In the world of Christian metal, there is one large topic that pops up frequently: Stryper, the famed, talented Christian glam metal band from Orange County, California - are they Christian? The answer is complicated.
First, we must look at some of their earlier albums such as In God We Trust, Soldiers Under Command, and the ever-famous To Hell with the Devil. I won't go into whether or not Stryper has talented musicians or not, because the answer is undoubtedly yes, but what about the message they are giving?
In early albums such as these, Stryper definitely is Christian. If not for the fact that one of the albums actually has God's name in the title, they frequently mention God, and their songs correspond with Christian values.
But in 1990, that's when all that changed. Stryper released the album Against the Law, in which they ditched their traditional dead-bumblebee costumes in favor of a more gothic, leathery look. Fans were disappointed not only with the costume change but more so with the message (or rather lack thereof) contained in the new album, which did not mention or even allude to God at all. Their logo, which had previously had the reference to Isaiah 53:5 underneath it, was now simply the band name, without the Scriptural reference. In an interview shortly preluding their new album, Michael Sweet claimed that he "felt that the message was taking away from their music". Obviously, Stryper is talented. People realized that even before they ditched the Gospel. So obviously there was something else at work here... I'm not going to pass judgment on them, without knowing their intentions, but I will say that from an outward perspective, it seemed as if Stryper's Christianity was pretty much gone.
Yet has their faith resurfaced? That's where the answer becomes difficult. It seemed as if in the mid-to late 2000s, Stryper started releasing more Christian-sounding albums, like Reborn and Murder by Pride. Yet even if their faith (and the Scriptural reference on their logo) temporarily resurfaced in these songs, while their talent remained on into their later years, sadly, their song-writing skills did not. Songs like 4 Leaf Clover and Murder by Pride graced these later albums, with lyrics, while, catchy, really didn't make much sense. It was like the Christian metal version of "Ooh Eeh Ooh Ahh Ahh Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang".
Sadly, both their song-writing skills and their faith finally bit the dust in the 2010s, when they started releasing albums such as The Covering, Second Coming, and Fallen.
Credit must be given where credit is due, however. Stryper managed to retain their musical talent and abilities on into their 50s, and none of their songs have contained foul language or inappropriate content.
Yet some signs of the end (of Stryper, at least) prevailed even before. Michael Sweet, lead singer and founder of Stryper, split off to do his own thing, much like Jon Bon Jovi and Axl Rose. Like Bon Jovi and Rose, pretty soon, the band faltered.
Unfortunately, they never recovered. Stryper is still touring to this day, barely holding onto their natural talent for music, hoping that that will cover up their now poor songwriting skills and lack of the original faith they once had.
This is not to say that it is somehow ungodly to listen to Stryper. Any of their more recent albums are fine to listen to as guilty pleasure, just like you might listen to "Crazy Frog" or Michael Jackson. Yet they should not be considered the epitome and fount of all Scriptural knowledge and wisdom. Their first few albums are great sources of solid Scripture, and perfectly fine to listen to. Yet it is strongly advised not to listen to any of their albums from the '90s, especially "Against the Law", as it not only did not mention the Bible, but actually contradicted it, and listening to such music can easily stunt your growth in Christ.
Of course, I cannot control what you listen to. You may not even like Stryper in the first place. But this is my answer to the great debate as to whether Stryper is a Christian band. They were, but jumped off the rails, and while attempted to resurface, never quite did.
Does that mean that there aren't ANY modern Christian metal bands? Of course not! One prime example might be the band Theocracy, a very, very talented Christian progressive power metal band started in the mid-2000s.
I hope you keep this in mind as you listen to music throughout the week; to be sure that what you are listening to does not contradict Christianity or Scripture, and that it promotes it as well.
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