The Christian pop quartet Point of Grace has settled on a theme for the fall: “I Choose You.”
“As believers, we have an incredible choice between worshipping God or the world,” singer Heather Payne said.
But with the release of the CD “I Choose You” still a month away, the members of Point of Grace have decided to give the phrase a different spin and start applying it a little early.
“We are trying to tie that in to the election,” Payne said.
As a result, they’ve joined the Redeem the Vote effort by Christian artists to boost voter registration. The nonpartisan effort aims to “educate young people on why it’s important to vote and what the issues are,” Payne said.
The group’s Web site — www.redeemthevote.com — lists 40 participating artists and groups, ranging from rapper tobyMac to rocker Jeremy Camp. At their concerts and other events, artists mention the importance of voting and provide opportunities to register, Payne said.
The effort is just one of many pushes by celebrities, ranging from MTV’s Rock the Vote to the decidedly partisan Vote for a Change, which boasts such musical luminaries as Bruce Springsteen and the Dixie Chicks in an effort to topple President Bush.
Redeem the Vote’s nonpartisan approach is important to Payne. “I would say that most of the mainstream efforts are not quite as nonpartisan,” she said.
Payne emphasizes the educational nature of the effort. “We’re given a platform for a reason … We can say you’re vote counts,” Payne said.
While the effort welcomes Democrats and Republicans, it’s no secret that people signing up at a Redeem the Vote event are probably more likely to vote for President Bush. A majority of the religious vote has swung to the GOP in recent elections and most pundits forecast the same for 2004.
Also, beyond the bounds of Redeem the Vote, many Christian acts are showing their support for Bush. For example, rockers Third Day and singer Jaci Velasquez performed at the Republican convention.
And Point of Grace’s support of the nonpartisan Redeem the Vote doesn’t stop them from expressing a bit of partisanship at other times. They sang at a Bush rally in Iowa on Aug. 31.
Despite that, Payne believes that no voter should let someone else dictate whom they should vote for.
“Don’t just take it from a movie star or actress — or even a Christian music star — but look at the issues,” Payne said.
On the Web: www.redeemthevote.com; www.rockthevote.com; www.moveonpac.org/vfc/ and: www.pointofgrace.net
—Today’s Praise is a roundup of news and reviews from the contemporary Christian music industry. It appears twice a month on the Religion page.
