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Contemporary Christian music

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Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by it's religious neutral term Inspirational music) is a genre of popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The term is typically used to refer to the Nashville, Tennessee-based pop, rock, and worship Christian music industry, currently represented by artists such as Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, SONICFLOOd , Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, MercyMe, Petra, Keith Green, Third Day, Relient K, Jeremy Camp, Avalon and a host of others. The industry is represented in Billboard Magazine's "Top Christian Albums" and "Hot Christian Songs" charts,[1] as well as the iTunes Music Store's "Christian & Gospel" genre.

The term "Contemporary Christian Music" originated in the late 1960s in reference to the emerging pop and rock "Jesus music", the musical outpouring of the hippie Jesus Movement of the time.[2] Artists such as Children of the Day, Larry Norman, Barry McGuire, The 2nd Chapter of Acts, and Love Song were among the first to express their Christian faith in the form of rock music.

There is also a great deal of popular music which lyrically identifies with Christianity but is not normally considered Contemporary Christian Music.[2] For example, many underground punk and hardcore bands deal explicitly with issues of faith but are not a part of the Nashville industry (e.g., Seattle-based Tooth and Nail Records). Also, several mainstream music artists sometimes deal with Christian themes in their work, such as Bob Dylan and U2, but fall outside of the CCM genre.[2]

Controversy

Contemporary Christian Music has been a topic of controversy in various ways since its beginnings in the 1960s.[2]

Some conservative Christians feel that the medium of popular music is unholy, and thus unfit for Christian participation. For example, Bob Jones University prohibits its dormitory students from listening to CCM.[3] Other noted Christian critics of CCM include Dan Lucarini (the author of the book Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement) and Kimberly Smith (author of the books Oh Be Careful Little Ears and Let Those Who Have Ears to Hear).

CCM also draws criticism from those who feel it is simply a "Christianized" imitation of mainstream music, thus lacking originality and creativity. Some feel CCM music does not allow for music with subject matter outside of overtly "Christianized" topics. And those Christian artist who have attempted to tackle these "tangent" subject matter have often been met with harsh criticism within the Christian circle. Another frequently discussed issue are the principles of what constitutes a Christian song. On Reformation Day (October 31), 1998, in homage to Martin Luther's 95 theses, CCM artist Steve Camp sent out 107 theses calling for a "Reformation" in contemporary Christian music,[4] challenging Christian artists to "recover Biblical Christianity in the arts"[4] and bring a new level of excellence to the field.

Also, often CCM draws criticism from those who simply find the concept of Christian pop/rock music to be an unusual phenomenon, since rock music has historically been associated with themes such as sexual promiscuity, rebellion, drug and alcohol use, and other topics normally considered antithetical to the teachings of Christianity.[2] (For more on this topic, see: Social effects of rock and roll.) Perhaps the most well-known (and humorous) defense to this criticism is a quote from a 19th century Methodist minister Rowland Hill: "Why should the devil have all the good music?" (Note: this quote is often incorrectly attributed to Martin Luther).[citation needed] Generally, speaking comtemporary Christian music has found greater acceptance in Protestant denominations rather than Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians. Indeed, Protestant christians make up the vast majority of such artists.

Further reading

  • Alfonso, Barry. The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music. Billboard Books, 2002.
  • Beaujon, Andrew (2006). Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81457-9.
  • Di Sabatino, David. The Jesus People Movement: An Annotated Bibliography and General Resource. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1999.
  • Du Noyer, Paul (2003). "Contemporary Christian Music". The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. New York City: Billboard Books. pp. 422–423. ISBN 0-8230-7869-8.
  • Flux, Chris. Music Evangelism: Spreading the Gospel through Music. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2006. http://www.musicevangelism.com
  • Granger, Thom. CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. Nashville: CCM Books, 2001.
  • Hendershot, Heather (2004). "Why Should the Devil Have all the Good Music? Christian Music and the Secular Marketplace". Shaking the World for Jesus: Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-32679-9.
  • Howard, Jay R (1999). Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music. Lexington, Kentucky: The University of Kentucky Press. ISBN 081319086X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Joseph, Mark. The Rock and Roll Rebellion: Why People of Faith Abandoned Rock Music-- And Why They're Coming Back. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999.
  • Kyle, Richard (2006). "If You Can't Beat 'em Join 'em". Evangelicalism : an Americanized Christianity. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. pp. 281–286. ISBN 0-7658-0324-0.
  • Mount, Daniel J. (2005). A City on a Hilltop? The History of Contemporary Christian Music. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  • Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
  • Pruitt, Jim (2003). Contemporary Christian Musician's Survival Manual. Lulu. ISBN 1-4116-0117-3.
  • Romanowski, William D. Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture. Brazos Press, 2001.
  • Young, Shawn David, M.A., Hippies, Jesus Freaks, and Music (Ann Arbor: Xanedu/Copley Original Works, 2005. ISBN 1-59399-201-7.

Notes

  1. ^ "Best Selling Christian Singles and Albums". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2007-02-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (First printing ed.). Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. pp. 10–13. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
  3. ^ "BJU ~ Residence Hall Life". Bob Jones University. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
  4. ^ a b Camp, Steven John (1997). "A Call For Reformation in the Contemporary Christian Music Industry". Worship.com. Retrieved 2007-02-28. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)

See also

External links

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