I have been interested in Christian musicals ever since I was a kid. Although I liked Jesus Christ superstar, it wasn't really this musical that got me into the idea. It was more that musical Tommy by The Who. You see, although I love gospel musicals, my favorite thing is when they really take a story of salvation and run with it. A Christian musical does not have to be dedicated to just telling the story of the Bible. Rather, it can show the story of Jesus through analogy. The story of Tommy, with its themes of temptation and redemption, was to me as much of a gospel musical as was ever made.
As a Christian musical writer, I have had to choose between two contrasting schools of thought. It is sort of like this all over the Christian world. One school of thought is that Christian art should be as true to the Bible as possible. The point, after all, is to save lost souls, so they need to know the story of Jesus Christ and the salvation of mankind. On the other hand are the people who say that Christian musicals should really show the inspiration that the Bible gives us. The point, these people argue, isn't so much to tell people the specifics of the Bible that can be found out by reading the Bible. The point, rather, is to show what Jesus means to us Christians and hope to inspire nonbelievers to renew their faith.
In my opinion, the very best Christian musicals are the ones that subscribe to this latter theory. If the Bible is really the word of God, then there is no better way to convey the Bible than reading and discussing it in a church setting. Musical entertainment isn't just about teaching, and if you try too hard to instruct people, you will lose them. People want to be first and foremost entertained, and even Christian musicals have to serve this purpose. They need good music, compelling stories, interesting characters, and good actors.
Good Christian music like good use of any genre speaks to all people, no matter their race creed or color. Ironically, some of the best Christian musicals don't even talk about Jesus. Simply put, they discuss the universal themes of good and evil, guilt and redemption, and faith that are common to all people. By discussing these, hopefully they can bring people closer to God.
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