Tuesday, 13 October 2009

• The Music Venue: Where the Sacred Meets the Secular

  My first post as a Revelife intern was about the separation of “secular” and “sacred” in terms of music. This is a subject that is dear to my heart, having been involved with the music industry in many different formats for the last 12 years. Most recently, I was the director of public relations for a music venue called The Capitol. Our mission was to be a safe place for the youth of our area to hang out and encounter Christian community, and we drew a lot of our inspiration from the acclaimed Christian-run music venue Rocketown, in Nashville, Tennessee.

  One aspect Rocketown and The Capitol have in common is that, despite being Christian-owned and operated, both book a mix of christian and secular acts. While The Capitol was always very open about this fact, those who frequent Rocketown or support it seem to be less informed about this situation. An upcoming concert, featuring a lineup of secular—possibly anti-Christian—hardcore bands, is causing quite a controversy, leading some to question the venue's motives.

  Rocketown was opened in 1994 by Michael W. Smith. According to its website, its mission is to share “Christ’s love with youth through creative programs and mentoring relationships that are culturally relevant and eternally significant.” There are a great number of resources at the disposal of Rocketown's staff, including a skatepark, music venue, and cafe. Besides holding concerts, the venue also has after school classes to teach guitar lessons, photography, dance, and graphic design, among other things. There's even something they call Skate Church, a ministry to the skater crowd.
  

  While all of these outreach programs sound like they match up with Rocketown's mission statement, many think that the upcoming concert, which features the bands Black Dahlia Murder and Skeletonwitch, is counterintuitive to their ministry goals. A recent article on Gospel Soundcheck, a blog on Beliefnet, explains why some are concerned this show might defeat the purpose of the venue:

  It seems to be quite a contradiction in mission for Rocketown, to be asking kids to come to hear about Christ, and then giving them a line up of bands who hate Christians. Especially when the Rocketown website is full of references to ministry and Christ. It can send a mixed message that the club endorses the acts that perform there.

  The article goes on to say that, although the executive director was unavailable for comment, an employee said that “the club cautions parents to make sure they research the bands their kids are coming to see since not everyone on the bill is a Christian act.”

  I can understand where the staff at Rocketown is coming from. At The Capitol, we booked a wide variety of bands, but hardcore shows were the ones that always did the best. Our town, in central Florida, is the hometown of Seventh Star, a widely popular Christian hardcore band on Facedown Records. Several other hardcore bands were birthed in our backyards, so I can relate to the desire to book artists that will attract audiences, especially those who need the love of Christ.

  The outlook Rocketown has on ministry is similar to the one The Capitol had. On the Rocketown website, this is outlined in four easy steps; the first two are as follows:

  Attraction – In the beginning, there is an attraction. Young people come to Rocketown for it’s great music venue, skatepark, coffee bar and programs.

  Building Relationships – Once they are here, attendees find people who accept them as they are. Staff, volunteers and peers have created an inviting community.

  In this case, the attraction happens to be a hardcore show, and it's not just any hardcore show—some worry it is a satanist hardcore show. I'll admit: The Capitol never, as far as I know, booked a show entirely of satanist acts, but I can imagine we would have if we felt we had the resources available to meet those in attendance and build relationships with the people in attendance. That's what Rocketown has going for itself; it has the resources few Christian ministries have. It has a large staff, a lot of support, and plenty of reasons for those in attendance, regardless of their beliefs, to return.

  I understand the concerns of those who object to this event. After all, we are called to go and make disciples, and attracting a large, possibly anti-Christian crowd doesn't seem, at least at face value, like it would do much in the way of making disciples. There is a chance, though, that the venue will succeed in reaching someone, maybe many people, by inviting this group inside its doors, and I don't think it's our place to judge them for trying to reach the lost by any means necessary. Wasn't Christ the one who hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors? As long as the venue maintains its Christian ideals and doesn't change its mission to meet the masses, I think maybe they have the right idea at heart.

  Only time will tell whether or not Rocketown is able to reach out by booking secular and possibly anti-Christian bands. As long as the venue makes it clear that they do not endorse the message of these bands and offers those in attendance the opportunity to experience Christian community, they could prove to be very successful at reaching out to a vast secular audience.

  Do you think openly Christian music venues should book openly anti-Christian bands?
  

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