Satanism in Christian music?

The sun won't rise, my spirit dies, All hope has withdrawn,
So here I lay because either way I know we'll all be dead by dawn.
A chainsaw can remove a limb or act as a replacement,
Smell the gas as hours pass, contrary to my statement,
The corpses wish to cover me with kisses,
So just maybe I'll cover this cabin with their blood,
Hail to the king baby.

You wait for me, a wretch of a man, no record of wrongs do You keep
You are comfort when I mourn, You are strength when I am weak
Jesus Christ, the king of kings
Though we ache, though we cry, never break, never die
We sing of His great love again and again
And His love reigns forever, and forevermore
Forever and ever, Amen

Believe it or not, both the above verses were penned by the same Jesus claiming hard rock band. In the conservative Christian community, Showbread is a hot topic of controversy. In response to their lyrics from songs such as "Dead by Dawn" (the first song above), as well as their affection for lip piercings and skull tattoos, an article from Worldview Weekend entitled “Christian Gore: Death Enthusiasts for Jesus?” condemns Showbread as “clearly in utter rebellion to God's Word” and asks “why would a band like Showbread be allowed on church property unless it was for purposes of evangelizing the band members?” After reading the article, most of the complaints do not seem too unfounded. What does seem unfounded is describing the band as "satanic". Hmm... there must be two sides to this story.

After an intense thirty second combing of the internet, I stumbled upon a blog post that Josh Dies, the lead singer/screamer for the band, had written in response to the alleged offensive content in Showbread’s work. But what first popped out to me from the blog was an unrelated post about how Satanism is simply the philosophy of “you are your own God, do whatever you want.” Well, by that definition of Satanism, Showbread certainly could fall into that category…(funny that the party on trial would be the one to explain the accusation). Anyways, the post I was looking for was at the very bottom of the page. Dies clarifies that the song “Dead by Dawn” is about a campy, low-budget, cult classic horror film called “Evil Dead” (where, get this, the main character has a chainsaw for an arm)... Now why would Christians write about such a violent topic? Dies argues that merely the depicting violence is not evil, unlike the glorification of violence. Even some passages in the Bible are gruesomely violent, such as Jesus’ death on the cross or the story of Cain and Abel. Just a bit of violence doesn't qualify you for Satanism.

But this doesn’t change the fact that a “Christian rock” band sing songs about violence and not about God. Is a band like Showbread allowed to write a fun, pointless song like “Dead by Dawn”? Or does every song have to be an “I love you, Jesus” style worship song? Chris Tomlin is all well and good, but I don't think anyone really sits down and listens to “How Great is Our God/Holy is the Lord/Jesus Messiah” all day long*. Enjoying some simple, shallow entertainment doesn't make one wholly worldly. Christianity has never been and will never be about what you can and can’t do. Is there anything sinful about a group of friends watching a cheesy horror movie, laughing and screaming and enjoying the company and growing closer together? That was all this band was trying to accomplish with their song.

Despite Showbread's a passion for meaningless, fun songs, they know when to keep it serious, and they have a passion for Jesus. “Matthias Replaces Judas” and more recently “The Fear of God” (the second song at the top) begin as simple prayers but morph into raw, obvious worship songs overflowing with respect and awe. I doubt Ingrid Schlueter (author of the anti-Showbread article) has heard either of these tracks.

What’s really inspiring about a band like Showbread is how they can go into a totally secular venue and still proclaim their faith like it’s the greatest part of them, even when the bands immediately before them are over-the-top profane and proud of it, or the crowd is violent and drunk. They don’t share in a forceful “accept my faith or go to hell” type of way, it’s more of a “don't believe anything because someone tells you to, and don't not believe anything because someone tells you to. Discover the truth yourself. I personally believe the truth is Jesus Christ, and in that truth I find my comfort.” (jumping, screaming, and guitar-ing ensue)

So should a band’s love of horror b-movies turn you away from them? (I don’t even like horror flicks myself…I scare easily…) Their unique style, enthralling lyrics, genuine charisma, and love for God all combine to make me a fan. They are Christians having a good time.

Peace

*Chris Tomlin is awesome. I am all for worship music in the right setting.