Christian punk is a form of

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

and a

subgenre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a Category of being, category of literature, ...

of punk rock which contain Christian lyrical content. Much disagreement persists about the boundaries of the subgenre, and the extent that their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies among bands. For example,

The Crucified The Crucified is an American Christian hardcore and crossover thrash band from Fresno, California that formed in 1984. Its lineup is vocalist Mark Salomon, guitarist Greg Minier, bassist Jeff Bellew, and drummer Jim Chaffin. The band are considere ...

explicitly rejected the classification of "Christian punk" while staying within the

Christian music industry The Christian music industry is one aspect of the broader music industry, with a focus on Christian music and subgenres such as gospel music, southern gospel, contemporary Christian music, contemporary worship music, and even traditional church mus ...

. Given the nature of punk and some of its subgenres, such as

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

, many bands have been rejected by the Christian and CCM music industry. Christian punk has been deemed novel in that it "seeks authenticity in two differently organized and orientated cultures: secular punk on the one hand and Evangelical youth culture and CCM on the other". Ibrahim Abraham, ''Evangelical Youth Culture: Alternative Music and Extreme Sports Subcultures'' (2017), p. 53, . Some bands generally avoid specific mention of

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

; likewise some bands may specifically reject the CCM label or express disdain for that niche of the music industry. For example,

Ninety Pound Wuss Ninety Pound Wuss (sometimes styled as 90 Lb. Wuss) was an American punk rock band formed in Port Angeles, Washington, in 1994. They signed to Tooth & Nail Records in 1995 and released three studio albums over the next five years which would b ...

vocalist

Jeff Suffering Jeff Suffering (born Jeff Bettger), is the former lead singer of Ninety Pound Wuss, Raft of Dead Monkeys, and Suffering and the Hideous Thieves. Suffering also played bass in Team Strike Force a worship band that was part of Mars Hill Church i ...

said about the breakup of the band in 2000, "... body wanted to continue playing in he"Christian" music industry." It has been noted that "measured purely by record sales, Christian punk dwarfs all other religious contributions to the genre". Certain individual Christian punk bands outsold the entire market for the next-largest religious punk genre,

Krishnacore Krishnacore is a subgenre of hardcore punk which draws inspiration from the Hare Krishna tradition. Although some hardcore punk bands had already made references to Krishna Consciousness in the 1980s, the subgenre was established in the early 1990s ...

History

Christian punk originated in the 1980s punk rock scene. The genre has obscure origins. The rise of the

Jesus Movement The Jesus movement was an evangelical Christian movement which began on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and primarily spread throughout North America, Europe, and Central America, before it subsided in the l ...

and its cultural institutions, such as

Jesus People USA Jesus People USA (JPUSA) pronounced: ǰ-pu-sa is a Christian intentional community in Uptown, on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1972, coming out of Jesus People Milwaukee during the Jesus movement, it is one of the largest cont ...

(JPUSA), served as an incubator for various Christian

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...

s including punk, in part through JPUSA's label Grrr Records.

Crashdog Crashdog was one of the first Christian punk bands and was active primarily in the early 1990s. Most of their albums were released by Grrr Records, which has also been home to Headnoise, Resurrection Band, and Glenn Kaiser, among others. Crash ...

is one characteristically punk band that was rooted in JPUSA. In the 1980s, many bands performed at Chuck Smith's

Calvary Chapel Calvary Chapel is an association of evangelical churches, maintains a number of radio stations around the world and operates many local Calvary Chapel Bible College programs. Beginning in 1965 in Southern California, this fellowship of chur ...

in Orange County California. One popular band within that scene was

Undercover To go "undercover" (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one's observation, and especially to disguise one's own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an indi ...

, who proclaimed that "God Rules", with a combination of

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

and

elements. Other notable early Christian punk bands included the

Altar Boys Altar Boys were a Christian punk band from California formed in 1982. The original members were Mike Stand (vocals, songwriting and guitar), Jeff Crandall (drums), Steve Pannier (guitars) and Ric Alba (bass guitar and backing vocals). Mark Rob ...

Nobody Special Nobody Special was a Christian punk band formed in 1986, in Orange County, California. It consisted of recordings by Pat Nobody and studio musicians Gene Eugene, Joey Mitchell, Chris Brigandi and Joey Taylor. The band disbanded in 1990, reunit ...

Scaterd Few Scaterd Few was a Christian punk band originating from Burbank, California. ''CCM'' magazine described their music as "pure punk for dread people," stating that it was a cross between Janes Addiction and Charlie Mingus. History ''Sin Disease'' e ...

and

One Bad Pig One Bad Pig is a Christian punk and metal crossover band from Austin, Texas, which formed in 1985. The ''Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music'' describes them as "quite possibly the most popular hard-punk act ever to arise within the C ...

. During the 1990s, the underground Christian punk scene grew as bands such as

MxPx MxPx () is an American pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington, founded in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. As of 2016, current members include Mike Herrera on lead vocals and bass guitar, Yuri Ruley on drums and percussion, Tom Wisniewski on lead gu ...

Ghoti Hook Ghoti Hook ( ) was an American punk band from Fairfax, Virginia. The band formed in 1991, signed to Tooth & Nail Records in 1996, and disbanded in 2002. History Joel Bell, Adam Neubauer, and Justin Levy formed the group in 1991. Conrad Tolosa ...

Squad Five-O Squad Five-O is an American punk rock band from Savannah, Georgia no longer formally touring or recording, but rather only performing occasional weekend concerts.

The Huntingtons Huntingtons are a punk band from Baltimore, Maryland which formed in 1993 in the Maryland and Delaware area by Cliff Powell (a.k.a. Cliffy Huntington), Mike Holt (a.k.a. Mikey Huntington) and Mike Pierce (a.k.a. Mikee Huntington). The band is he ...

, Slick Shoes,

Dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shru ...

, Pocket Change, Officer Negative,

Blaster the Rocket Man Blaster the Rocket Man was a Christian punk, Christian horror punk band from Indianapolis, Indiana. It formed in the early 1990s as Blaster the Rocketboy and signed with Boot to Head Records in 1994. It released two albums before signing with Jac ...

and Headnoise influenced many of their peers and paved the way for many bands to follow. In the 21st century, developments in Christian punk have paralleled the broader punk scene. Band such as Relient K,

Hawk Nelson Hawk Nelson is a Canadian rock band from Peterborough, Ontario. Formed in 2000, the band has released eight studio albums to date. History Early independent releases (2000–2003) In 2000, Dunn, Clark, and Paige founded a Peterborough-based gr ...

FM Static FM Static is a Canadian Christian pop punk duo based in Toronto, Ontario. The band was formed in 2003 as a side project for Thousand Foot Krutch. The band consists of Trevor McNevan and Steve Augustine. The original lineup included John Bunne ...

Flatfoot 56 Flatfoot 56 is an American Celtic punk band from Chicago, Illinois, that formed in 2000. The group's use of Scottish Highland bagpipes has led to their classification as a Celtic punk band. History The band formed in summer 2000 as a three-piece ...

, Stellar Kart, and

This Providence This Providence was a four-piece alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington, United States. The band consisted of Dan Young (lead vocals/guitar), David Blaise (bass), Gavin Phillips (lead guitar), and Andy Horst (drums). Band history Form ...

gained popularity with more mainstream audiences.

Fashion

Fashion is similar to normal

punk fashion Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewellery, and body modifications of the punk counterculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited to the dressed-dow ...

, but features Christian symbols such as the Christian

Ichthys The ichthys or ichthus (), from the Greek (, 1st cent. AD Koine Greek pronunciation: , "fish") is (in its modern rendition) a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to re ...

, the

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

crown of thorns According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or grc, ἀκάνθινος στέφανος, akanthinos stephanos, label=none) was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the instru ...

, the JCHC symbol, and similar symbols. Chi Rho is a popular symbol amongst more anarcho-Christian bands, such as

The Psalters The Psalters are a Christian band which began in Philadelphia, in 1997. Their music is sometimes described as folk punk. Notable not only for their music, but also for their radical lifestyle, the group is semi-nomadic (at one point living on the ...

. In Europe the most used symbol is a modified

anarchy symbol Anarchists have employed certain symbols for their cause, including most prominently the circle-A and the black flag. Anarchist cultural symbols have been prevalent in popular culture since around the turn of the 21st century, concurrent with ...

made up of the Greek characters A and Ω. These two Greek letters, "Alpha" & "Omega" (the beginning and end of the Greek alphabet), are taken from Revelation 1:8 and when used together in Christian art symbolize that God is eternal, omnipresent, and the giver and taker of life. The symbol is a visual play on the

but with a different meaning and intent.

Connections to religion

Elements of anti-authoritarianism within the

punk subculture The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedom ...

and in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

include challenging the uncritical acceptance of

social norms Social norms are shared standards of acceptable behavior by groups. Social norms can both be informal understandings that govern the behavior of members of a society, as well as be codified into rules and laws. Social normative influences or soci ...

in the church and the world. One illustration of this is seen in the concept of "anticonformity", which can be seen in Christian punk music, including the song " Anticonformity" by

Krystal Meyers Krystal Nicole Meyers is an American Christian rock and contemporary Christian music, contemporary Christian singer, songwriter and musician. She released three albums under Essential Records (Christian), Essential Records: ''Krystal Meyers (a ...

. Within this perspective, the Christian's view of anticonformity is different from the punk view. The Christian's reason for anticonformity is found in the Biblical

Epistle to the Romans The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of J ...

: "Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed."

Popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

is also commented on or satirized by Christian punk bands. One of Relient K's most popular songs from their self-titled debut album, " My Girlfriend", contained the line, "

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

ate my girlfriend."

Calibretto 13 Calibretto 13 (later, simply Calibretto) was a Christian folk punk band from Kokomo, Indiana, United States. The acoustic punk style of the band and the peculiar vocal style of singer Joe Whiteford gives the band their signature sound. Another ...

wrote songs critical of

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, such as "Why Can't I Be on MTV?" and conformity, as in "Sheep of the USA".

The Deadlines The Deadlines were an American rock band that formed in 1998 and disbanded in 2002. Their musical style started as horror punk and later evolved toward glam rock. They were signed to Tooth & Nail Records. History The Deadlines were founded i ...

, likewise, parodied

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

themes on their album ''The Death and Life Of...''. One analysis notes that the "Evangelical authenticity of Christian punk is also predicated on the same anticommercialism of secular punk", which is "not a total rejection of commerce, but an insistence that the music and its spiritual sentiments supersede the profit". Detractors, however, view punk as anti-religious. Adherence to the practice of Christianity (or any religion, established or not) is, by definition, conformity to rules set forth by someone other than the individual for themself. Because punk is ideologically nihilistic, many view "Christian Punk" as an oxymoron and view it simply as a subgenre of Christian rock and completely separate from punk rock; although Christian punk appropriated punk sound and fashion, no other similarities exist and the two genres have completely isolated origins. Followers of Christian Punk tend to cite punk's individualistic values and argue that punk ideology does not preclude critical and non-dogmatic religious belief. Some Christian Punks also do not agree with or are very critical of organized religion. They say that real Christianity is not just a religion because it's not supposed to be about rituals and rules; attacking these notions of legalism is a common theme in Christian punk lyrics, especially with older Christian punk bands, such as

, and

. They believe true Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ, not necessarily a religion. Many Christian Punks are against religion like other Punks, yet they are strongly in support of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, separate from rules and tradition. This idea gave rise to Christian punk's term "JCHC", meaning "Jesus Christ Hard Core", which draws its name from an Officer Negative song of the same name.

Politics

Punk rock has strong ties to

anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessa ...

and arguably, with

Marxism Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

. Christian Punks are not a subculture of Marxism or a form of

anarchy Anarchy is a society without a government. It may also refer to a society or group of people that entirely rejects a set hierarchy. ''Anarchy'' was first used in English in 1539, meaning "an absence of government". Pierre-Joseph Proudhon adopted ...

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

, but a subculture with both Christian and Punk affiliations. This belief was often held by extreme

conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

during the 1970s and 1980s, however, this was primarily used because of the clash between the

King-James-Only Movement The King James Only movement asserts the belief that the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is superior to all other translations of the Bible. Adherents of the King James Only movement, mostly members of Conservative Anabaptist, Conservativ ...

and the

. Evangelists such as Jimmy Swaggart associated the

and

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

in general as anti-Christian. The majority of Christian punk bands do not espouse anarchy or communism; Officer Negative's logo is a parody of the

Circle-A Anarchists have employed certain symbols for their cause, including most prominently the #Circle-A, circle-A and the Anarchist symbolism#Black flag, black flag. Anarchist cultural symbols have been prevalent in popular culture since around the t ...

commonly associated with anarchism. Many Christian punk bands, especially pop-punk bands such as Relient K,

, and

, have very few songs about political topics; others, most notably older bands, contain strongly political lyrics in many of their songs. Political Christian punk bands come from a variety of areas on the

political spectrum A political spectrum is a system to characterize and classify different political positions in relation to one another. These positions sit upon one or more geometric axes that represent independent political dimensions. The expressions politi ...

, who openly advocate the ideas of

anarcho-primitivism Anarcho-primitivism is an anarchist critique of civilization (anti-civ) that advocates a return to non-civilized ways of life through deindustrialization, abolition of the division of labor or specialization, and abandonment of large-scale organ ...

liberation theology Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". In ...

and christian anarchism, are Christians who believe God is the only true authority.

Showbread (band) Showbread is an American Christian hardcore band formed in Guyton, Georgia, in 1997. The group has gone through numerous lineup changes since its initial formation, but maintains its two core members, Josh Dies and Patrick Porter. The group b ...

have spoken in favor of

anarcho-pacifism Anarcho-pacifism, also referred to as anarchist pacifism and pacifist anarchism, is an anarchist school of thought that advocates for the use of peaceful, non-violent forms of resistance in the struggle for social change. Anarcho-pacifism rejects ...

, christian anarchism and anti-patriotism as well. Some politicized Christian punk bands are also socialists.

operated a section of their website devoted to political issues and candidates that they supported, such as former United States

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

Presidential candidate

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...

and various

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

causes. Crashdog disbanded in the late 1990s to start Ballydowse, a more political band which also took strong stances on human rights issues. Other Christian punk bands take more conservative stances.

's song "America", from their album ''

Adventures in Tokyo ''Adventures In Tokyo'' is the second full-length album by Christian rock band Calibretto 13 released on March 12, 2002. Track listing # "Why Can't I Be On MTV?" # "Dear Beelzebubba" # "Cruisin' the Strip" # "Sheep of The U.S." # "From Me T ...

'', expressed the band's displeasure with America's moral decline. Christian punk bands are also often vocal against

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

in their songs.

Rock for Life Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

categorizes bands based on their advocacy for or against abortion; they include many Christian punk bands, such as

, Relient K, and One-21, on their list.

Record labels

* Alarma Records *

BEC Recordings BEC (Brandon Ebel Company) Recordings is a Christian rock record label that is an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. The label was formed in 1997 in partnership with the EMI Christian Music Group. The label promotes bands with more adult Christia ...

Burnt Toast Vinyl Burnt Toast Vinyl is an independent record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History Burnt Toast Vinyl was founded by Scott Hatch, a Drexel University student who had initially been involved with concert promotion at the school. The la ...

Facedown Records Facedown Records is a Christian rock record label based in Fallbrook, California that is devoted to hardcore punk and metalcore bands (Christian and secular) with a few death metal acts such as Immortal Souls and Indwelling. Founded by No ...

Five Minute Walk 5 Minute Walk was an independent record label founded by Frank Tate in April 1995. Operations were based in Concord, California in the back offices of The Screem, a music club operated by Tate. They only carried Christian bands and considered t ...

Flicker Records Flicker Records is a Christian music record label based in Franklin, Tennessee. It was founded by members of Christian rock group Audio Adrenaline. The label mainly focuses on rock/pop rock artists, though it also created a subsidiary, Big Hou ...

Flying Tart Records Flying Tart was an independent record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It was started by Alex Parker, formerly of R.E.X. Records, and operated from 1990 until 1996 when it was purchased by Light Records. Bands *Aleixa (aka Sorrow of Seven) *B ...

Gotee Records Gotee Records is a record label founded by Christian hip hop performer Toby McKeehan (known professionally as ''TobyMac''), Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood. The label began as a production company. At the time of the label's founding, McKeehan wa ...

Mono Vs Stereo Mono vs Stereo is an independent record label based in Franklin, Tennessee. It was founded in 2003 as an imprint of Gotee Records. While Gotee signs mostly rap, hip-hop, and pop-rock artists, Mono vs Stereo leaned more towards indie music. Hi ...

Rescue Records Rescue Records was created by P.O.D. drummer Wuv Bernardo's father and Sonny Sandoval's uncle, Noah Bernardo Sr. It is most notable for being the label that started multi-platinum band P.O.D. and is currently distributed by Syntax Creative a d ...

* R.E.X. Records *

Tooth & Nail Records Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Underoat ...

References

External links

God Save the Teens: Local Kids Seek a New Kind of Church Through Hardcore and Hip-Hop
by Lauren Sandler in the

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

30 May – 5 June 2001
Spotlight Ministries: Punk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Punk

Punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

Punk rock genres British rock music genres