Moby embarrassed me on the radio one night.

Of course, he wasn’t actually *in* the studio with me, but the mere thought of him was enough to make me want to hide under the board and put the station on automation for the rest of my life.

I’ll admit, it’s all my fault. I’ve heard this and that for some time now (and from pretty reliable sources) that this Moby fellow is a Christian. So when I found the single for his recent release, "That’s When I Reach For My Revolver" in the studio, I decided to give the b-side, "Someone To Love," a spin. Seemed pretty harmless. It was a live version, too. Can’t be that bad, can it?

Forty-five seconds into the song, I wanted to die. I was so embarrassed. What I was hearing certainly couldn’t be coming from a Christian, I thought. Sounded more like a thrash-metal, angry shout at humanity and all things good and right than something a Christian would write. So I brought down the levels and played another song.

Why was I so embarrassed? I host a Christian show.

I’m now a senior at the University of Mississippi, where I host a weekly alternative/contemporary Christian show on our campus station, Rebel Radio. I make it a requirement of myself to play only the best music released that paints a positive picture of our business for the non-Christian listeners at school. So when it came to Moby, I goofed. I should have listened before I played. I should have been a little more discerning.

I still haven’t explored Moby’s lyrics fully and I haven’t stepped back and looked at his whole career. But what spooked me so much that night was fear. Fear of the message I was sending to my listeners. Fear of the message Moby is sending to the world about what it means to be a Christian.

Take his March 1997 interview in _Spin_. When interviewer Eric Weisbard asked Moby what denomination he belongs to, Moby said, "My Christianity is based solely on Christ and not on the church, not on Christian culture."

*What?*

Christ commands us to be in fellowship with other believers. God commands us to worship Him with believers on the Sabbath. Christ is the cornerstone of Christian culture. Have you ever known a true, Bible-believing, God-fearing Christian who doesn’t like to be in church? Who doesn’t like to study Christian history and identify himself with Christian culture? I’m not questioning the state of Moby’s soul by any means, but I wonder about his walk. I wonder how I, as a Christian, can ever defend him to a non-believer. I’d like someone to show me how.

I’m not down on everybody, by any means. When I see something good, something worthy of praise, something I *have* to support, I go at it full throttle, and I dare you to try to talk me down from it.

There’s one band I get inspiration from as a writer. One band I look to when the definition of "how to do it" gets a little hazy. One band I would eternally forsake all other music for. Just one band.

I love U2. No, you don’t understand, listen to me: I *love* U2. I’d never stand a at concert and scream like a teenager, swooning over Bono. I’d never be accused of being a fair-weather fan, calling myself "friend" when times are good, and going, "Adam who?" when they’re not the band du jour. I’m one of those people who understands just what the heck the lemon is for, who gets incredibly proud whenever Bono’s lips mutter the word "Wireling," and who knows that if it weren’t for a 14-year-old schoolboy named Larry umpteen years ago, none of this magic would exist.

And speaking of Larry Mullen, Jr., did you know he’s a Christian? And Bono? And The Edge? We forget, sometimes, that the man Bono, strutting cloven-hoofed across the stage in gold suit and devil horns as Mr. MacPhisto (to make a point about the decadence and immoral state of modern culture), used to be the boy who wrote to his father, "You should be aware that at the moment three of the group are committed Christians. That means offering each day up to God, meeting in the morning for prayers, readings, and letting God work in our lives."

He went on to say, "I hope our lives will be a testament to the people who follow us, and to the music business where never before have so many lost and sorrowful people gathered in one place pretending they’re having a good time. It is our ambition to make more than good music." And… "…all God wants is a willing heart and for us to call out to Him." (from _U2 At the End of the World_ by Bill Flanagan.)

If we could only remember that more often, that God really is at the heart of every U2 lyric, from "I Will Follow" straight on through "Wake Up Dead Man." God’s there, in every phrase, every note, every jarringly brilliant line, because He’s in the heart of the one writing all that stuff down. He’s in the heart of the one playing the guitar so beautifully it makes you cry sometimes. He’s in the heart of the one who hates to be cooed over and just wants to play the drums.

Now, I’m not stupid. I realize U2 practice that odd, liberal sort of Christianity that occasionally blurs around the edges. Sometimes they teeter dangerously close to liberation theology, but pull back at just the right moment with their heads still on straight. I’m the first one to wince in embarrassment over their infrequent (but infamous) drunken escapades. I’m ashamed when I finish counting the swear-words in a Bono interview. "Oh great," I think. "How will I ever explain this to my legalistic friends who want nothing more than to prove I’m sinning for supporting this band?" What angers me the most about us Christians-those of us who make this merry little industry go ‘round-is how disgustingly fickle we are. We just hate a success story.

Take Bob Carlisle for instance. I’m not a big fan, never have been, and I think "Butterfly Kisses" is one of the cheesiest songs around today, King Cheese among the other very Swiss and Monterey Jack choices on the menu. I think the repackaging of _Shades of Grace_ as _Butterfly Kisses (Shades of Grace)_ is pretty lame, but hey, this is a business, and Bob’s got a family to feed. But personal opinions aside, what’s so wrong with a bit of success? Why are we so quick to shoot ole Bob down? Jealousy? Makes you think. I’d sure like to sing on "Oprah." So you hear "Butterfly Kisses" every single time you turn on the radio. So there he is on "The Tonight Show." So there’s the CD in your face every time you turn around.

*So what?*

Why are we putting Carlisle down all the time? Why are we making fun of him? Seems to me we should be proud of him for doing his part to expose the rest of the world to Christian music. Seems to me we should be happy that he’s showing the world, "hey, look at Nashville, we know what we’re doing." Seems to me we should be praying for him.

Sure, the song’s schmaltzy, but Americans love schmaltz. Name another song that makes fathers and their teenage daughters hold each other, crying. There can’t possibly be anything wrong with a song that brings families together. Or is there? Has our little Christian subculture now become so smug that we mock tenderness? That we find it necessary to laugh at naked honesty and love? Shame on us. We did the same thing to Jars of Clay, you know. "Oh man! They’re singing in a bar! They must not be a Christian band anymore!" Of all the ignorant, foolish things to say. I’ve been to bars. Are you questioning my faith? So they play to some drunken frat boys, do some heavy-duty witnessing, and make a little money while they’re at it.

Good for them.

Seems to me we should be going to the bars to hear Jars of Clay play. Seems to me we should be taking our non-Christian friends to the gigs with us. This little band that could, Jars of Clay…seems to me we should be praying for them.

There’s plenty of other Christians in the general market these days who need our help, namely dc Talk, Kirk Franklin and Caedmon’s Call. We as Christians have a better opportunity now than ever before to spread the word about our industry while witnessing to our peers at the same time. More Christian artists are accepted in the general market today than at any other time in the past. Why? We can talk all day about SoundScan, MTV rotation and college markets, but the simple truth of the matter is, God is doing this. God has these select artists to lead the way right now, to be our light out there in the general market. Who knows how long this phenomenon will last? It doesn’t matter. It’s right now they need our support. It’s right now they need a pat on the back for a job well done. It’s right now they need our prayers. Are we doing our part?

Danielle Lee Aderholdt is a freelance writer based in Oxford, MS.