Is For King and Country a Christian Band?

For King and Country is comprised of two brothers, Joel and Luke Smallbone, and is considered one of the top bands in Christian Contemporary music.  They have won numerous Grammy and Dove awards for various songs and albums.  Let’s take a little time and see what makes them so popular.

Is For King and Country a Religious Band?

Joel and Luke are brothers born two years apart in Sydney, Australia.  Their older sister is none other than Rebecca St James, who is also a well-known Christian Contemporary artist and speaker.   Jacob Fink, a brother-in-law, is former bassist for the band Foster the People.

Their father was a music promoter, and his job required the family to relocate to Nashville in 1991.  Joel and Luke had the unique privilege of going to many concerts free due to their Dad’s job.  Joel recalled, “Honestly, in a lot of ways, I feel like music chose me, and as I grew older, I made a clear decision to fully lean into it.”

In the beginning of their career, they supplied background vocals for their sister, Rebecca St. James., as well as various other bands in live concerts across the U.S. In 2007, they started their own band and were originally called Joel & Luke. Later, they changed their name to Austoville before settling on their current name.

Before establishing their current name, Joel and Luke had a six-song EP released called A Tale of Two Towns.  Three of the songs on that album, Missing, Sane, and Love’s to Blame,  appeared on their debut album Crave, which was released on February 28, 2012 under their current name.  The last three songs were Broken Lullabies, Believe Me Now, and Something’s Gotta Give.   As a bit of trivia, their sister, Rebecca St. James, co-wrote Love’s to Blame.

 Joel and Luke signed with Warner Music Group in 2009.  When this happened, they changed their name to For King & Country.  According to Wikipedia, Luke recalled the story of this name change. 

 “We wanted a band name that carried more meaning. We were in the studio recording our debut record that Joel had the idea of All The King’s Men, like the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme. Our producer overheard our conversation and swung around in his chair and said, ‘What about For King & Country?’ And we all felt a sense of providence at that moment. “For King and Country” was the battle cry of English soldiers willing to lay down their lives for their king and their country. And now it has become our mission, to lay down our lives for our King and our country.”

They released For King & Country: The EP IN 2011.  They had a song called Busted Heart (Hold On to Me) on that album that was released as a single and topped out at number 3 on Billboard’s Christian Songs chart.  The group described the song as “really a universal cry of humanity for something greater than ourselves…We think we’ve got it all sorted out, and life will deal you those blows.”  Busted Heart was the fastest-rising song in Christian Contemporary music.  It was in the Top 10 for several weeks.

When their debut album, Crave came out, it was number 2 on the iTunes Top Christian & Gospel albums and number 42 on the overall chart.  It was also number 4 on Billboard’s Christian Albums chart and stayed on the chart for 41 weeks.

In a 2012 interview, For King & Country described their philosophy.  Wikipedia records this quote:

“The power of music can impact our mood, emotions, our day. But when you merge the strength of music with the heart, hope and passion of the Gospel… it has the ultimate power not only to change someone’s day, but to impact them for eternity. This is why we write music and sing songs – we hope that people will be moved, encouraged and stirred to live a life for Someone greater than themselves.”

This quote is the key to their philosophy.  You see, anybody who’s a professional singer can sing a Christian song.  After all, like a secular song, Christian songs are just words to music.

However, not everybody can write a Christian song.  These songs, like the Bible, are God-inspired.  The songs are presenting a different message, and only those who truly know the Creator of that message can write a Christian song that will resonate with people.  That’s what For King and Country does.

What kind of music is For King and Country?

For King and Country is a Christian Contemporary band.  This genre of music has been around for many years.  Some of the giants of this type of music include Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Rich Mullins (who tragically died in a plane crash), just to name a few.

Unlike secular music, which include Rock and Roll, Heavy Metal, Hip Hop, etc, Contemporary Christian music is a combination of these secular genres.

There have been countless people who have found Jesus.  I have been to countless concerts of this genre who have presented the Plan of Salvation on stage during their concerts and have even given invitations so people could get saved.

There are countless other people who are already Christians who listen to this genre of music to stay focused on living their lives as a Christian.  The most popular songs that have ever been written and recorded in this genre, are popular not just for the music and melody, but for the message they present as well.

Finally, I have been to concerts that have turned into worship services.  I have seen people who have truly worshipped God, and I have done that myself.  I’m here to tell you this type of music reaches people.

Is For King and Country a Christian Band?

After presenting the above facts, I can say For King and Country is a Christian band.  The messages of their songs speak to people.  Their philosophy quoted above speak as to where their hearts truly lies.

For King and Country Christian Songs

Their most popular songs include:

·   Shoulders

·   God Only Knows

·   For God Is With Us

·   RELATE

·   Burn the Ships

·   The Proof of Your Love

·   Unsung Hero

·   Fix My Eyes

·   Priceless

·   Amen

·   Love Me Like I Am

·   Broken Halos

·   Ceasefire

·   It’s Not Over Yet

·   And many more!

Also, if you want to get a head start on Christmas music, their arrangement of Little Drummer Boy is a must!

Is For King and Country a satanic band? 

There is no evidence that they are a satanic band.   Musical influences include:

·   U2

·   Mutemath

·   OneRepublic

·   Beatles

·   Goo Goo Dolls

·   Switchfoot

·   Scores from the movie Braveheart

·   Scores from the movie Gladiator

Music is itself is neither secular nor Christian.  It’s the lyrics to the music that distinguishes music as such.  There’s nothing wrong with looking at music styles from secular bands.  As mentioned earlier, music and melody are components of a great song.  In order to reach people, you have to meet people where they are, and styles of music are one way to do that.

Conclusion

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For King and Country is a great choice if you’re looking for a Christian.  Their songs are excellent, and they are great singers too.  If you want to try them out, look for some of the songs in the above list on YouTube.