Review: "Body Piercing Saved My Life: inside the phenomenon of christian rock"

Much of contemporary Christian music is terrible. That is especially true for what is called “worship music.”

Andrew Beuajon’s book, Body Piercing Saved My Life: inside the phenomenon of christian rock, however, is an excellent introduction to contemporary Christian music.

The author, who is admittedly not a Christian, who even talks of having difficulty believing in God, explores the history, major figures, and quality of contemporary Christian music. He alternates between chapters on the history of the development of contemporary Christian music and interviews with major figures, both artists and promoters. In so doing, he presents an honest and interesting overview.

As the author interviews artists and attends concerts and festivals, he begins to understand the reason for contemporary Christian music – the reason which Martin Luther noted hundreds of years earlier:  “How is it that in matters concerning the flesh we have so many fine poems and hymns but that in those concerning the spirit we have such sluggish, cold affairs? Why should the Devil have all the good music?” (vi)  The best intention of contemporary Christian music is to present sound theology in quality contemporary music.

Unfortunately, more often than not, this does not happen. The music is often juvenile, and even when the music is of quality, the lyrics are largely bad theology and self-centered. Much of contemporary Christian music – and especially “worship music”– is rendered something like this:  “I just wanna be here, I just wanna be clear, I just wanna love me, just the way you do.”

Thankfully, there are some musicians who produce quality music with good lyrics – even some who produce sound theology and their lyrics. Many of the artists who do produce quality music have given up on trying to fit into the contemporary Christian music category because they are unwilling to force themselves to use “approved language”– that is, use the name, “Jesus,” a certain number of times in a song.

Beaujon’s book is an encouragement to those who think there is no good Christian music – that the devil does have all the good music – that there really are some quality artists producing quality music and they should be sought out and encouraged.

Sadly, in the afterword to the book the author writes, “when I started this book, she was concerned that I was going to become a Christian. That didn't happen. But I have become a fan, not just of the music, but if Christians, and of Jesus himself. To me, the message of the gospel is love one another, look out for the less fortunate, and try to walk gently on the air. And I love that” (271).

This is where the author fails: that is not surprising because he is admittedly not a Christian. However, it would've been wonderful that through meeting all of these Christians and hearing their songs, that he would've at least gotten the Gospel right, even if he didn't believe it. I hope you did hear the Gospel, and I hope someday he does understand, and believe it, but for anyone reading this book, one needs to understand that the Gospel is not “love each other and be nice.”

Paul explains the gospel. This way:  “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (I Corinthians 15:3b-5).

So, so pick up this book as an introduction to contemporary Christian music, as an introduction to thinking about what it means to sing theology, and as an encouragement to pray for those in contemporary Christian music and for those looking in from the outside wondering what's going on.