Characterized simply by a moralistic message and lyrics sprinkled with the words “God” and “Jesus,” Christian music has gained momentum at Iowa State, now making up a significant part of many students’ CD collections.

The surge in popularity of Christian music has caused music insiders to wonder why the music is so popular at Iowa State.

“I think there’s a lot more [Christian music] listeners at Iowa State than people would think,” said Mike Gadzik, president of the Catholic Student Community.

Todd Wallace is the leader of The Salt Company band as well as director of worship ministry for the group and for Cornerstone Church.

“My voice, my desire is to worship Christ by the music I listen to, and by me leading music as well; and I hope others will join me in that passion,” Wallace said. “When I listen to [Christian music], and I agree with it, I find that as a source of encouragement.”

Some Christians have been told by their parents to limit themselves to listening only to Christian music.

Gadzik said he thinks it is necessary for Christians to be open to all types of music and not just limit themselves to Christian music.

“It’s important for Christian people to be aware of and open to all forms of culture, whether they be music or religions,” he said. “Acceptance of other forms of belief systems is essential to the Christian principle of respect.”

But Wallace said some Christians avoid listening to non-Christian music because they do not want to be influenced by it.

“Secular music proclaims some other kind of world view and if I don’t agree with the opinions being expressed by artists, its difficult for me to listen to that,” he said. “I have no reason to fill my mind or participate in that.”

Tim Borseth, an organizer of Stonebrook Students, another Christian student group had a similar point:

“As Christians we have a particular world view. Music will either reinforce or undermine a specific world view. If you have a preference or a specific world view, listen to music that will reinforce that.”

Gadzik stressed that he enjoys some artists who do not particularly label themselves as “Christian music,” but do touch upon religious themes more subtly.

“I think there are extremely talented artists who reflect [Christian] views like U2, John Mellencamp and even Beethoven,” Gadzik said. “I enjoy that music just as much because the artist is reflecting [ideas] the everyday person can relate to, rather than someone who is just about evangelization.”