The first thing you'll notice from Hillsong United’s latest album is the cover art. Is it beautiful? Maybe. Appalling? In a kind of cute way, yes.

Is it a beacon of hope for the Christian faith? Without a doubt.

Looking back into the 60's, 70's, and 80's, Christian music is uh...not much to talk about. During that time, popular music radically shifted in its content, its styles, and its overall presence as a part of an evolving culture. Bands like The Beatles and Aerosmith represented a generation of art and change – and in comparison to them, The Unseen Hand and Rock for the King just might leave a bad taste in your mouth.

When the late 90's came around, the Christian music world experienced a resurgence, and began to establish a new sense of relevance. Enter Jars of Clay, Audio Adrenaline, Amy Grant, DC Talk, Third Day; the artistic forerunners of the Christian faith were catching up to popularity, to the mainstream, to modern culture.

Fast forward to today.

I’ll never forget what one of my teachers (a good friend, and a mentor really) said to me: “Christian music is finally taking its place back at the forefront of modern music, where it is not only following trends, but leading them – it’s finally coming back.”

And here you have it.

If you haven’t heard of them, Hillsong United (the band behind the album) has a goliath presence in the Christian art world. They have been vocal pioneers of the Christian music scene for a number of years now, with their music and influence being found in churches around the world. If we were talking about the electronics industry, they’d be Elon Musk.

With this album, however, and its visual artworks in particular (the cover and lyric videos online), I believe that this group has taken their influence one step further out into the world than it has before – doing so with a newfound sense of confidence.

They might as well just say it.

“We are confident enough, in our status and our mission, to take an artistic step outside of what is currently popular and expect the world to catch up to us.”

I’m not saying that other Christian artists and bands have never taken similar steps. What I am saying is that revolutionary steps such as these are becoming more and more common – and this album is a prime example of that movement.

Organizations such as the 268 Generation (one of the groups behind the Passion Conferences) and Louie Giglio’s wardrobe department (the reason why the Passion Conferences are so popular) also exemplify this new direction, and continue to put out artwork and stylistic choices that are consistent – and dare I say, maybe revolutionary – in regards to all that is in vogue.

Steps like these are invaluable.

You hear it in every generation: “the Christian faith is under attack”, “we must make an effort to not be overcome by the world”, “we have to fight to stay relevant”. Here, in Hillsong United’s album artwork choices, and in Louie Giglio’s awkward hoodies (don’t take it personally), and in the artistic production of the Passion Conferences, and in countless other artists and leaders, we see active participants in the fight against those ever present forces.

Can you imagine a reality where Christian music is nowhere to be found on Spotify due to its isolated, out of date, and unpopular style? Can you imagine a reality where it is uncommon for college aged kids to go to church at all due to a suit-and-tie dress code?

If that reality doesn’t seem too far off, it’s because it isn’t.

Instead, thankfully, groups like Hillsong United are representing the Christian faith and taking steps away from obscurity, positioning themselves in the light, to keep those realities at bay – and I’d say they’re doing a wonderful job.

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