Christian rock (occasionally abbreviated CR) is a form of rock music played by bands whose members are Christian and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands. Much Christian rock has ties to the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) scene, while other bands are independent.The Christian rock genre is most popular in the United States and Australia, although some Christian bands have worldwide popularity. Related subgenres of Christian music include Christian alternative rock, Christian metal, Christian industrial, Christian punk, and Christian ska.

History

Christian response to rock music (1950s-1960s)

Rock n roll music was not viewed favorably by most fundamentalist Christians when it attained popularity with young people beginning in the 1950s. Although early rock music was often influenced by country and both black and white forms of gospel music, it was primarily derived from African American styles such as blues. White, religious people in many regions of the United States did not want their children exposed to what was viewed as "race music", with unruly, impassioned vocals, loud guitar riffs and jarring, hypnotic rhythms. 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. Individual Christians may have listened to or even performed rock music in many cases, but it was seen as anathema to conservative church establishments, particularly in the American South.

In the 1960s, rock n roll music matured artistically, attained worldwide popularity and became associated with the radical counterculture, firmly alienating many Christians. In 1966, British act The Beatles, regarded as one of the most popular and influential rock bands of their era, ran into trouble with many of their American fans when John Lennon offered his opinion that Christianity was dying and that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus now". The romantic, melodic rock songs of the band's early career had formerly been viewed as relatively inoffensive, but after the remark, churches nationwide organized Beatles records burnings and Lennon was forced to apologize. Subsequently the Beatles experimented with a more complex, psychedelic style of music and anti-establishment lyrics, while the Rolling Stones sang a song openly (sincerely or not) from the point of view of Satan.

As the decade continued, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Paris student riots 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 the music as promoting a lifestyle of promiscuous "sex, drugs and rock and roll", also reflected in the behaviour 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 the end of the 20th century, when hip-hop finally eclipsed it in sales.

Roots of "Christian rock" (1970s-1980s)

Possibly the very first documented appearance of a rock band playing in church is Mind Garage in 1967, whose Electric Liturgy, finally recorded on RCA in 1970, gives them credibility as a cornerstone in the creation of the Christian Rock genre. In the 1970s, Larry Norman was a popular Christian rock musician who challenged a view held by some conservative Christians (predominantly fundamentaliststs) 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. Christian rock band David and the Giants were a successful Christian rock band throughout the '80s. they released a string of hit albums like Under Control, Magnificat and Strangers to the Night.

Still, Christian rock was often viewed as a marginal part of the nascent Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) and contemporary gospel industry in the 1970s and '80s, though Christian folk rock artists like Phil Keaggy and Bruce Cockburn had some success and Christian-identifying hard rock acts such as Stryper gained some fame during the 1980s. U2, a band composed mostly of Christians but which existed outside the Christian rock industry, became one of the most popular bands in the world by the late 1980s.

Acceptance of the genre (1990s-present)

The 1990s saw an explosion of Christian rock, heavily inspired by the success of U2, as well as by the musical style of grunge bands such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana (who were not Christians, except Dave Grohl, the drummer of Nirvana, who is catholic). Many of the popular '90s Christian bands were initially identified as Christian alternative rock, including dc Talk, Newsboys, Jars of Clay, Bruised Heel, and others. Some also incorporated rap, punk or heavy metal.

By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the demise of Creed and the success of Christian-inspired nu-metal, emo and goth acts like P.O.D. saw a shift in the Christian rock scene, while indie, folk-oriented artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Iron & Wine and bands on the label Tooth & Nail gained wider influence and critical praise despite existing outside the industry.

Definitions

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, SONICFLOOd and Petra, tend to be considered a part of the contemporary Christian music (CCM) industry and play for a predominantly Christian market.

Other bands perform music influenced by their faith or containing Christian imagery, but see their audience as the general public. They may avoid specific mention of God or Jesus, or they may write more personal, cryptic, or humorous lyrics concerning their faith rather than direct praise songs. Such bands are sometimes rejected by the CCM rock scene and may specifically reject the CCM label, however many have been accepted as a part of the industry. Other bands may experiment with more abrasive musical styles, which until recently met with resistance from the CCM scene. However, beginning in the 1990s and 2000s there was much wider acceptance even by religious purists of Christian metal, Christian industrial and Christian punk.

Many rock artists including Creed, Evanescence and Blessed Union of Souls 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. 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, despite their later disavowals of the label. 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, and feel more creative kinship with members of that scene.

Evangelistic goals

Many Christian bands have an explicitly evangelistic goal: they hope to use their music to attract new converts to their faith. Some musicians try to draw in non-Christian listeners by writing songs with an underlying Christian message. These bands include Switchfoot, Relient K, Factor seven, and the now-defunct Sixpence None the Richer.

However, the aims for making Christian music vary among different artists. Some Christian artists, such as Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Third Day, and By the Tree sing more explicit worship songs, incorporating lyrics that directly worship God. Many of these songs are played at more contemporary churches and are often used to lead congregations in worship.

Critiques of Christian rock

Some critics of Christian rock complain that Christian music is highly derivative of mainstream pop and rock music trends and clichés, and that bands or labels set out to copy these styles without creating original sounds of their own.^{[citation needed]} In many cases the implication is that the music of the Christian performances were created to be identical, but sanitized.^[1]

Some critics feel bands market themselves to the Christian audience because the market is easier to enter.^{[citation needed]} The competition in the Christian market is not as fierce, making it possible to gain huge success quickly. Some bands are accused of using the CCM industry to springboard into the "mainstream" as they prove to the record labels they can sell albums. Often these accused bands will quickly reject the Christian label they once embraced, causing controversy. This occurred with Creed and Evanescence.

Another common critique of Christian rock and pop music that, to attract mainstream listeners, it avoids theological topics in favor of generic love lyrics. Amy Grant, for example, received criticism for her song, "Baby Baby" because it was not clear whether she was singing to God or to a good looking man in the music video.^[2] Steve Camp, Christian music critic, complains that Christian music has become "yodels of a Christ-less, watered-down, pabulum based, positive alternative, aura-fluff, cream of wheat, mush-kind-of-syrupy, God-as-my-girlfriend kind of thing."^[3] Others respond that expressions of unconditional love reminiscent of romantic love are consistent with God's idea of agape love and the tradition of the Biblical book Song of Solomon.^{[citation needed]}

Some Christians have criticized Christian rock for inspiring complacency in listeners rather than challenging their faith or engaging with the non-Christian world around them.^{[citation needed]} On the other hand, others have criticized Christian artists for what they feel was going too far in the other direction. Bruce Cockburn, a folk-rock artist with a primarily Christian audience, had a mainstream hit with 1984's "If I Had a Rocket Launcher", an enraged protest song about innocent civilians killed as a result of US foreign policies in Nicaragua. Subsequently Cockburn was ostracized by the politically conservative CCM industry. Richard Rossi was criticized for performing his gospel rock in bars and secular nightclubs.

Christian rock festivals

See category: Christian rock festivals

Festivals range from single day events to four day festivals that provide camping and other activities. Christian rock can also be heard at other Christian festivals that are not exclusive to rock, such as the Creation Festival (Which is not related to Creation Fest, see below) and YC Newfoundland and YC Alberta. Many events are held in Australia called Encounterfest, Jam United and EXOday. There are also many in the UK, including Greenbelt Festival, Soul Survivor, 'Ultimate Events' at Alton Towers, and 'Frenzy' Creation Fest, Woolacombe, Devon.

• Alive Festival
• Cornerstone Festival
• Newsong
• Crossover Festival
• Sonshine Festival
• Ichthus
• Spirit West Coast
• Purple Door
• Parachute,
• Shout Fest, Christmas Rock Night in Ennepetal, Germany
• Lifest
• Rock the Universe at Universal Studios Florida
• Night of Joy at Walt Disney World
• Creation Fest in George, Washington
• TomFest
• Kingdom Bound - Wide spectrum of Christian music, including Christian rock
• Winterfest
• Seaside festival

See also

• List of Christian rock artists
• List of Christian Music Videos

References

External links

• ThoughtQuotient.com ThoughtQuotient.com's Interview with Christian artists
• Website for Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock, by Andrew Beaujon
• Christian Rock - The Music of Devils in the Church
• [1]Christian Rock Website