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Updated by Christian Piatt on Nov 28, 2023
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25 Albums Christians Should Hear

Most "Christian Music" Sucks. What do you think should be on every Christian's playlist and why?

A few guidelines:
1. No singles. EPs or Albums
2. Doesn't have to technically be "Christian," but should somehow point to the sentiments in Jesus' teachings
3. Please don't add your own music. That makes Jesus cry
4. Indie bands are fine, but make sure folks can actually find the music
5. Include links

Source: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christianpiatt/2013/08/25-albums-every-christian-should-hear-new-survey/

The Joshua Tree - U2

Listen to it. Speaks for itself.

Johnny Cash: At Folsom Prison

I don't care if it's cliche. Johnny Cash lived the Gospel. I think he's a must on any "Christian" list.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: The Heist

This is the album that inspired the creation of this list. Includes tracks like "Same Love," "Thrift Shop" and others well worth the time and $$$ to download.

Mumford & Sons: Babel

The follow up to Mumford & Sons 2009 debut album Sigh No More, produced by Markus Dravs. It conjures religious imagery and nudges one subtly to ponder faith. It's moving. Powerful. And has a way of bringing one to a place of deep inner reflection and wonder. Leaves the wanderer's questions unresolved but infuses the unknown with a sense of hope.

A Love Supreme

A Love Supreme is a suite about redemption, a work of pure spirit and song, that encapsulates all the struggles and aspirations of the 1960s.

Exodus (Bob Marley & the Wailers)

Exodus is the ninth studio album released by Jamaican Reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers.

Jars of Clay by Jars of Clay

Preview songs from Jars of Clay by Jars of Clay on the iTunes Store. Preview, buy, and download Jars of Clay for $9.99. Songs start at just $1.29.

Patty Griffin: Downtown Church

Patty has a voice and a lyrical sense that both resonate with me on the very deepest levels.

76

Grace

Grace

Resembling at times a soft-sung Robert Plant, Buckley was an intuitive vocalist capable of dizzying arabesques and choir-boy sweetness. He is joined here by a tight band for 10 tracks highlighting his stylistic range--Pearl Jam bluesy on "Eternal Life," impossibly serene on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," art-school noisy on "So Real," Led Zep daring on "Mojo Pin."

Matisyahu - Live at Stubb's

A musical and religious anomaly, Matisyahu born Matthew Miller brings his own brand of Hasidic Hip Hop.

Rich Mullins: Jesus Record

This is the best album I have ever come across that gets right to the heart of Christ. This double album contains two discs, ostensibly two versions of the same record. The first disc contains Mullins's crude demos of 9 of the 10 songs on the album, recorded on a battery-powered box only a few days before his untimely death.

3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... - Arrested Development | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic

Now getting pretty darn old, but an album which I believes describes a love/hate relationship with religion, a search for God and an attempt to live well in relationship with others.

Rattle & Hum

"Don't believe in excess
Success is to give
Don't believe in riches
But you should see where I live
I...I believe in love"

Great examination of the contradictions of life.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic

Dwight Ozard reviewed this album in ESA's magazine Prism years ago, and I'm so glad he turned me on to it. RIP Dwight - you are missed.

The Avett Brothers: The Carpenter

While the Avett Brothers have songs on other albums with spiritual overtones, I think this is their best work in that regard.

So Beautiful or So What: Paul Simon

One of the most beautiful albums ever, deeply spiritual. Intriguingly Christian work from a non Christian.

David Bazan: Curse Your Branches

One of the most honest portrayals of wrestling with faith in recent years set to incredibly powerful and music.

Alice Cooper: Along Came a Spider

An album about a sinner (i.e. all of us) finding God's grace and salvation.

The Eagles: Desperado

Not only a great album, but the song itself speaks of grace calling to the lonely and outsider.

In the Aeroplane over the Sea

possibly about Anne Frank, this album (one of the most influential of the 90s) explores deep Christian themes on songs like King of Carrot Flowers, Part 2.

The Fray

This group walks the line between a Christian rock group and popular rock very well. Writing music of hope and challenge.

Explosions in the Sky: The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place

The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place Release Date: November 4, 2003 1. First Breath After Coma 2. The Only Moment We Were Alone 3. Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean 4. Memorial 5. Your Hand In Mine In the summer of 2002, the four of us decided to temporarily relocate to Midland, Texas.