We Don't Have to Kiss All 90s Christian Culture Goodbye #044

There's a lot to Celebrate

I am about to celebrate my 39th birthday and it’s caused me to reminisce fondly about a much-maligned time period in Christianity.

The 1990’s.

There’s been a lot of ink spent on the dangers of evangelical subculture during this time frame. From the Moral Majority to purity pledges the decade has seen its fair share of hate (some of it well deserved). Yet, I can’t help but feel like there is not enough written about the good that came out during that time. Not all of it scarred people for life. So, in honor of my birthday, this post is a celebration of what I remember fondly growing up in the evangelical culture of the 90s - as a Jesus Freak.

MUSIC

In the ’90s CCM (Christian Contemporary Music) put out some absolutely incredible music. I was just revisiting some of the classics the past couple of days and man did we see some bangers back then!

My introduction to “grunge” (which led to my love of punk rock) did not start with Nirvana. It started with DC Talk. Jesus Freak has held up incredibly well over the years and it’s still so much fun to listen to. I don’t think you can have a 90s CCM recap with DC Talk.

Jars of Clay’s first main album is one you can listen to the entire way through. I still do. And while I’m not sure where the band is at now with their faith journey, back in the 90s they put out a lot of music that was genuinely speaking to faith’s ups and downs. It’s a great album and one I would highly recommend going back to and giving a listen.

Amy Grant. Enough said.

SwitchFoot is still my favorite band and New Way to Be Human is a criminally underrated album.

Ska. Oh, Ska! How many concerts did I go to where “skank circles” and praise were the norm?

I would post so many more but I have a limit on here apparently. But don’t think I missed any, I’m just posting the ones I revisited this week!

BOOKS

Starting off this list with the OG spiritual thriller:

A lot of my friends read a lot about Columbine. I was just entering 9th grade when the tragedy occurred. And while one account blew up in the 90s, Rachel Scott’s story resonated with me the most because she seemed to think and wrestle with her faith as I did. It’s a great read:

VIDEOS

Remember video tapes? VCR’s? Blockbuster! Man, good times. Anyways, here are some of my favorite tapes growing up.

So many good memories of McGee and Me! While not my favorite, they’re still fun to go back and watch.

Now, this one is cheating a bit since it came out in the 80s, but during the 90s I LOVED Superbook. Loved it! And the same goes for the next one.

The Greatest Adventure from Hannah Barbara put out incredible time-traveling hijinks through stories of the Bibles. These adventures along with SuperBook were my childhood.

Carman. It has to be Carman. If you grew up in the 90s you know Carman. Man, I loved Carman Yo Kidz. I still hum some of these songs.

GOAT STATUS

All of the above are great. Some even move into legendary. But not all of them can be GOATS. Here’s my GOAT list.

MRS. G

I don’t think many people know Mrs. G, but every night I would pop in a cassette tape and listen as Mrs. G read Bible stories. My grandmother gave me the tapes and they were my biggest treasures as a kid. I still have them and while I don’t have a cassette player anymore, hopefully, I can get them converted here soon so I can start playing them for my kids.

Five Iron Frenzy

When I first heard “Proof that the Youth Are Revolting” I remember being blown away by Reese's screaming intro. The whole album was a staple of my and my brother’s ride to school. Five Iron was instrumental to my young faith and I am so grateful that they infused faith with fun.

Psalty

What 90’s list would be complete without Psalty? Now, this one is a bit of a cheat because it came out in the 80s but I did not see it till the 90s. When I have gone back and watched it again it was admittedly creepy (especially the man dressed as a dog). But, I still sing the songs from this adventure today, and one of the songs I sing to my daughter every night as a lullaby: “I cast all my cares upon you!”

Tombs of Anak and Door in the Dragons Throat

The Cooper Kids Adventure Series got me into reading. Tombs of Anak is one of my favorite books of all time and I still go back and read it, almost yearly. These books interwove adventure, exploration, and faith perfectly. They were scary but exciting. I cannot wait till my daughter is old enough and I can read them to her.

And there you have it folks! I know I missed a lot. But, leave a comment about what you would add to this list. The 90s as a Christian were awesome and I am grateful for the good stuff that solidified my faith and still is solidifying my faith today.