Owl City, Adam Young: Christianity And Faith

Adam Young, the man behind 'Owl City,' is a well-known player in popular music, but beneath his pop success Young seems to have a solid foundation of faith that sets him apart from many other big names in the industry.

In a recent blog post, Young revealed his faith foundation, quoting Acts 20:24, "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus - the work of telling others the good news about the wonderful grace of God."

Throughout his career, Young has released a number of different Christian-themed songs, the most obvious of these is his rendition of Keith Getty and Stuart Townend's, 'In Christ Alone.' Other song's like his original songs from his 2011 album 'All Things Bright And Beauiful', 'Galaxies' and 'Angels' seem to resemble Christian sentiments as well.

In a 2011 interview with the Christian Post, Young spoke about his religious affiliations and his approach to religion in his music. When asked if he thinks his audience will expect God-themed music since his religious affiliations have become more prominent he said, "I honestly just try to stay out of it! My prayer is just that God give me the songs He wants me to sing and that they will be extremely 'usable' by whatever capacity He chooses to use them. I feel like anything beyond that is almost none of my business!"

He explained the story behind his song 'Galaxies' saying, "The song is a vivid portrayal to the idea that even amidst tragedy, victory can be achieved through Christ and through Him alone. The song is loosely based around the space shuttle Challenger disaster that occurred in 1986 and what I might've thought or felt if I were the flight commander on that ship, suddenly taken from reality into eternity in a split second."

Although his music doesn't always obviously advocate Christian sentiments, he hopes that it has a positive impact on people in a world that is often rough. "My prayer is that the music of Owl City serves as a bright light in a very dark place, a ray of hope in this haunted house of a world. I want the Lord Jesus to use my music to do WHATEVER it is He wills," Young said.

He gave advice for how young people can stay grounded in their faith as well. "Stay in the Word. The moment you start letting go of that, you're on the road to compromise. Stay grounded, remain pure, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus," he said.

Musically, Young said that he is often inspired by the music of Mark Schultz and Nichole Nordeman. He also said that there is a possibility that he will release some other songs, similar to his rendition of 'In Christ Alone' in the future.

In a 2010 interview with Christianity Today, Young explained that "Faith and imagination" are the things that inspire his creavity. "Faith is the reason I do what I do, imagination is the fuel that keeps the creativity flowing. The Lord Jesus Christ is my reason for creating and I have nothing but thanks and gratitude toward him for being allowed to do what I do, and ultimately, seize my wildest dreams as if they were just there waiting for me," he said.

Young's most recent album, 'The Midsummer Station,' was released in 2013. Although the new album doesn't really scream Christianity, there could be some speculation about religious meanings behind a couple of the songs. Two songs in particular that seem to fit the bill are, 'Speed of Love,' and 'Sillouette,' which both could arguably contain some reflection on the beauty of Christ's love and our need to abide in that love.

Owl City has also been featured in a few films this year including 'Escape from Planet Earth' and 'The Croods.' His song 'Shine Your Way,' from 'The Croods' speaks of taking a leap of faith and utilizes the symbol of light, which is used throughout the Bible as a symbol for Christ. 'Shooting Star' from 'The Croods' also utilizes the symbol of light.