The millennial generation is embracing “crypto-Christian artists who claim no particular affiliation and actually seem uncomfortable with institutionalized Christianity.
And yet, somehow, their imaginations, instincts and language are deeply informed by Scripture and the person of Jesus,” writes Bill McGarvey in the Jesuit magazine America (May 6). Although surveys continue to show a low rate of religious affiliation and a disenchantment with the marriage of religion and “Republican Party values” among young people, the charts are showing the popularity of musical artists who take faith — and also doubt — seriously, according to McGarvey.
He cites the UK’s Mumford & Sons’ album Babel, which was this year’s Grammy winner for Best Album and posted the best single-week sales for 2012. The album is “one of the most God-haunted collection of songs you’re likely to find by a major musical act,” featuring lyrics such as “But I’ll still believe though there’s cracks you’ll see/ When I’m on my knees I’ll still believe.”
Their music represents the “first commercial fruits of a generation of young adults raised in nondenominational Christian churches,” McGarvey writes.
Lead singer/songwriter Marcus Mumford’s parents founded the evangelical Vineyard Churches in the UK. Mumford & Sons are not alone, with the roster of crypto-Christian artists including Sufjan Stevens, Kings of Leon, and David Bazan (from Pedro the Lion).
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