Provocative Creativity: a Defense of “Reckless Love”
When you meet me for the first time, you’ll end up learning some facts pretty quickly: I’m addicted to caffeine, I think Boston is the greatest city in the world, and that my knowledge of Contemporary Chirstian Music (CCM) is pretty far-reaching. Of the top artists that I’ve listened to on Spotify all time, 70% of them fall in the CCM genre. The same goes for the top ten songs I’ve listened to all time. All of that is to say that I have developed a passion for the genre, I have strong opinions on it, and I will strongly defend those opinions in any way I can. So why not jump straight into the fire with a defense of one of the most controversial CCM songs to come out within the past ten years, “Reckless Love”. At this point, you might be preparing yourself for a complex theological breakdown on whether or not it’s heretical to say that God, or his love for that matter, can be “Reckless”. You can relax, because I’m not going to do that. Instead, I want to defend the song from the perspective of a musician who loves and values bold creativity in music. “Reckless Love” breaks the mold of the genre with provocative and poetic lyricism, and for that reason I think it must be celebrated rather than ridiculed.
Let us first consider the titular phrase in question. Believe it or not, this is not the first time this phrase has been used in song before. Artists including Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, and Bleachers have used it before. But even more noteworthy is that Christian artists have used it before the song in question was released in 2016. In Bethel Music’s rendition of “Forever” in their 2013 album Tides, lead singer Brian Johnson ad libs the phrase into the pre-chorus: “His reckless love could not be overcome…”. Hillsong United uses it in the verse of “Up in Arms” from their wildly popular 2013 album Zion: “A reckless love too wild to understand”. Finally, Kings Kaleidoscope uses the phrase in the song “Defender” from their 2014 album, Becoming Who We Are: “You rescue me with reckless love”. It’s worth noting that in none of these cases was there even the slightest uproar from Christian voices, either because they didn’t care enough since it wasn’t in the title, or they didn’t notice the word to begin with. What these examples prove is that the phrase “reckless love” has been used so many times in both secular and Christian contexts, that I think it should be treated as idiomatic. That is, instead of thinking of the two words separately, you can think of the phrase holistically as a metaphor for love. It’s a subtle yet important distinction, because it adds complexity to the lyrics rather than taking them at face value. CCM songs often fall short of this type of poetic and bold language, and when it does, people are quick to shut it down (sloppy wet kisses, anyone?). Perhaps if listeners took a moment to analyze the lyrics for what they are conveying rather than the words themselves, then I think there would be greater appreciation for unusual word choices.
While a historical precedent of the phrase’s use leads to an idiomatic interpretation, looking at the artist’s intent also provides useful insight. Cory Asbury, the artist and songwriter, said during an interview with Relevant Magazine, “[Jesus is] saying: “I don’t care. I’m coming after your heart and am gonna show you what love looks like on a cross, arms wide open, bleeding in this place of vulnerability and pain.” And he goes, no, it doesn’t matter what it takes. It doesn’t matter the cost”. In that same interview, he comments on using the word “reckless” to characterize this love: “I think sometimes we get stuck with an understanding or a concept and we can’t see outside of that box. And I think that’s what happens with the word reckless. We know the word has negative connotations, so we cannot see outside of that box”. This directly proves my point that as listeners we need to move beyond taking the word at face value. Cory is clearly trying to convey the way in which God’s love can be perceived. Using the word “reckless” forces the listener to consider the love of God with a new perspective. It may be uncomfortable to do, but art isn’t meant to always be comfortable. Creativity in worship allows us to wrestle with any discomfort we may have, so that we can understand the truth behind the song more fully.
I think for too long, CCM has had the reputation of being derivative, repetitive, and stale. In modern churches, you tend to hear the same types of songs from the same bands or artists, and they all tend to use the same words or phrases. After a while, singing these songs becomes robotic, and the songs themselves can lose their meaning. It is my hope that songwriters in the CCM space expand their lyrical horizons so that they can create more innovative and thought-provoking songs. I think then the narrative will shift from “is this song ok to sing?” to “how is this song conveying the truth of the Gospel in a new way?”. I believe Reckless Love is a prime example of showing us God’s love in a manner we may not have considered in an artistically creative way.
Michael Manasseh is a senior in Columbia College majoring in Economics with a concentration in Mathematics. He is an avid coffee drinker, budding golfer, and a passionate fan of Boston sports. Feel free to reach out to him at m.manasseh@columbia.edu.