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Christian music sucks—or so says conventional wisdom. And non-Christians aren’t the only ones who hold this position. Most Evangelicals under 30 firmly believe that Christian music is a poor rip-off of secular pop and rock music.

But it isn’t true.

To be sure, there are lame songs and lame bands on Christian radio. But there are lame songs and lame bands on every kind of radio station known to man. So why does CCM get the bad rap?

One reason is that Christian bands usually work their way up through small-scale national tours, while secular bands usually cut their teeth in a bar scene in a major city. This means that we meet Christian bands earlier in their “life cycle” than we encounter most secular bands. Baby bands don’t quite have their art figured out and often sound quite derivative. On the other hand, the Christian bands that make it to their third or fourth album are every bit as good as their secular counterparts.

Take the classic Christian rock band, Audio Adrenaline. Their self-titled debut album was garish early-dcTalk-wannabe, white-boy-techno-rap. It sucked. Nevertheless, it received a decent amount of Christian radio airplay.

But over the next decade-and-a-half, Audio Adrenaline got it. Sure, they didn’t reimagine their genre or anything. But they managed to create one exceptional modern rock track after another. For example, “Chevette,” the lead track from their 1997 album Some Kind of Zombie, is unsurpassed as a poetic tribute to faithful Christian parents. I can’t listen through it without my eyes welling up. For a guy who doesn’t really believe in man-tears, that has to count for something.

Twenty years ago I watched in awe as my dad drove up the driveway,
More than proud to have a brand new family car.
Thirty miles to the gallon; 0-to-60, sometimes.
I remember putting down the back seat and lying in the hatchback,
Looking at the sky, and watching trees go by.
I was the son of a preacher
And he was a rich poor man.

No A.C.
No FM,
And no regrets
In my Chevette.

The winter cracked the highway and we tried to dodge the potholes.
He never promised us it would be a gentle ride.
He never had a problem, though, keeping it on the narrow road.

No A.C.
No FM,
And no regrets,
In my Chevette.

Poor thing is up on blocks,
But that car still rocks.

And no A.C.
In my Chevette,
And window cranks
In my Chevette,
And vinal seats
In my Chevette,
And no regrets.

A trip home to Washington would be incomplete without the making of music. If you don’t already know, the Millers are all super talented musicians. Think family band, but cooler. They all seem to play a zillion instruments, sing, and compose. When they play together, its mostly bluegrass or worship music. I’m especially fond of the “Scripture songs” (which K’s parents plan to record for us, incidentally!)

When it comes to listening, the Millers have eclectic music tastes. I’ve learned so much about modern music and artists from them in the few years I’ve been a member of the family. Just this trip, Annie told me about Kanye West, who I thought was a girl. Yeah.

Here’s a taste of the Miller music genius:

K tolerates a lot of grime. But this morning I found him wiping E’s face and explaining, “Your nose is so gross even the Dad’s trying to clean it up.”

Later, K plays this U2 music video for me. He pauses, then comments, “This is before Bono started wearing sunglasses.” He pauses again. “It’s weird to see his eyes.”