67-524: ApologetiX is an American Christian parody band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . The band was founded in 1990, and since then, has played in almost all 50 states, and as of 2024 has released 75 studio albums, and built up a fan club that includes over 65,000 people. The band is currently composed of J. Jackson on vocals, Keith Haynie on bass guitar, Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums, Bill Hubauer and Chris VonBartheld on keyboard, and Tom Milnes and Tom Tincha (a.k.a. "TNT"), both on lead guitar. The name ApologetiX
134-535: A Christian, because I don't write music to be evangelical. Now, if that happens, it happens. Some of these bands, like Creed , played up the spiritual content of their music and were widely considered a "Christian band" by the popular media. Some bands reject the label because they do not wish to exclusively attract Christian fans, or because they have been identified with another particular music genre, such as heavy metal or indie rock . The aims for making Christian music vary among different artists and bands. Often,
201-521: A chromaticism which is at all times restricted in amount and lacking in emotionalism; and modality which creates an atmosphere unmistakably ecclesiastical". In the light of Archibald Davison's characterisation it is easy to see how different these two genres of music are. Christians in the United States did not want their children exposed to music with unruly, impassioned vocals, loud guitar-riffs and jarring, hypnotic rhythms. Rock and roll differed from
268-416: A large influence on contemporary Christian music and are one of the largest producers of CCM. Contemporary Christian music has also expanded into many subgenres . Christian punk , Christian hardcore , Christian metal and Christian hip hop , although not normally considered CCM, can also come under the genre's umbrella. Contemporary worship music is also incorporated in modern CCM. Contemporary worship
335-494: A lifestyle based on drugs, free sex and "radical politics", some of the Jesus ' hippies ' became known as 'Jesus people'". It was during the 1970s Jesus movement that Christian music started to become an industry within itself. "Jesus music" started by playing instruments and singing songs about love and peace, which then translated into love of God. Paul Wohlegemuth, who wrote the book Rethinking Church Music , said "[the] 1970s will see
402-446: A marginal part of the nascent contemporary Christian music (CCM) and contemporary gospel industry in the 1970s and 1980s, though Christian folk rock artists like Bruce Cockburn and rock fusion artists like Phil Keaggy had some cross-over success. Petra and Resurrection Band , two of the bands who brought harder rock into the early CCM community, had their origins in the early to mid-1970s. They reached their height in popularity in
469-418: A marked acceptance of rock-influenced music in all levels of church music. The rock style will become more familiar to all people, its rhythmic excesses will become refined, and its earlier secular associations will be less remembered." Evangelical artists made significant contributions to CCM in the 1960s, developing various Christian music styles , from Christian rock to Christian hip-hop passing through
536-486: A part of the contemporary Christian music (CCM) industry. Other bands perform music influenced by their faith or containing Christian imagery, but see their audience as the general public. For example, Bono of U2 combines many elements of spirituality and faith into his lyrics, but the band is not directly labeled as a "Christian rock" band. Such bands are sometimes rejected by the CCM rock scene and may specifically reject
603-474: A pioneer of "alternative Christian rock." Knott's 1987 album Shaded Pain being noted for lyrics which challenged church morality. This resulted in the album being banned by churches and Christian bookstores. Nevertheless, Knott was still credited for changing the course of Christian rock, with his short-lived company Blonde Vinyl becoming a major source for Christian rock musicians during its existence. The 1990s saw an explosion of Christian rock. Many of
670-603: A shift toward mainstream exposure in the Christian rock scene. Rock label Tooth & Nail Records would be credited for having "altered the course of the Christian rock industry by launching and legitimizing the careers of MxPx , The O.C. Supertones and Underoath ." Among popular Christian rock bands of the first decade of the 21st century that exemplified this trend were RED and Fireflight . There are also some Roman Catholic bands such as Critical Mass . Some Eastern Orthodox Christian rock groups, mostly from Russia and
737-849: Is a play on apologetics , the defense of a religious doctrine, in particular, Christian apologetics . The word is used in 1 Peter 3:15 : "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer [defense or "apologia"] to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." ( NIV ). ApologetiX has had six official drummers. Jeff Pakula (June 1990 – September 1993), Rick Servocky (November 1993 – April 1995), Bob Flaherty (May 1995 – September 1998), Fred Behanna (February 1999 – January 2001), Bill "Moose" Rieger (March 2001 – January 2005) and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner (October 2005 – present). ApologetiX has had multiple other drummers as well, including: their longtime fill-in drummer, Keith Harrold (who played on Isn't Wasn't Ain't and Keep
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#1733104843676804-547: Is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith , often with an emphasis on Jesus , typically performed by Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands . Many bands who perform Christian rock have ties to the contemporary Christian music labels, media outlets, and festivals , while other bands are independent. Most traditional and fundamentalist Christians did not view rock music favorably when it became popular with young people from
871-492: Is a genre of modern popular music , and an aspect of Christian media , which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and stylistically rooted in Christian music . Originating in the United States, it was formed by those affected by the 1960s Jesus movement revival who began to express themselves in other styles of popular music, beyond the church music of hymns , gospel and Southern gospel music that
938-772: Is also a festival in Orlando, Florida called Rock the Universe , a two-day festival at Universal Orlando Resort that overlaps with the Night of Joy event at Walt Disney World. Ichthus, currently held in Kentucky, is a three-day festival that involves over 65 bands. There are also many in the UK, including Greenbelt Festival , Soul Survivor , BigChurchDayOut , 'Ultimate Events' at Alton Towers , Frenzy in Edinburgh and Creation Fest, Woolacombe, Devon , which
1005-528: Is both recorded and performed during church services . In the 2000s, contemporary worship music with a distinctly theological focus has emerged, primarily in the Baptist , Reformed and more traditional non-denominational branches of Protestant Christianity. Artists include well-known groups such as Shane & Shane and modern hymn-writers, Keith & Kristyn Getty as well as others like Sovereign Grace Music , Matt Boswell and Aaron Keyes . The format
1072-500: Is entirely a live performance. Another early Christian rock album was Mylon (We Believe) by Mylon LeFevre , son of members of the southern gospel group The LeFevres . He recorded the album with members of Classics IV and released it through Cotillion Records in 1970. Norman Greenbaum recorded gospel pop hit "Spirit in the Sky", and the song reached #3 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. Ocean (Canada) gained gospel pop big hit "Put Your Hand in
1139-507: Is gaining traction in many churches and other areas in culture as well as being heard in CCM collections & musical algorithms on several Internet streaming services. According to a 2023 study by Worship Leader Research, of the top 25 most popular song licenses used by churches between 2010 and 2020, nearly 100% came from 3 megachurch music groups; Hillsong Worship ( Hillsong Church ), Bethel Music ( Bethel Church ), and Elevation Worship ( Elevation Church ). Brian Schwertley of
1206-478: Is given as an example) of the late 1990s were experiencing a rapid decline in membership and were under threat of disbandment within the next decade, a trend that has been going on since the 1980s. McLean, using numerous quotes from theologians, Christian apologists and professors, goes on to offer contemporary Christian music as the reason for the falling popularity of more traditionalist churches. The definition of contemporary Christian, as offered by New Harmonies ,
1273-527: Is not related to Creationfest in the United States. The Flevo Festival of The Netherlands, which offers seminars, theater, stand-up comedy, sports and movies as well as Christian music from a wide variety of genres, is considered to be one of the biggest Christian festivals in Europe. It was discontinued in 2013, due to financial issues. It has been unofficially restarted by a collection of Christian organizations who previously collaborated on Flevo Festival under
1340-404: Is of a genre not far removed from traditional hymns; it is simply more accessible. The reality is that while a form of modernized hymns do exist in today's churches and do affect church evangelism and growth, there also exists both within and outside these churches a form of music (Christian rock) that has only one element in common with previous religious genres: its worship of God. This element,
1407-570: The American South - regarded it as anathema . He Touched Me , a 1972 gospel-music album by Elvis Presley, sold over 1 million copies in the US alone and earned Presley his second of three Grammy Awards. Not counting compilations, it was his third and final album devoted exclusively to gospel music. The song "He Touched Me" was written in 1963 by Bill Gaither , an American singer and songwriter of southern gospel and Contemporary Christian music. In
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#17331048436761474-646: The Catholic Church in Croatia , and state-owned record label Jugoton . They ended their activity in 1971, as the members of the band finished their studies of theology and went on to become priests of the Catholic Church. Another Christian rock pioneer, Randy Stonehill , released his first album in 1971, the Larry Norman-produced Born Twice . In the most common pressing of the album, side one
1541-599: The Christian punk or the Christian metal . Those involved were affected by the late 1960s to early 1970s Jesus movement , whose adherents colloquially called themselves the "Jesus Freaks", as an Evangelical Christian response to the counterculture movements such as hippies and flower children who were finding widespread traction. The Calvary Chapel was one such response, which launched Maranatha Music in 1971. They soon began to express themselves in alternative styles of popular music and worship music. The Dove Awards , an annual ceremony which rewards Christian music,
1608-465: The Reformed Presbyterian tradition wrote in 2001 that the inclusion of CCM in a worship service violates the second commandment and the regulative principle of worship because it adds man-made inventions, lyrics, and instrumental music to the biblically appointed way of worshipping God. "The responsibility of the church is not to provide escape from reality", according to Donald Ellsworth,
1675-581: The Soviet Union , started performing in the late 1980s and 1990s. Alisa and Black Coffee are credited as the most prominent examples. The Orthodox Christian lyrics of these bands often overlap with historical and patriotic songs about Kievan Rus' . The musical genre that was once rejected by mainstream Christian churches is now considered by some as one of the most-important evangelism tool of their successor congregations. According to Terri McLean, author of New Harmonies, old-guard churches (United Methodist
1742-625: The United States by Billy Ray Hearn, a Christian music graduate from the Baylor University . The songs of Hillsong Music , founded in 1991 by Hillsong Church , in Sydney , Australia , have been translated into various languages and have had an influence considerable in evangelical churches worldwide. In Christian hip-hop , TobyMac , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood founded the first specialized label Gotee Records in 1994. The founding of
1809-717: The "father of Christian rock", and in his later years "the Grandfather of Christian rock", who, in 1969 recorded and released Upon This Rock , "the first commercially released Jesus rock album", challenged a view held by some conservative Christians (predominantly fundamentalists) that rock music was anti-Christian. One of his songs, "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?" summarized his attitude and his quest to pioneer Christian rock music. A cover version of Larry Norman's Rapture -themed "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" appears in
1876-501: The 1950s, even though country and gospel music often influenced early rock music. In 1952, Archibald Davison, a Harvard professor, summed up the sound of traditional Christian music and why its supporters might not like rock music when he wrote of "... a rhythm that avoids strong pulses; a melody whose physiognomy is neither so characteristic nor so engaging as to make an appeal in its own behalf; counterpoint, which cultivates long-breathed eloquence rather than instant and dramatic effect;
1943-459: The 1960s that contained contemporary-sounding songs, there were two albums recorded in 1969 that are considered to be the first complete albums of "Jesus rock": Upon This Rock (1969) by Larry Norman initially released on Capitol Records , and Mylon – We Believe by Mylon LeFevre , released by Cotillion, which was LeFevre's attempt at blending gospel music with southern rock . Unlike traditional or southern gospel music, this new Jesus music
2010-529: The 1960s, rock music developed artistically, attained worldwide popularity and became associated with the radical counterculture , firmly alienating many Christians. In 1966 The Beatles , one of the most popular and influential rock-bands of their era, ran into trouble with many of their American fans when John Lennon jokingly offered his opinion that Christianity was dying and that the Beatles were " more popular than Jesus now". The romantic, melodic rock songs of
2077-536: The 1980s. Many CCM artists such as Benny Hester , Amy Grant , DC Talk , Michael W. Smith , Stryper , and Jars of Clay found crossover success with Top 40 mainstream radio play. The genre emerged and became prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s. Beginning in July 1978, CCM Magazine began covering "contemporary Christian music" artists and a wide range of spiritual themes until it launched online publications in 2009. It has certain themes and messages behind
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2144-609: The CCM label. Other bands may experiment with more abrasive musical styles. Beginning in the 1990s and 2000s there was much wider acceptance even by religious purists of Christian metal , Christian industrial and Christian punk . Many of these bands are on predominantly Christian record labels, such as Tooth and Nail Records and Facedown Records . Rock artists, such as Switchfoot , do not claim to be "Christian bands", but include members who openly profess to be Christians or at times may feature Christian thought, imagery, scripture or other influences in their music. I'm an artist who's
2211-496: The Change ); David McKee (who played on Jesus Christ Morningstar as well as two concerts in 1998); and Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz (the drummer for "Weird Al" Yankovic ), who played on seven tracks on Biblical Graffiti . Ron Zanski (two shows in 1993) and Allen Muckle (three shows in 2001) have also played with the band. According to the band's website, Yankovic himself has told them that he thinks they do "...fabulous work". Since 2014,
2278-476: The Christian messages. Though his style was not initially well received by many in the Christian community of the time, he continued throughout his career to create controversial hard-rock songs such as "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?". He is remembered as the artist "who first combined rock 'n' roll with Christian lyrics" in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame . Though there were Christian albums in
2345-480: The Day incorporate symbolism and Christian messages more indirectly. Bands such as Flyleaf do not call themselves Christian bands, though they state that their Christian faith affects their lyrics. Bands such as Switchfoot have said they try to write music for both Christians and non-Christians alike. Festivals range from single day events to multiple-day festivals that provide camping and other activities. One of
2412-615: The Devil " (1968), a song openly written from the point of view of Satan . Allegations of Satanic intent also arose from the Beatles and others of the controversial backmasking recording-technique. This further increased Christian opposition to rock music. Later, in the 1960s, the escalating Vietnam War , Civil Rights Movement , Paris student riots of 1968 and other events served as catalysts for youth activism and political withdrawal or protest, which became associated with rock bands, whether or not they were openly political. Moreover, many saw
2479-637: The Evangelical Christian feature film A Thief in the Night and appeared on Cliff Richard 's Christian album Small Corners along with "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?". In 1966, the band Žeteoci (transl. The Harvesters ) was formed in Yugoslavia . Founded by four students of the Zagreb Catholic Faculty of Theology , Žeteoci performed beat music with religious lyrics, being
2546-510: The Hand" in 1971. In the late 1970s, Christian rock received exposure through more mainstream rock and folk rock musicians. Bob Dylan became a born-again Christian and released three albums between 1979 and 1981. This period would yield the Grammy winning single " Gotta Serve Somebody " and three successful concert tours that would later see release as The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 . Dylan's influence
2613-604: The UK's Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart . Top-selling CCM artists will also appear on the Billboard 200 . In the iTunes Store , the genre is represented as part of the Christian and gospel genre while the Google Play Music system labels it as Christian/Gospel. The growing popularity of rock and roll music in the 1950s was initially dismissed by the church because it was believed to encourage sinfulness. Yet as evangelical churches adapted to appeal to more people,
2680-543: The author of Christian Music in Contemporary Witness , "but to give answers to contemporary problems through legitimate, biblical means". According to Vice magazine, CCM "has often functioned as a propaganda wing of the Christian right ", presenting views on topics such as the war on drugs , Christian nationalism , mission trips , school prayer , and the LGBT community . Several high-profile bands have rejected
2747-512: The band has been following a quarterly release schedule, producing a new studio album about every three months by releasing double singles bi-weekly. From 2014 to 2017, they were able to produce four albums per year. In 2018, their studio computers started to have speed issues, which slowed down the production of their albums. So far they have released two albums, with a third album on its way. ApologetiX rewrites secular songs with Christian lyrics to create parodies with Christian messages, and, in
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2814-435: The band's early career had formerly been viewed as relatively inoffensive by Christians, but after the remark, churches nationwide organized Beatles-record burnings and Lennon was forced to apologize. Subsequently, the Beatles and most rock musicians experimented with a more complex, psychedelic style of music that frequently used anti-establishment, drug-related, or sexual lyrics, while The Rolling Stones sang " Sympathy for
2881-469: The end of the 20th century. Among the first bands that played Christian rock was the Crusaders , a Southern Californian garage rock band, whose November 1966 Tower Records album Make a Joyful Noise with Drums and Guitars is considered one of the first gospel rock releases; John Joseph Thompson identifies it as "the first record of Christian rock". Brian Collins characterises Mind Garage as "arguably
2948-507: The first Christian rock band in Yugoslavia and arguably the first Christian rock band in a communist country . Although they were not among the earliest Yugoslav rock bands, Žeteoci, as other 1960s rock bands from Yugoslavia, played a pioneering roll on the Yugoslav rock scene ; their first and only album, To nije tajna ( It Is Not a Secret ), released in 1969, was the second full-length album in
3015-409: The first band of its kind": they recorded the 1967 Electric Liturgy at RCA 's "Nashville Sound" studio in 1969. Both of these recordings were preceded by the rockabilly praise LP I Like God's Style , written and performed by one 16-year-old Isabel Baker and released on the private Wichita, Kansas Romco label in 1965, which no one published on until the 2000s. Larry Norman , often described as
3082-559: The first in the US was the six-day Explo '72 held in Dallas , Texas in June 1972 that was attended by around 80,000 people with around 100,000 – 150,000 at the final concert and which featured acts such as Larry Norman , The Archers , Love Song , Randy Matthews , Children of the Day , Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson . Significant festivals in the US are Creation Festival , Ichthus Festival , and Cornerstone Festival . There
3149-579: The history of Yugoslav rock music. Although an openly religious band in a communist state, due to specific political and cultural milieu of the Non-Aligned Yugoslavia, for the most of their career Žeteoci enjoyed the attention of the media and notable popularity among the Yugoslav youth. Their only album was released in cooperation between Glas Koncila ( Voice of the Council ), the official newspaper of
3216-454: The label Reach Records in 2004 by Lecrae and Ben Washer also had a significant impact in the development of Christian hip-hop. Contemporary Christian musicians and listeners have sought to extend their music into settings where religious music traditionally might not be heard. For instance, MercyMe 's song " I Can Only Imagine " was a crossover success in 1999 despite having a clear Christian message. In 2018, Lauren Daigle 's ' You Say '
3283-408: The label "Christian music", such as Needtobreathe and Mutemath , with the latter suing their record label over being marketed as such. Of the categorization, Needtobreathe said to Rolling Stone: "Any label is limiting. That one in particular is especially limiting. To me, I think people pass over the band all the time because they read that....I hate the idea that they somehow feel like I didn't make
3350-516: The late eighties alongside other Christian-identifying hard rock acts such as Stryper . The latter had videos played on MTV , such as "Calling on You" and "To Hell with the Devil", and even saw some airtime on mainstream radio stations with their hit song "Honestly". Christian rock has proved less successful in the UK and Europe, although such artists as Bryn Haworth have found commercial success by combining blues and mainstream rock music with Christian themes. Michael Knott would be credited for being
3417-581: The liberal editing of the original hymns, "gospel 'showed rock how to sing'". Howard & Streck go on to describe how the conflict between music and religion, spearheaded by southern fundamentalists, was originally racially based, but how in the sixties this moved on to a clash over the perceived lifestyle of rock musicians. There are multiple definitions of what qualifies as a "Christian rock" band. Christian rock bands that explicitly state their beliefs and use religious imagery in their lyrics, like Servant , Third Day , and Petra , tend to be considered
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#17331048436763484-427: The music as promoting a lifestyle of promiscuous "sex, drugs and rock and roll", also reflected in the behavior of many rock stars. However, there was growing recognition of the diverse musical and ideological potential of rock. Countless new bands sprang up in the mid-to-late 1960s, as rock displaced older, smoother pop styles to become the dominant form of pop music , a position it would enjoy almost continuously until
3551-633: The music for them, that we didn't play music for everyone. Christian record deals came and we said no to all of them. Waited a couple years until the right record deal came, which was Atlantic, which we've been on ever since. But we just said to them in passing when we first started, we want the records to be available to everyone." Contemporary Christian album sales had increased from 31 million in 1996 to 44 million sales in 2000. Since EMI 's purchase of Sparrow Records in 1996, sales had increased 100 percent. Overall, CCM sales in 2014 had dropped to 17 million in sales. Christian rock Christian rock
3618-428: The music makes evangelistic calls for Christian forms of praise and worship. Accompanying such music, street outreach, local festivities, church functions, and many alternative forms of internal or (soulful) expression may occur. Some Christian artists as Third Day , Kutless , Thousand Foot Krutch and Disciple have sung songs that carry overtly Christian messages. Bands such as Underoath , Blessthefall and Haste
3685-457: The musical styles used in worship changed as well by adopting the sounds of this popular style. The genre became known as contemporary Christian music as a result of the Jesus movement revival in the latter 1960s and early 1970s, and was originally called Jesus music . "About that time, many young people from the sixties' counterculture professed to believe in Jesus. Convinced of the "bareness" of
3752-603: The new name of Flavor Festival. Skjærgårdsfestivalen is an annual music festival held in Norway, which headlines Christian rock bands. Many events are held in Australia called, Easterfest (in Toowoomba) Encounterfest, Jam United, Black Stump and Big Exo Day. Bogotá , Colombia hosts the summer festival Gospel al Parque . The most "underground" expression of Christian rock was the annual Cornerstone Festival sponsored by
3819-532: The norm, and thus it was seen by them as a threat. Often the music was overtly sexual in nature, as in the case of Elvis Presley , who became controversial and massively popular partly for his suggestive stage antics and dancing. However, "Elvis" was a religious person who released a gospel album: Peace in the Valley in 1957. Individual Christians may have listened to or even performed rock music in many cases, but conservative church establishments - particularly in
3886-528: The popular 1990s Christian bands were initially identified as "Christian alternative rock ", including Jars of Clay , Newsboys , Audio Adrenaline and the later albums of DC Talk . Outside Anglophone countries , bands like Oficina G3 (Brazil) and The Kry ( Quebec , Canada) have achieved moderate success. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the success of Christian-inspired acts like Skillet , Thousand Foot Krutch , Decyfer Down , Underoath , Kutless , Disciple , P.O.D. , Switchfoot , and Relient K saw
3953-945: The song "We're In A Parody Band," ApologetiX refers to itself as a cross between "Weird Al" Yankovic and Billy Graham . The band's lyrical content is derived solely from Biblical passages and practices, frequently in a tongue-in-cheek manner. It is also noteworthy that lyrics are often embedded with Scripture references for further exploration of the song's content. Some of their parodies include: National Christian Retail Bestsellers Rock Chart, published by CCM (#15, November 2001) National Christian Modern/College Rock Album Chart, ChristianBEATS (#1, May/June 2004) National Christian Newest Rock Album Chart, American Christian Music Journal (#1, December 2004) National Christian Modern/Alternative Album Chart, American Christian Music Journal (#1, December 2004) Contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music ( CCM ), also known as Christian pop , and occasionally inspirational music ,
4020-408: The songs and their lyrics, including praise and worship, faith, encouragement, and prayer. These songs also focus on themes of devotion, inspiration, redemption, reconciliation, and renewal. Many people listen to contemporary Christian music for comfort through tough times. The lyrics and messages conveyed in CCM songs have had varied, positive Christian messages over the decades. For instance, some of
4087-408: The songs have been aimed to evangelize and some of the lyrics are meant to praise and worship Jesus. One of the earliest goals of CCM was to spread the news of Jesus to non-Christians. In addition, contemporary Christian music also strengthens the faith of Christians. Various evangelical record labels have supported the movement. In Christian rock , there is Sparrow Records founded in 1976 in
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#17331048436764154-538: The worship of God, is what was originally removed from or hidden within the lyrics of early, secular rock n' roll. Santino described one method of changing Christian lyrics as a process that transformed "lyrics that sang of the mystical love of God into lyrics that celebrated the earthly love of woman". Howard & Streck offer examples of this, comparing Ray Charles' "This Little Girl of Mine" to "This Little Light of Mine" and "Talking About You" to "Talking About Jesus". They claim that because of actions such as this, despite
4221-450: Was a similar hit. According to a 2009 study published by Faith Communities Today, 64% of churches that adopted contemporary Christian music in the past five years saw an increase in service attendance of 2% or more. Contemporary Christian music has influences from folk, gospel, pop and rock music. Genres of music such as soft rock, folk rock, alternative, hip-hop, etc. have played a large influence on CCM. Charismatic churches have had
4288-457: Was also felt in other members of the folk revival; Arlo Guthrie , for example, converted in 1979 (in part over his concerns over whether he faced a Huntington's disease diagnosis like others in his family) and released his own Christian folk-rock album Outlasting the Blues ; Outlasting the Blues received the biggest record label promotion of Guthrie's career. Christian rock was often viewed as
4355-504: Was birthed out of rock and folk music . Pioneers of this movement also included Andraé Crouch and the Disciples , the Imperials , Michael Omartian , 2nd Chapter of Acts , Phil Keaggy , Love Song , Barry McGuire , Evie , Paul Clark , Randy Matthews , Randy Stonehill and Keith Green among others. The small Jesus music culture had expanded into a multimillion-dollar industry by
4422-609: Was created in Memphis, Tennessee in October 1969 by the Gospel Music Association . There was some internal critique of CCM at its advent. The Christian college Bob Jones University discourages its dormitory students from listening to CCM. Larry Norman is often remembered as the "father of Christian rock", because of his early contributions (before the Jesus movement ) to the developing new genre that mixed rock rhythms with
4489-670: Was prevalent in the church at the time. Initially referred to as Jesus music , today, the term is typically used to refer to pop , but also includes rock , alternative rock , hip hop , metal , contemporary worship , punk , hardcore punk , Latin , electronic dance music , R&B-influenced gospel , and country styles. After originating in the US, it has since become a globally recognized style of popular music. It has representation on several music charts, including Billboard ' s Christian Albums , Christian Songs , Hot Christian AC (Adult Contemporary), Christian CHR, Soft AC/Inspirational, and Christian Digital Songs as well as
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