Playlist for an Apologist

A good song can go a long way into brightening your day. Don’t believe me? Just ask King Saul about the songs David would play and how they caused an evil spirit to depart from him. In fact, even God loves Himself a good melody. Psalm 150:3-6 mentions the many musical ways we can praise Him.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

As a musician and self-proclaimed music snob, I can attest to how great I feel when I listen to an artist who seems to speak right to me through their composition and lyrics. Not only do I feel like I have found music which I don’t feel guilty listening to but I am refreshed by the fact that I am not alone in how I think. It is to this end I want to devote this article and highlight three different musical artists who seem to sing and play to the apologetic aesthetic. I will cover artists in three different musical genres; therefore, if an artist doesn’t strike your fancy genre wise, hopefully one of the other artists can appeal to you.

1. (Knowda)Verbs

Verbs also known as Knowdaverbs is a Christian hip hop artist who sadly hasn’t gained enough attention in the genre. However, he has gained some positive critical reception due to his beats and intelligent lyrics. Verbs’ lyrics are grounded in the Word and cover many issues from ministry to spiritual warfare to the power of God. He does not talk down to his audience which is something any apologist should be able to appreciate. So, for any apologist who loves hip hop, I would definitely recommend a listen to Verbs. Musical highlights include the songs: Syllabus, God is Big, Plane Scared, and Giant Slayers.

2. Becoming the Archetype

From the world of hip hop to a very different musical world is the metal band, Becoming the Archetype, whose name is a reference to the fact that Jesus Christ is the ultimate Archetype of humanity and we should strive to be like Him. Becoming the Archetype (BTA) is the ultimate academic Christian metal band with lyrics about the futility of atheistic thought like:

Initially they rationalized with futile speculations
Which brought about their ultimately fatal calculations
They sewed their own eyes shut
To protect them from the light
Closed the doorway of their minds
Barred and sealed it tight

In addition to lyrics that just ooze apologetic assertions, the musical composition of BTA is some of the best in the business. The guitars ring, the drums destroy with their machine gun sound, and the bass thumps. Metal might not be your cup of tea, but I definitely hope that doesn’t stop you from experiencing some of the most sincere and intelligent Christian musicians out there today. Musical highlights include: Dichotomy, Ex Nihilo, The Magnetic Sky, and How Great Thou Art (yes, this is a metal cover of the hymn).

3. Joy Electric

Okay, so hip hop and metal aren’t your thing musically. Well, what about electronica? Electronica is the realm of Joy Electric , who can be described as a Christian synthpop artist. Joy Electric, or Ronnie Martin, has written numerous songs covering many different topics including: believer exhortation, scientific inquiry, literary legends, and history. In light of most electronic music which can be loud and bombastic, Martin employs a mainly subdued and simple style adding accessibility to his music. In addition, Joy Electric’s writing exhibits an intelligence above similar artists’ lyrics, and one can see the type of research he places into his subject matter. This can be appreciated by individuals in the field of apologetics who themselves place emphasis on research in both the Word and science. Musical highlights include: The Heritage Bough, Nikola Tesla, The Otherly Opus, and Disloyalist Party.