Day 483 - Casting Crowns - Jesus Friend of Sinners

483. Casting Crowns - Jesus Friend of Sinners
From the album Come to the Well
(Beach Street Records, 2011)

"Mark Stuart, lead singer of retired band Audio Adrenaline, was asked by an interviewer before the band's last concert what he thought constituted realChristian music. Was it straight up worship music with vertical lyrics of praise? Was it devotional music written to encourage believers in their walk or was it any music made by a Christian, even if the lyrics were about silly subjects or were more cryptic and wide-ranging? Stuart took a moment to answer, and then replied 'there's room enough for all of it.'

Those are wise words; the kingdom is big enough for all kinds of music. And there will always be a place in Christian Music for a heart-on-their-sleeve, spiritually direct band like Georgia's Casting Crowns, who boldly claim their mission is to 'set discipleship to music.'

Their new release, Come To The Well, continues the band's series of strongly themed albums (all with evocative cover art, Come To The Well included) that serve to hammer home a spiritual lesson in approximately twelve songs or less.
...
I suspect to accomplish the task of speaking hard truths to the Church, like in the song Jesus, Friend Of Sinners where two voices plead with Jesus to 'open our eyes up to the world at the end of our pointing fingers,' Casting Crowns had adopted a middle of the road Nashville sound that is never too threatening, but rocks competently when it needs to and serves the songs' subjects well.

So, hats off to Casting Crowns, who with Come To The Well skillfully walk the thin tightrope act of balancing a heart for ministry and discipleship with a broadly appealing (if sometimes too broadly appealing) pop rock soundtrack." (source: CCM's Best Albums)

Here is the original studio released video for the song:



In this video Mark Hall talks about the story behind the song: