By Maya Minwary
Assistant Lifestyles Editor
“Sunny day/Sweepin’ the clouds away/On my way to where the air is sweet/Can you tell me how to get/How to get to Sesame Street … hmm, hmm.”
It’s funny how I’ll start singing or humming the theme song of “Sesame Street” years after I watched it as a child. And it’s funny how people will remember the lyrics to a song long after they’ve heard it. It sticks to you like gum on a shoe.
In spite of what might seem like a negative action to require the new campus radio station to play only Christian music, I believe that the decision is within reason.
Sure lyrics from “Sesame Street’s” theme song are harmless, but what about lyrics from heavy-metal band Godhead’s song “The Reckoning?” “Come to me/Kill for me/Worship me/Follow everything I do/As you bow before me,” the lyrics read.
Pepperdine’s mission statement states, “Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service and leadership.”
How are songs like “The Reckoning” supposed to strengthen students for “lives of purpose, service and leadership”? The song promotes idolatry.
How about songs from the notorious rap singer Eminem which promote murder, rape and drugs? His song “The Kiss (Skit)” reads, “I’m gonna kill this b—h/I’m a kill him/I’m going to f—-g jail/Cuz I’m gonna kill this b—h.”
And that’s not even half as bad as the other songs he sings.
In my opinion, bands like Godhead and singers like Eminem don’t have a place in a Pepperdine-sponsored activity. Sorry “Slim Shady,” you might have your First Amendment right to say whatever you want, but you don’t belong in a place that is supposed to promote Christian values.
I understand and I will fully admit that not all secular artists are as extreme or have appalling song lyrics as Godhead and Eminem do, but Pepperdine has to draw the line somewhere in adherence to its mission statement. In a society where singers like Christina Aguilera, LeAnn Rimes and Britney Spears are all disgarding their innocence to sell sex and CDs, the line between what Christian universities should consider vulgar and wholesome has been blurred.
Some people are quick to criticize Christian bands and artists because they think that all Christian performers just sing songs about Jesus. But when secular stations or non-religiously tied schools refuse to play Jars of Clay or DC Talk, hardly anyone is up in arms about it.
Moreover, Christian bands and artists don’t just sing about Jesus
—their songs extend beyond. They also sing songs about joy and love, as well as their struggles and pain as a Christian and as a human being.
ZOEgirl, a popular Christian girl pop group, sings about a girl who receives her license on her 17th birthday, and is killed by a drunk driver the same week in their song, “Forever 17.” The song states, “Never thought it would be me/Living in a shattered dream/Could this be the end for me?/What I wouldn’t give to have/A life to live, a day to plan/Instead I’ll be forever 17.”
ZOEgirl ends the song with a message of hope, which says, “So don’t give up/You haven’t lived yet/You’re only 17/And God did not forget/You’re just a baby.”
Though some students, particularly non-Christians, may initially find Christian music irrelevant, there are many Christian artists who have reached across the gap without compromising their wholesome message. Plus, students of many different faiths and religions can find inspiration in these artists.
Groups like Lifehouse and P.O.D. have risen high on the secular charts despite their Christian label. Many people, whether Christian or not, still flock to see them in a concert. The San Diego-based rock group Switchfoot’s songs were featured on this year’s movie, “A Walk to Remember.” Mandy Moore even covered one of their songs entitled “Only Hope.”
Christian music covers a wide variety of genre, from hard-metal rock, to punk, to rap and R&B.
Students who still find Christian music offensive aren’t forced to listen to Pepperdine’s radio station.
All Pepperdine student media have guidelines and regulations they have to follow. Because I believe music is such a hard thing to create regulations, Pepperdine’s decision is a sound attempt at making a clear step to draw such bounderies. Pepperdine is a Christian university still committed to teaching its students Christian values and principles. Christian artists offer these values and principles in their music.
November 14, 2002
