Artistic Grace
Ryan Lackey
by Ryan Lackey
Let’s do this AA-style.
Hi. My name is Ryan, and I’m a Christian who despises contemporary Christian music.
I admit there are people who find contemporary Christian music powerful. Affirming. Good. I am not one of those people.
There is one song – Matt Maher’s “Hold Us Together.” I first encountered this song at a church camp during a considerably more conservative point in my life, and considered independently, the song isn’t really anything remarkable. Maher has a pleasantly inert voice, sings over an acoustic guitar and handclap beat, and in a few places there’s just a touch of twang. What makes “Hold Us Together” really noteworthy is that Maher, a self-defined and explicitly Christian artist, manages to complete the song without a single overt reference to God. Or Jesus. Or the Holy Spirit. He never utters the words “worship” or “glory” or that contemporary Christian standby, “praise.” The song is positive and upbeat but about as religious as anything Taylor Swift sings.
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