Church Debates Relevancy, Message of Contemporary Christian Music

(AgapePress) — There is a major debate and division in the Christian Church today over contemporary Christian music – or CCM, as it is called. Some say the new style of Christian music is necessary to reach a generation of young people brought up on video games and MTV. But others in the Church have some concerns with the direction of CCM.

In the early days of radio, Christian music consisted of traditional hymns such as "The Old Rugged Cross" and "How Great Thou Art." Then in the 1930s and 1940s, a new form of Christian music burst onto the scene. Groups such as the Stamps-Baxter Quartet pioneered Southern Gospel music. The vinyl records of yesteryear now have been replaced by CDs of groups like Audio Adrenaline that define CCM.

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Contemporary Christian music did not start in the church. In fact, Dr. Bruce Engleman, a professor at Texas Baptist College in Longview, Texas, has studied the origins of CCM and says today's entertainment medium got its start when a young man from Mississippi took the music world by storm in the 1950s.

"If there's one man that we can point to, it would be Elvis Presley," Engleman says.

Engleman is of the opinion that Elvis laid the foundation for CCM with his early gospel recordings. "Not only did Elvis Presley combine the styles of jazz, blues, Southern gospel, and black gospel, but Elvis Presley began singing gospel music," he says.

Then in the 1960s and early 1970s, the "Jesus Movement" spread on college campuses, bringing long-haired, barefoot worshippers who had their own style of music. That movement eventually became a multimillion- dollar industry, having a profound and undeniable impact on the Church.

But Is It Relevant?

Contemporary Christian music has grown faster than any other style in the history of sacred music. In the mid-1980s, CCM generated $83 million in sales. Last year, CCM was a $700 million industry, with 44 million units sold.

One of the most popular groups in the CCM arena is Audio Adrenaline. For a decade now, they have been a fixture on the CCM charts, with a loyal following and sold-out concerts. Ben Cissell, the group's drummer, describes an Audio Adrenaline concert as a rock-and-roll concert with a meaning and a message. "The message is going to be that what we're doing and what everybody on stage is doing does not matter," Cissell says. "What matters is your relationship with Jesus Christ."

Rebecca St. James is the premier female vocalist in Christian music. She says lives are being changed through the music. "I think the Christian in Christian music has definitely been challenged, but at the same time I think wonderful things are happening – and I see that Christian music is making a difference," St. James says. "I get the e-mails and the letters every day from young people whose lives are being turned around."

St. James believes that CCM will continue to thrive as long as artists keep pointing people to the cross.

Back to Basics

But while many churches are embracing contemporary Christian music, others are calling for a return to the basics. After all, CCM's critics say that until the mid-twentieth century, Christian music could be defined as traditional hymns. Now, some say, the new Christian music style is actually downplaying the message of Christ in order to reach more people.

Darko Velichkovski of the former Republic of Yugoslavia is one of the top-rated clarinet players in the world. He attended the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York, and led the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra before launching out into Christian music ministry on a full-time basis. Velichkovski says there are some styles of music that cannot be mixed with God's Word.

"You cannot put the gospel to just any harmony, any beat, any rhythm," he says.

The clarinetist feels that the more Christians try and be like the world, the further they will go from the true spirit of the gospel.

And while many Christian artists are crossing over into the secular music market, one performer went from a successful pop music career into Christian music. Lenny LeBlanc left the secular music business after he was born again in the early 1980s. He records for Integrity Music, one of the few Christian recording companies that has not been purchased by secular corporations.

"Anytime you get people that are unequally yoked in business or marriage or whatever, there's always going to be problems," LeBlanc says.

The debate over contemporary Christian music is deep and wide in churches across America. It is a debate that likely will not be settled any time soon.

 

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