’m not sure about Michael Card. He has recorded an album with John Michael Talbot who is an ardent Catholic and called the album Brother to Brother. I can’t deny that made me quite nervous!
I know John Schlitt of Petra fame goes to Scotty Smith’s church and his wife is even on staff (children’s ministries, I believe) so perhaps Bob does too. Petra has certainly had some good, theological lyrics.
O.C. Supertones and Plankeye are a couple of other Reformed artists.
Michael Card also co-authored a recent book with Brennan Manning, ex-priest, but still a staunch defender of Romanism. That was disappointing, since I always liked Card’s theological content.
One of the guys in SONICFLOOd listed Piper as his favorite author, but I don’t think the main songwriter is Reformed.
I can’t believe I forgot Plankeye! I guess we’d have to include Fanmail too then since they share a lead vocalist.
I have never heard the Supertones claim to be Reformed, though in one of their songs they mentioned Bahnsen and Schaeffer. At the same time, they have played at World Youth Day and performed for the pope…
It seems that a mark of being Reformed is rejecting Catholicism.
There is a young man in leadership at my church who recommends John Piper and Tommy Tenney all in the same breath. Amazingly, apparently, even one’s choice of authors doesn’t tell the whole story.
Sorry but … what is the Reformed faith?
(From someone who is totally clueless)
Great question, Messy. It is a distinction many Christians are unaware of. I think I will actually answer your question with my post today! Thanks for giving me something to write about! :)
There is a young man in leadership at my church who recommends John Piper and Tommy Tenney all in the same breath.
If he reads enough Piper, he’ll stop recommending Tenney!
You’re welcome, Tim!
The word is in—Mojo of the Supertones is definitely Reformed. We talked about it at GMA a couple of days ago. His “conversion” was heavily influenced by reading Michael Horton, then men like Schaeffer, Sproul, Packer, Bahnsen, Van Til, etc.
Ironically, Derek Webb admitted in our interview that he’s a closet Arminian (just kidding!).
Good to know. I quite like the Supertones, even though their appeal is generally with people younger than myself. I even like Mojo’s “other” album (Grand Incredible). I don’t think many people bought that one… :)
The Supertones guys are OPCers from Costa Mesa. A buddy of mine was their touring stage manager. Other than that I know nothing.
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the remaining members of caedmons call are indeed reformed.
other reformed artists:andrew osengaandrew petersonjeremy casellasandra mccracken (derek’s wife)the jars of clay guys
-stephen
Yea The O.C. Supertones are definately reformed…More so than any of these other musicians, more than Derek Webb and anyone else. The whole band is solid, granted they all may not be A-mil or Peado baptist, but solid indeed, believing in the doctrines of grace and the five points of Calvin. They definately proclaim what the believe and out of all the bands listed are definately the most solid/blunt.
I don’t know about the band as it’s gone through many member changes but Tourniquet had a song called “Sola Christus” on an album back in 1994 that are just mind blowingly Reformed.
Here’s the link to the lyrics:http://www.christianrocklyrics.com/tourniquet/solachristus.php
Unfortunately, the guy given the credit for the lyrics left the band after this album but Tourniquet has some of the best lyrics of any Christian band of which I know.
How could I forget Atomic Opera and Kemper Crabb (who has played with both Atomic Opera and Caedmon’s Call)!!!??
Here’s the link to Atomic Opera albums/lyrics:http://www.christianrocklyrics.com/atomicopera.php
Here’s the link to teaching and albums by Kemper:http://www.feverdreamrecords.com/html/artist-KEMPER.html
I think that many of the members of the Square Peg Alliance are Reformed…www.squarepegalliance.com
I would highly recommend Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken, Andrew Peterson, Jill Phillips and Andy Gullahorn.
I actually think that Sufjan Stevens is a bit of a Calvinist, if I may be so liberal as to use that term interchangeably with reformed.
http://www.washtimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20050922-094106-6816r
Matthew Smith from Indelible Grace is coming out with his own CD and is without a doubt, Reformed. I can’t wait for his CD to come out.
Steven Curtis Chapman. At Wikipedia.org he is listed as a “prominent personality” under “Presbyterian Church in America”. Here is the link to that spot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_Church_in_America (check out the other prominent personalities…pretty interesting, I think).