The Bible and Music

Instead of meeting for class on Tuesday, we were asked to make a list of music that references the bible.  I was intrigued by this project because a lot of artists reference God, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re referencing the Bible.  One trend I found during my search was that if an artist has one song referencing the bible, they usually have multiple.

One example an artist like this is Eric Church.  He is a self identified Christian, but he often sings his imperfection when it comes to practicing religion.  In his song Sinners Like Me, Church is toasting all the sinners of his family that came before him and all that will come after him.  He is clearly referencing the bible and sinning, but he is recognizing that he isn’t perfect.  He uses a similar, almost sarcastic, tone in his song Before She Does.  In this song, he references some of his beliefs, including the bible being fact and the Sabbath being the day of rest.  The sarcasm comes in when he’s talking about a girl who left him.  He sings that he believes Jesus is coming back before she does.  This is his way of recognizing his beliefs but they are almost background thoughts, rather than his point of the song.

Artists like Eric Church are some of the more honest people out there when it comes to the bible and their beliefs.  By acknowledging that they aren’t perfect but still believe in the bible, they are relating to the audience on a deeper level than just simply stating what they believe.  Even the most devout Christians have most likely sinned, but the important part is the recognition of what they have done and the fact that they continue to believe in their religion.  Eric Church brings this attitude to his songs and shows how he integrates his beliefs into everything he does.