At The Crossroads An Insider's Look At The Past, Present, And Future Of Contemporary Christianmusic

Voices at the Crossroads From modest beginnings in the 1960s, contemporary Christian music (CCM) has grown exponentially both as a business and as a ministry. In the 1990s Christian music enjoyed what was at that point unprecedented popularity and success. Sales of popular Christian music increased dramatically, from thirty-three million units sold in 1996 to forty-four million units in 1997. The '90s also saw Christian artists like Amy Grant, Bob Carlisle, dc Talk, Jars of Clay, and Kirk Franklin garner hit singles and albums in the mainstream marketplace. Though the rate of increase in sales has slowed down in the twenty-first century, the Christian music industry is still selling close to fifty million albums a year. And we are still seeing artists like Stacie Orrico, P.O.D., MercyMe, and Switchfoot find popularity with both Christian and mainstream audiences. Given this kind of success over the years, what is there to imply that contemporary Christian music is at a crossroads? Despite the fact that some in the CCM community and audience are disturbed by the business side of CCM and its quest for financial profit, and others, particularly industry executives, are alarmed by the leveling or declining sales figures of recent years, I do not believe that cash flow is the problem. The problem is with the spiritual foundation of a musical form that is completely dependent on that foundation for artistic direction and ultimate commercial success. In addition, artists, promoters, record companies, radio stations, and millions of listeners are deeply divided over the purpose of CCM, its mission, and even its definition. As the Cheshire Cat told Alice in Wonderland, "When you don't know where you're going, any road will do." Until we lock onto a God-breathed direction for our music, we're stuck in the middle of the intersection, tapping our feet. Spiritually, we're at the most important crossroads in the history of the industry. A Din of Voices Contemporary Christian music is filled with the sound of many voices offering opinions and shouting questions. Like the music of the church throughout the ages, CCM is subject to the criticism of the church and the culture. For many Christians, CCM is a blessinga gift from God. For some, it's an embarrassment. Others have never heard of it. CCM fans, parents, teachers, cultural critics, pastors and priests, people eager to be a part of the CCM community, and gifted young artists committed to taking their music to an unbelieving cultureall are looking for answers. Many simply want to know where Jesus fits in amid all the show-biz buzz and hype. In response to this kind of questioning, record companies spend a good deal of time and money to assure listeners that Jesus is at the heart of both the music and the artists they promote. Others argue that CCM is nothing but vapid Christian subculture cliches set to the beat of what they term "secular" culture. Often their mission is to redirect CCM lovers back to the riches of hymnody and to warn their listeners and readers that CCM is substandard and trivial. Others are even less charitable. For them CCM is nothing short of the devil's handiwork. As one Christian mother has said, "You will never convince me that this [CCM] is of the Lord."1 Which road leads to the truth? Over the last several years, the CCM community has addressed key issues in various public forums to a greater extent than at any time in its thirty-five-year historyissues such as the near-wholesale buyout of Christian record companies by mainstream corporations and the debate over what makes one lyric "Christian" and another not. Questions are everywhere. Opinion is queen of the world. Within the church, competing voices cry out hoping to capture hearts and mindPeacock-Ashworth, Charlie is the author of 'At The Crossroads An Insider's Look At The Past, Present, And Future Of Contemporary Christianmusic', published 2004 under ISBN 9780877881285 and ISBN 0877881286.