Matthew Paul Turner is near and dear to the hearts of the COLLIDE team. After all, he was part of our inaugural lineup of columnists. Beyond that, he consistently tickles our funny bones with his tweets (@JesusNeedsNewPR), blog posts (jesusneedsnewpr.blogspot.com), and books (Churched, et al.).
In his latest book, Hear No Evil, Turner once again mines his past for humorous and reflective tales of a conservative Christian upbringing. The book derives its name from one of its primary threads—music—which has always held special significance for Turner. Following the success of Churched and exploring ideas for his next book, Turner had a revelation. He says, “It dawned on me that the one thing other than God that was always in my life was music. As I started to jot down stories and ideas, I realized that for me music was an influential entity that taught me to dream.” Further exploration proved music to be the perfect catalyst for the kind of book Turner wanted to write. He recalls just a few weeks before Hear No Evil’s release in February, “It was a great jumping off point for talking about big ideas in life such as innocence, loss of innocence, sex, theology, hope, and God.”
Hear No Evil is a well-crafted collection of stories that explore modern Christianity’s complex relationship with culture and articulate the experience of a kid trying to make sense of it all. It may seem trite to describe Hear No Evil as a coming-of-age story, but that’s what Turner does in its pages. He journeys from a youngster who wins a church talent show and dreams of being on Star Search and becoming the Christian King of Pop to an adult running CCM Magazine, Christian music’s flagship publication. Music, faith, and humor are present every step of the way, lending Turner a set of companions as he saddles up his horses. See, he’s “got a trail to blaze through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace.” In the end, we find that music (like love) “can melt our defenses, bring us back to our senses, and give us strength to try once more.”
Recently, I had the opportunity to ask Turner a few questions about Hear No Evil and Christian music.
COLLIDE: Is there something you hope readers take away from Hear No Evil?
Matthew Paul Turner: I think this book offers the opportunity for people to see themselves in the story, to find their own story, and see how music has played a role in it. I think they’ll relate to the struggles of being a college student and working through issues of sexuality, spirituality, creativity, and identity.
I rarely go into a book thinking, “How can I affect somebody else?” but toward the end of the writing process you begin to see places in the stories that may connect to people. You hope it will take them to a place in their own story where they’re encouraged to keep going, to find a little bit of hope, or to reengage with God. I think writers always have that hope of changing the world or changing somebody’s life for the better.
COLLIDE: Speaking of stories, one of my favorites is your encounter with Adam, the aspiring Christian rocker. It’s hilarious, but it also identifies some problems in the Christian music industry doesn’t it? His look, his music, him being coached on vulnerability and stage presence by the A&R rep—it was all in line with the industry’s mold.
Turner: Sure, and I think it’s bigger than a commentary on the Christian music industry. I think it’s about how we do church, how we reflect God, and how we reflect ourselves. All of us crave honesty; we crave vulnerability.
When it comes down to it, I go to Cross Point Church (www.crosspoint.tv) because [Senior Pastor] Pete Wilson is just a regular guy. It’s not about the light show. It’s not about the video. It’s not about the music. All of those things are fantastic, but at the end of the day, I go because I relate to Pete’s story. And because I know Pete personally, I know that the person he presents on stage is just a reflection of who he is.
COLLIDE: You’re right—the Christian music industry is comprised of people, so it makes sense that things such as image projection, the need for validation, the desire to be unique just like everyone else would manifest themselves there. Those are human problems.
Turner: Earlier I did a radio interview. When we were off the air the host and I talked about how if someone exposed the truth about the industry and the artists were known for who they really are, some people that hate Christian music would fall in love with it again because they would relate to the people. Christian musicians would be able to present music that is more reflective of them. But of course other people would be so turned off and grossed out by this more authentic approach to Christian music that they’d say, “Oh, my soul, we need to shun this.”
The Christian artists I know are human; they’re very real people, and they deal with very real issues. But it’s their humanness that I relate to. And in today’s church, I think we are so caught up in trying to present a perfect story that we miss the idea that most people connect to an incomplete story—a story that is still in process and has its ups and downs.
COLLIDE: And yet the Christian music industry is one of the few entertainment industries that comes with a strict moral code.
Turner: There are lines that you can’t cross. There are parts of somebody’s story that you’re not allowed to tell because it may not be safe for the whole family, and most of us have personal stories that aren’t completely safe for the whole family. Artists such as Derek Webb, Sara Groves, and Jon Foreman present truth on that level, but they also pay for that truth because they don’t get the radio airplay or recognition they’d get if they followed the rules.
COLLIDE: Why do you think music has been something the Church has had a love/hate relationship with? I’ve encountered a lot of people who love mainstream movies and TV but avoid secular music.
Turner: Because music is the one creative entity that you can take anywhere, even when you don’t have your iPod. The melody and words can be in your head, and you can play them over and over again. Melody has such a powerful influence on us that I think people are scared. Think about how many times we get songs stuck in our heads. People are afraid of what will happen if the wrong song gets stuck in their head.
We grew up in a culture where the musicians were the ones who revolted against mainstream culture. The sexual revolution often gets blamed on the musicians of the 1960s. After all, music makes us feel something.
COLLIDE: Are you hopeful about the future of Christian music, or do you think status quo will prevail?
Turner: I think there’s always a reason to be hopeful when you have artists who are followers of Christ and are out there making good music. At the same time, I think the Christian music industry has probably seen its heyday. I don’t think it will ever return to the status it had starting in the late 1980s and continuing through the early 2000s.
When I listened to Christian music in those days, I connected because the artists told stories. They wrote songs that pushed us out of our comfort zones. They wrote songs that included theology. They wrote songs that included mistakes and flaws. Was the music always up to par? No, but the stories were. We need artists to tell true stories again. If we really want Christian music to have a future or an impact on people, it has to reflect God through our humanity. People come in contact with grace and mercy by seeing the human condition redeemed.
COLLIDE: One of my favorite parts of Hear No Evil is something Mrs. Lansing, your piano teacher, said when she decided she was going to fight for the creative people in your church. You wrote, “Mrs. Lansing told us that God made people creative so that we could retell his story in new ways. She said it was part of our calling.” What did she mean by that?
Turner: Mrs. Lansing was the first person I met who just loved and found the uniqueness and the beauty of what a creative person brought to life, story, and experiencing God.
What she said is important for us to consider. Artists have been the storytellers in the Church for centuries; yet, church leaders have often feared what artists bring to the spiritual table. This is a shame because when we reflect on church history, we often go back to the art. What this generation leaves behind will be the art that we created and supported. I think art that endures does so because it tells the story of God and people, and it’s through those stories that people find pictures of God’s grace. That’s why it’s important to give artists freedom and allow our imaginations to push us to create.
Grab a copy of Hear No Evil at your bookstore of choice and keep up with Matthew Paul Turner at jesusneedsnewpr.blogspot.com.