WHen all is said and done, it's just as good as real rock.

Look at Family Force 5, Skillet, We as human, Children 18:3, The letter black, Demon Hunter, or Thousand Foot Krutch.

Because Creed. That's why.

I don't think it sucks. It varies according to song and artist, but that is normal. All music is that way.

Some reasons:

1. The bands you list are not the mainstream successful Christian bands. When you ask people about Christian rock they mostly think of the worship bands: Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, stuff that plays on K-Love.
2. Some people are anti-Christian and resent the attempt to, as they see it, "clean up" the rock scene. To say it another way, for some people, rock and roll ain't rock and roll without the sex and drugs. Hedonism and rebellion don't mesh too well with repentance and submission.
3. Christian rock came up in the 70s and 80s, In those decades, Christian bands were often seen as and directly marketed as pale imitations of secular successes. "If your teenager likes REM, they should listen to..." Though this has changed some, it still lives in some people's minds as the status quo. And, to tell the truth, the mainstream successful worship bands have been influenced more by U2 than anyone should be proud of.

All said and done, though, there are good Christian bands, you are right. And you should like what you like for your own considered reasons. But, this should explain some of the reactions you're probably running into.

Cheers.

Exactly.

Kings X was great, really great, but one band doesn't save a genre.

To be fair, I do like Red and Thousand Foot Krutch. The rest of my music tends to be the polar opposite.

I (as an atheist) don't think it sucks...oh, and you have forgotten Stryper in your list (actually the only christian rock band I know) :)

because
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah heeeeeell yeaaaaaaaaaaah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXh0FCezRoc

Does "Gwar" count as Christian Rock or am I wrong about that?

How about "Slayer" or "Impaled Nazarene"?

"Pissing Razors"?

Skillet and TFK are mainstream. Skillets latest cd was number 4 on the billboard rock charts. Actually, the lead singer of slayer is a very devout catholic.

I am not kidding.

It's a complex question with so many factors. I don't think you can explain it all away in a short answer.

Personally, I have no problem with what a band believes as long as I like the music. I listened to MxPx for a long time when I was growing up without even realizing they were Christians and that was the intended meaning behind some of their songs.

You're answering your own question, putting it on par with genuine rock rather than saying it IS genuine rock. If you know that, then you know why a rock purist doesn't like it.

The term "rock and roll" comes from Black American musical roots, the term itself being slang for sex. That original stuff is raunchier, grittier, and funkier than the White American rock that rose out it. Christian rock takes the white rock and bleaches it until it's see-through, leaving a pale trace of what the genre represents. Sure, it may sound like rock, but, and you'll forgive this, it lacks soul.

Can Christian influenced music be good? Hell yes. I love stuff that draws from that well ranging from the medieval vocal work of Anonymous 4 up to the folk hymns created by the Violent Femmes and Neko Case. But stuff that is deliberately pitched as Christian rock, along with Christian metal, is simply music for people who like that style but whose faith prevents them from listening to most of the bands that perform it. Like sugar-free candy and caffeine-free coffee, you are free to like it, but it's a diluted substitute for the real thing. Seeing as they are from my city, I'll venture an answer, which would be "no". They draw from a lot of mythology, and they certainly have a fascination with blood and suffering, but their affect is very Roman mixed with Pagan. Of course, a lot of modern Christianity is Pagan too, they just forget where they got it from.

Lack of awareness? And by that I mean, "christian rock" used to mean, you know, Stryper and Petra. I'm guessing a lot of people are just unaware of how crushingly heavy a lot of christian rock bands are today. You could put them next to some "non-christian" popular bands and be hard-pressed to tell them apart, aside from lyrics.

And yeah, because there's "christian" before "rock", some people are going to lump it in with all things that are christian but not necessarily rock. You know, that sappy, mushy stuff.

Bingo

I'll take Stryper anytime, fantastic group they are. Their new album sounds like it's got some balls. I'll be happy to put it next to my King Diamond and Deicide! \m/