People often ask how blues music fits together with the gospel message;
as though they were somehow odd bedfellows. But rather than asking
how "Christian" and "Blues" fit together, a better question is: why
would they not?
The truth is that the gospel message and blues music fit together like
a hand in a glove. Blues music is one of the most raw, primal, and
brutally honest forms of music you will find. It speaks candidly
about the human condition and all the struggles that come with it.
Not only are blues a very authentic way of conveying Biblical truth,
but it is also a very needful place to convey Biblical truth.
The themes found in blues music are often the same found in the Bible
itself. For example: blues music says life is hard and we need help
to get through it. And what does the Bible tell us? Life is hard
and we need help to get through it. Blues music tells us the we
are broken and wounded and don't know how to fix it by ourselves.
And what does the Bible say? We are broken and wounded and don't
know how to fix it by ourselves.
Whether it's getting through pain, seeking redemption, learning how
much our mistakes have really cost us, whatever it is, the Biblical
message fits the sensibilities of blues music really well.
Authentic hard-driving Christian Blues is one of the most potent
musical forms you can find. And just as with the plantation slaves
who birthed the blues, people today resonate with Christian Blues,
especially those who have ached, struggled, and had to climb back up
from the bottom of a deep hole.
This is why our music is so effective with recovery, homeless and
prison ministries, and anyone who doesn't feel at home in this fading
fallen world. It is a powerful message from the Savior who suffered
much the same as us, presented with a powerful, authentic, and
deeply human musical form. We wouldn't want it any other way.
