Yes, I understand what you mean, Tell It Right. Incident ally, my brother-in-law (who is 9 years my junior)just came to the Lord and loves Skillet, as someone who was a fan of metal. I was saved at 20 and was in college at the time, then later went into publishing, so you can imagine those temptations, lol! In the early 80s, young believers listened to Petra (like you), Keith Green (my husband and I loved him), Evie, the Imperials, Carmen, Andre Crouch, lots of great ones. The problem is you don’t see much fruit, just sandals, from people like Amy Grant and Hillsong, for example. It sends a bad testimony to the world, but then I think much of CCM has gone done a wrong road. Still many sincere ones, though. God bless you!
Scandals, not sandals. Ah, autocorrect! Lol!
The next of their concerts I went too was weird. This was after their To Hell with the Devil album and they had a couple of music videos playing on MTV. Unfortunately, those videos had vague messages (much like Michael W Smith's Face in the Word, what exactly does that mean?, also playing on MTV). But the rest of the songs on that THWTD album by Stryper were straight-up in their message. So I liked the album for the most part.
And at that concert, it was weird. LOL It seems like I didn't get the memo that I was supposed to dress up in black leather with studded wrist bands and such. LOL Again, Stryper had videos on MTV and was bringing in another type of crowd compared to the other concert. I began to wonder if I was in the right place. But the band came onto the stage and fans around me cheered for Jesus as much as I did, even the very pro-Christian messaged songs. When the band took a break and the lead singer walked out onto the stage with a stool to sit on and a Bible to read from, the leather-decked fans cheered. He said he had a message that was different from the ones he had shared prior nights at other locations, but he believed the Lord wanted him to share it. And the fans cheered. He shared the message, then asked if we wanted to hear the regular message from the Bible that he shared at other locations that tour. And all the fans cheered for more Bible talk. I couldn't believe it. I had judged them because they all dressed like they were showing up for a Mad Max movie casting call. Evidently there was something to using the music for outreach. (Unlike my perspective, which is music to encourage existing believers to keep on believing.)
Tell your brother-in-law that I said that even though I don't care much for retro Stryper music now, about a decade or so ago they came out of retirement and, when I'm in an every now and then mood for metal, I like their new stuff. Stryper now seems to write the lyrics before composing the music so that the music is designed to emphasize the message (much like the other bands I like did for decades). I like their song Yaweh, and their Reborn album. Or if he wants more old-school metal but with a consistent message, it's hard to beat Bloodgood's Detonate album (songs like Crucify), or Barren Cross' albums (songs like Here I Am, King of Kings), or Whitecross (Holy War, In the Kingdom, Because of Jesus, No Second Chances).
I every now and then run into young adults who years ago where in a children's church I volunteered in 1/3rd of the time (when it was my turn to lead it). They always say that what they remember most was that every Sunday I led it, I mean without fail, the kids said, "Can we do the song? Please, can we do the song?". So I'd say "Don't let a fat man in his 30's (later 40's) out worship you" and played the song, with one hand turning up the volume on the speaker system I bought. For the next few minutes the kids and I would yell Well I don't care, what some may say, gonna stand up for the Lord today!" LOL This is an anthem type song (think Christian with an attitude of not letting anyone shake their faith). I believed that the kids needed to be taught to be strong in their faith in a world that was increasingly getting hostile to Christians. And no one else was going to teach that .... in the United Methodist church we were in. And the kids begged for it. They begged for it! In a Methodist church of all places.
I was kicked out of that church when I learned that our denomination leaders were pushing hedonism to be taught in churches, and that some of our donation money was going to abortion lobbying. I spent about a year calmly, but persistently, asking what we can do about it. Do we draw up a petition? I asked the pastor for months. Then the associate pastor. Then each one of my elders, beginning with the ones that I thought would be most receptive. Nothing worked. I eventually asked the elders who believed foremost in the Gospel according to Democrats. They told the pastor to get rid of me. (He was close to retiring and probably was afraid of his boat getting rocked and messing up his pension. Not saying he was right to get rid of me. Just saying I've never been in that position.) At first he told me to quit volunteering with the kids (including the youth group every Sunday night and Wednesday night). I asked him if it was an accusation of me being inappropriate with the kids, he said No. I asked if someone said I was teaching something contradicting the Bible or doctrine. He said No. Was I ineffective, telling too many corny dad jokes? No. He affirmed that he was happy with the years of volunteer work with the kids. He said he especially liked me doing what he asked, which was make sure that the boys knew there was a place for them in God's kingdom even with the Methodist church seemingly organized to be more comfortable with women. So I eventually asked if it had to do with me wanting our denomination to quit pushing modern Moloch worship and Asherah pole worship. That's when he told me to find another church.
That was about 15 years ago. A few years ago that Methodist church was one of the ones that broke away from the hedonist United Methodist denomination and joined the new Bible based denomination. When I read about it I couldn't be happier! My neighbor told me that I should be proud because it was mainly the young people pushing for it. He's right. I couldn't be prouder!
Now that song the kids always begged for, the late 1980's Petra song I Love the Lord, is my favorite song. I love it as much as the kids did. I can't get enough of it. If I was still listening to cassette tape music instead of digital music I would have worn that tape out many times over.