Origins

     Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) has grown over a long period of time. Its foundations are evident in the early hymns of various Protestant faiths. Overtures of intimacy and sentimentality were mixed with Christian music in the 19th century as the feminine ideal of piety combined with the temperance crusade emerged. Even militaristic themes characterized hymns in the early 20th century as the world and the United States fought several major wars.

     By the1960s, however, Evangelicals began to realize that "Bringing in the Sheaves" on Sundays couldn't begin to compete with weekday broadcasts of "Hey Jude" and "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," especially among younger listeners. Composer Ralph Carmichael began the CCM renaissance with pieces such as "Pass It On" and "He's Everything to Me." Musical creativity burst onto the Christian music scene as the younger generation brought its hippie culture, with music largely devoid of theological divisions, into various churches. Musicians such as Larry Norman, Andrae Crouch, Keith Green, Chuck Girard, and Randy Stonehill added the 1960s flavor of rock and roll to Christian music, thus creating the concept of Contemporary Christian Music.

Variations and Controversy

     As with most musical formats, however, the genre of contemporary Christian music has splintered into many different kinds ( 15 different CCM types are listed in the 2001 Directory of Religious Media), and as a result a controversy arose within the evangelical community that continues today. How, some ask, can Christian music be used to evangelize if it sounds just like secular music? One argument holds that there is nothing in music that makes it Christian. A related controversy is the ability of some Christian musicians to cross over to the secular music world. Radio stations with commercial formats and their audiences either accepted Christian music or Christian artists attempted to create music designed for them. Christian recording artist Amy Grant and the group Sixpence None the Richer both had hit singles in the 1990s that prompted the Gospel Music Association (GMA) to redefine Christian music in association with the annual Dove Awards, which honor Christian recording artists. The GMA's criteria for defining music as Christian is that in any style whose lyrics are substantially based upon historically orthodox Christian truth contained in or derived from the Holy Bible; and/ or - An expression of worship of God or praise for His works; and/or - Testimony of relationship with God through Christ; and/or Obviously prompted and informed by a Christian worldview.

     GMA president Frank Breeden commented that "this statement is not intended to be the definition of gospel music for all time, nor is it meant to characterize music made by Christians that may not fit the criteria" (Grubbs, 1998).

     These definitional controversies didn't prevent CCM from becoming a multi-million dollar industry by the mid-199os. CCM's share of 1998 recording industry revenue exceeded the shares of jazz, classical, New Age, and soundtracks according to Billboard magazine. CCM record labels did not, however, escape the consolidation fever of the 1990s. By early 1997 three companies controlled all labels that produced CCM: Zomba Group (parent company of Benson Music Group), EMI (parent company of Sparrow, Star Song, Forefront, and GospoCentric), and Gaylord Entertainment (parent company of Word Music). Other industries were also beneficiaries of CCM.

     The 2001 Directory of Religious Media listed nearly 2,500 radio stations that provided some form of religious programming. Sixty-six percent of those were formatted with one of 15 different varieties of Christian music. Those formats included Adult Contemporary, Alternative, Christian Hit Radio, Contemporary Christian, Country, Gospel, Hispanic, Inspirational, Instrumental, Middle of the Road, Praise and Worship, Sacred, Southern Gospel, Specialty, and Urban/R&B. The other religious stations' formats focused on Christian news, talk, or preaching.

     Aspiring Christian musicians can even major in CCM at Greenville College, a Christian liberal arts college in south-central Illinois. Music Department Chair Ralph Montgomery began the program in 1987; the most notable alumni are members of the recording group Jars of Clay.

     The internet is as pervasive a presence in CCM as it is elsewhere. Numerous sites deal with every aspect of CCM, from the controversies noted earlier to sites developed by fans of various artists. CCM fans can listen to their favorite artists through internet-only audio streaming sites or through radio stations streaming their signals on their websites.