Post by pitbull on Dec 14, 2005 11:51:48 GMT -5
THE PHILOSOPHY OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC
[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service. These articles cannot be stored on BBS or Internet sites without permission from the author. The articles cannot be sold or placed by themselves or with other material in any electronic format for sale, but may be distributed for free by e-mail or by print. They must be left intact and nothing removed or changed, including these informational headers. This is a listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. Our goal is not devotional. OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. If you desire to receive this type of material on a regular basis, e-mail us, tell us who you are and where you are located, and request to be placed on the list. Also include your postal address and the name of the church of which you are a member. Please note that we take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and you will be expected to participate. Some of these articles are from the "Digging in the Walls" section of O Timothy magazine. David W. Cloud, Editor. O Timothy is a monthly magazine in its 14th year of publication. Subscription is $20/yr. Way of Life Literature, 1701 Harns Rd., Oak Harbor, WA 98277. The Way of Life web site is wayoflife.org/~dcloud. The End Times Apostasy Online Database is located at this web site. (360) 675-8311 (voice), 240-8347 (fax). dcloud@whidbey.net (e-mail)]
June 2, 1998 (first published May 17, 1997) (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist News Service, 1701 Harns Rd., Oak Harbor, WA 98277) - The following are statements made by or about popular musicians who represent the Contemporary Christian Music scene. The Bible warns God's people: "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Romans 16:17,18).
"The Holy Spirit is filling His people with simple love to prepare them for the work of unity. . . . I am also feeling the presence of Mary becoming important in my life. . . . I feel that she really does love me and intercedes to God on my behalf. . . . I am to tear down my sin through penance" (JOHN MICHAEL TALBOT, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Nov. 1984, p. 47).
"There are things happening in life that all people can relate to. See, to a lot of people, if you sing about Christ, they'll say, 'That's fine, but man, I need a job. Get me a job, and then we'll talk about Christ.' I want to sneak into their hearts with the music. 'Be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves' you know. I think that's the way Jesus did it. He didn't tell them the whole truth. . . . I think we kinda gotta do that too. Contemporary Christian music needs to branch out a little more, get a little sneakier" (JON GIBSON, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, May 1987, p. 11).
"I don't believe in organized religion. I think it's just a cop-out. . . . I'm not a fundamentalist Christian either, no. I mean, you know, I'm not a member of those born-again people--those Christians that are going to heaven while other people go to hell" (B.J. THOMAS, quoted by Dan and Steve Peters, What about Christian Rock?, Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1986, p. 123).
"I can't go to a Bible study. Most of my inspiration comes directly from God's Spirit. . . . There are good people in all churches. Some Buddhists really love God. Some Jehovah's Witnesses, too. It doesn't matter what church you belong to! Only God can read a man's heart" (LITTLE RICHARD, cited in Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1985, p. 22).
"I was a total sinner and I rededicated my life, or actually gave my life, to the Lord. I really don't know what I did. But I went down to the altar call and all this and that. And I started a relationship then" (ROGER MARTINEZ, Heaven's Metal Magazine, Number 17, p. 5).
"How did you come to Jesus? -- 'The seed was planted like ten years before I even accepted Christ. And it just kept on growing and growing and God just kept on increasing that. And finally, I couldn't tell you the day exactly when it happened. It just happened. I came into a relationship with Jesus," (GLEN MANCARUSO, Heaven's Metal Magazine, Number 17, p. 5).
"[Ken] Samuels explains that, in order to get a hearing, Common Bond has to completely disassociate itself from anything people commonly associate with religion" (Referring to KEN SAMUELS of the CCM group COMMON BOND, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, April 1987, p. 13).
"I was convinced from the beginning that if I wanted to be a viable Christian in the music business, it didn't make much sense to play churches. I went my own way, playing college campuses and other mainstream locations. In fact, only three years ago did I do my first Christian concert. But I don't want to worry about making my living by playing in church; I found that to be very hard and sorry to say, often very competitive. The fact that I'm a Christian makes me want to integrate my beliefs into my music, not force my beliefs into a narrow way of presenting them" (ROBIN CROW, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, April 1987, p. 19).
"This band [IN 3D] blasts away at conventional Christian music with searing sounds reminiscent of the Police, and thought-provoking lyrics intended to be question-raisers. Their artful music is representative of a growing volume of Christian rock, much like U2's, using an indirect approach to evangelism, asking questions about moral issues and the meaning of life, but not necessarily spoon-feeding easy answers. The Chicago-based wave-metal combo explains, 'It's been said that art is not meant to answer questions, but to ask them'" (cited by Dan and Steve Peters, What about Christian Rock, p. 121).
"There are some people God has called to evangelism, and they're doing a wonderful job, having results. That's great. ... God wanted us to do something else. So we got into the area of challenging people, and our ministry basically happens offstage--one-on-one--when we talk with people. It's very subtle, but God's doing a work! It's entertainment, it's fun, its a concert--it's all those things--but at a subtle, deeper level, it touches people's hearts" (TERRY TAYLOR OF THE DANIEL AMOS BAND, cited by Dan and Steve Peters, What about Christian Rock, p. 109).
"I often equate what we are doing to the movie Indiana Jones, because likewise, we are not leaving here till we take the kids with us. I feel like we've come here to get a message across to the kids, and, in effect, to change society, which is why we think we must communicate with them on some of their own terms. We will get as high energy and progressive as is necessary, if that's what it takes to capture their attention. . . . If there is ever going to be an understanding of the Christian message, it must be integrated into our entire society" (Michael Blanton, one of AMY GRANT's managers, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 18).
"We realize the way we communicate is probably more subtle than the way other people might do it, but we desperately need the support and freedom from the church to allow us to approach it in our own contemporary style" (Dan Harrell, one of AMY GRANT's managers, MusicLine Magazine, Feb. 1985, p. 18).
"I have a healthy sense of right and wrong, but sometimes, for example, using foul, exclamation-point words among friends can be good for a laugh. It seems to me that people who are most adamantly against premarital sex have experienced some kind of pain in their own lives. Like the people who say absolutely NO to rock 'n' roll. Chances are it has something to do with a past sadness..." (AMY GRANT, interview with Ladies Home Journal, December 1985, p. 210).
"That's one reason I started writing songs, because I didn't want to impose my religion on anyone. This way the audience can sit back and draw its own conclusions. . . . My art and the feeling I am trying to communicate through the songs, it would be silly for me to say, this is who God is; I don't have any answers" (AMY GRANT, interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 21, 1984).
"I'm a singer, not a preacher. . . . I'm not looking to convert anybody" (AMY GRANT, interview with CCM Magazine, January 1989, p. 20).
"STRYPER's concert was a rousing rock 'n' roll show, indistinguishable from secular metal concerts. The only differences were the lyrics and the outlook--positive throughout" (The Daily Oklahoman, Oct. 18, 1985, p. 19).
"All music was His to begin with and He'll use any medium necessary to convey this message" (Editorial in the Christian rock magazine Take a Stand, July 1987).
"I love to hear the music playing slow or fast ... Don't stop, don't stop the music, play it in your own way. . . . I hear dissenting voices quick to disagree. But I'm on a music mission; they don't bother me. I'll sing those songs that set me free. Cause kids want to rock" (ED DEGARMO AND DANA KEY, "Don't Stop the Music," Streetlight, Benson Publications, 1986, p. 24).
"The whole story of Footloose is very close to my life. In the church I grew up in, you couldn't go to dances, you couldn't go to movies, and you couldn't wear pants or sleeveless dresses. There were a lot of 'Thou shalt not's'" (DENIECE WILLIAMS, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Jan. 1987, p. 17).
"I am dedicated to good music whether it's pop, Christian, gospel, R&B, blues, jazz, classical, rock or whatever. I just love good music" (STEVE CAMP, MusicLine magazine, Feb. 1986, p. 22).
"Though potent, the message [of STEVE CAMP] never overwhelms or becomes preachy" (MusicLine magazine, June 1985, p. 20).
"I'll have a Foreigner 4 [secular rock group] album going in my car and then the next minute I'm on my knees talking to the Lord about something that is very personal in my life. . . . Some guy will just say, 'I'm only a Christian entertainer.' Bull [expletive deleted]! These guys have a responsibility to talk to these kids as if they were speaking the very words of God themselves in their theology" (STEVE CAMP, CCM performer, interview with CCM Magazine, Nov. 1986, pp. 20-21).
"Question: Would it be equally possible for a Christian to minister Christ in the context of a show at Las Vegas as in a church? Steve Green: 'I don't have an answer for that. I do have personal convictions that I conduct my life by, but I'm not going to force my convictions on someone else or try to make them jump through my hoops, through the convictions I have set up for my life'" (STEVE GREEN, MusicLine magazine, Dec. 1985, p. 9).
"[ROGER ROSE's] attempts to avoid church talk and clichi result in some fresh, invigorating images. In 'Living Dead,' the line 'I need life blood' is, Rose suggests, 'another way of getting at Jesus' words that we need to be born again without using those now too familiar words" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, March 1987, p. 14).
"[DONNA SUMMER's lyrics] Stand as directly and unpreachily as possible, the approach most likely to win the attention of an intelligent non-Christian audience" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Oct. 1984, p. 40).
"The Boston Globe says they [U2] represent a 'non-dogmatic Christianity and a sense of moral righteousness' . . . In short, they have chosen instead of proclaiming a direct Christian message to act Christianly in the world" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, July 1987, p. 46).
"FOURTH WATCH cites groups like U2, the Police, Genesis, Pete Townshend, and the Alarm as major influences. Members listen to a great deal of mainstream music, making no apologies for it, and they express a desire to play clubs and other non-church settings" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, April 1987, p. 19).
"A strong rhythm section drives the title cut and 'Auschwitz 87' [by the group BARNABAS] which opens with solo vocals by, yep, Adolf Hitler. We can't tell you exactly what these songs are about because there's no lyric sheet and NANCY JO MANN's voice can't sustain the clear delivery and energy her three partners deliver" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, March 1987, p. 14).
"It is a good thing that this album [by CRUSE] comes with a lyric sheet, because most of the words do not come through distinctly enough for one to easily follow the message" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, March 1987, p. 19).
"You now have songs about pain and death and divorce and sex and relationships and everything that every one of us goes through, whereas at one time contemporary Christian music only talked about the death and resurrection of Christ. We're much more in touch with ourselves and our neighbors, which is the whole idea behind Christ in the first place" (MELISSA HELM OF MYRRH RECORDS, MusicLine magazine, June 1986, p. 4).
"The two main influences in JON GIBSON's music are Stevie Wonder and Jesus Christ--in that order. Wonder's touch is obvious in every syllable of Gibson's vocal performance. A Christian perspective is background for Gibson's socially-aware, moral songs about unemployment and girlfriends" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, August 1987, p. 34).
"Most of what is imported from any culture carries little of moral or scriptural significance. Culture, in its most basic form, is essentially neutral" (DOUG VAN PELT, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 21).
"We believe all music comes from God, and that liberates us to express ourselves in a wider range of artistic expression than some others" (BEBE WINANS, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 21).
"[CCM performer and writer JOHN FISCHER speaks of an imaginary encounter with God] 'Wait a minute Kid [supposedly this is God speaking to John]. Leave it [the radio] on You know, I kind of like this stuff [rock].' I watched in shock as He smiled at me through a casual puff of cigar smoke and swayed His head ever so slightly with the music" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, July 1984, p. 20).
"The Christian life is not a bunch of do's and don'ts, but a life of what you can accomplish in Christ" (TERI DESARIO, cited by Dan and Steve Peters, What about Christian Rock?, p. 111).
"The kids that were into Stryper four or five years ago are into thrash right now" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 20).
[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service. These articles cannot be stored on BBS or Internet sites without permission from the author. The articles cannot be sold or placed by themselves or with other material in any electronic format for sale, but may be distributed for free by e-mail or by print. They must be left intact and nothing removed or changed, including these informational headers. This is a listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. Our goal is not devotional. OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. If you desire to receive this type of material on a regular basis, e-mail us, tell us who you are and where you are located, and request to be placed on the list. Also include your postal address and the name of the church of which you are a member. Please note that we take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and you will be expected to participate. Some of these articles are from the "Digging in the Walls" section of O Timothy magazine. David W. Cloud, Editor. O Timothy is a monthly magazine in its 14th year of publication. Subscription is $20/yr. Way of Life Literature, 1701 Harns Rd., Oak Harbor, WA 98277. The Way of Life web site is wayoflife.org/~dcloud. The End Times Apostasy Online Database is located at this web site. (360) 675-8311 (voice), 240-8347 (fax). dcloud@whidbey.net (e-mail)]
June 2, 1998 (first published May 17, 1997) (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist News Service, 1701 Harns Rd., Oak Harbor, WA 98277) - The following are statements made by or about popular musicians who represent the Contemporary Christian Music scene. The Bible warns God's people: "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Romans 16:17,18).
"The Holy Spirit is filling His people with simple love to prepare them for the work of unity. . . . I am also feeling the presence of Mary becoming important in my life. . . . I feel that she really does love me and intercedes to God on my behalf. . . . I am to tear down my sin through penance" (JOHN MICHAEL TALBOT, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Nov. 1984, p. 47).
"There are things happening in life that all people can relate to. See, to a lot of people, if you sing about Christ, they'll say, 'That's fine, but man, I need a job. Get me a job, and then we'll talk about Christ.' I want to sneak into their hearts with the music. 'Be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves' you know. I think that's the way Jesus did it. He didn't tell them the whole truth. . . . I think we kinda gotta do that too. Contemporary Christian music needs to branch out a little more, get a little sneakier" (JON GIBSON, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, May 1987, p. 11).
"I don't believe in organized religion. I think it's just a cop-out. . . . I'm not a fundamentalist Christian either, no. I mean, you know, I'm not a member of those born-again people--those Christians that are going to heaven while other people go to hell" (B.J. THOMAS, quoted by Dan and Steve Peters, What about Christian Rock?, Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1986, p. 123).
"I can't go to a Bible study. Most of my inspiration comes directly from God's Spirit. . . . There are good people in all churches. Some Buddhists really love God. Some Jehovah's Witnesses, too. It doesn't matter what church you belong to! Only God can read a man's heart" (LITTLE RICHARD, cited in Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1985, p. 22).
"I was a total sinner and I rededicated my life, or actually gave my life, to the Lord. I really don't know what I did. But I went down to the altar call and all this and that. And I started a relationship then" (ROGER MARTINEZ, Heaven's Metal Magazine, Number 17, p. 5).
"How did you come to Jesus? -- 'The seed was planted like ten years before I even accepted Christ. And it just kept on growing and growing and God just kept on increasing that. And finally, I couldn't tell you the day exactly when it happened. It just happened. I came into a relationship with Jesus," (GLEN MANCARUSO, Heaven's Metal Magazine, Number 17, p. 5).
"[Ken] Samuels explains that, in order to get a hearing, Common Bond has to completely disassociate itself from anything people commonly associate with religion" (Referring to KEN SAMUELS of the CCM group COMMON BOND, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, April 1987, p. 13).
"I was convinced from the beginning that if I wanted to be a viable Christian in the music business, it didn't make much sense to play churches. I went my own way, playing college campuses and other mainstream locations. In fact, only three years ago did I do my first Christian concert. But I don't want to worry about making my living by playing in church; I found that to be very hard and sorry to say, often very competitive. The fact that I'm a Christian makes me want to integrate my beliefs into my music, not force my beliefs into a narrow way of presenting them" (ROBIN CROW, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, April 1987, p. 19).
"This band [IN 3D] blasts away at conventional Christian music with searing sounds reminiscent of the Police, and thought-provoking lyrics intended to be question-raisers. Their artful music is representative of a growing volume of Christian rock, much like U2's, using an indirect approach to evangelism, asking questions about moral issues and the meaning of life, but not necessarily spoon-feeding easy answers. The Chicago-based wave-metal combo explains, 'It's been said that art is not meant to answer questions, but to ask them'" (cited by Dan and Steve Peters, What about Christian Rock, p. 121).
"There are some people God has called to evangelism, and they're doing a wonderful job, having results. That's great. ... God wanted us to do something else. So we got into the area of challenging people, and our ministry basically happens offstage--one-on-one--when we talk with people. It's very subtle, but God's doing a work! It's entertainment, it's fun, its a concert--it's all those things--but at a subtle, deeper level, it touches people's hearts" (TERRY TAYLOR OF THE DANIEL AMOS BAND, cited by Dan and Steve Peters, What about Christian Rock, p. 109).
"I often equate what we are doing to the movie Indiana Jones, because likewise, we are not leaving here till we take the kids with us. I feel like we've come here to get a message across to the kids, and, in effect, to change society, which is why we think we must communicate with them on some of their own terms. We will get as high energy and progressive as is necessary, if that's what it takes to capture their attention. . . . If there is ever going to be an understanding of the Christian message, it must be integrated into our entire society" (Michael Blanton, one of AMY GRANT's managers, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 18).
"We realize the way we communicate is probably more subtle than the way other people might do it, but we desperately need the support and freedom from the church to allow us to approach it in our own contemporary style" (Dan Harrell, one of AMY GRANT's managers, MusicLine Magazine, Feb. 1985, p. 18).
"I have a healthy sense of right and wrong, but sometimes, for example, using foul, exclamation-point words among friends can be good for a laugh. It seems to me that people who are most adamantly against premarital sex have experienced some kind of pain in their own lives. Like the people who say absolutely NO to rock 'n' roll. Chances are it has something to do with a past sadness..." (AMY GRANT, interview with Ladies Home Journal, December 1985, p. 210).
"That's one reason I started writing songs, because I didn't want to impose my religion on anyone. This way the audience can sit back and draw its own conclusions. . . . My art and the feeling I am trying to communicate through the songs, it would be silly for me to say, this is who God is; I don't have any answers" (AMY GRANT, interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 21, 1984).
"I'm a singer, not a preacher. . . . I'm not looking to convert anybody" (AMY GRANT, interview with CCM Magazine, January 1989, p. 20).
"STRYPER's concert was a rousing rock 'n' roll show, indistinguishable from secular metal concerts. The only differences were the lyrics and the outlook--positive throughout" (The Daily Oklahoman, Oct. 18, 1985, p. 19).
"All music was His to begin with and He'll use any medium necessary to convey this message" (Editorial in the Christian rock magazine Take a Stand, July 1987).
"I love to hear the music playing slow or fast ... Don't stop, don't stop the music, play it in your own way. . . . I hear dissenting voices quick to disagree. But I'm on a music mission; they don't bother me. I'll sing those songs that set me free. Cause kids want to rock" (ED DEGARMO AND DANA KEY, "Don't Stop the Music," Streetlight, Benson Publications, 1986, p. 24).
"The whole story of Footloose is very close to my life. In the church I grew up in, you couldn't go to dances, you couldn't go to movies, and you couldn't wear pants or sleeveless dresses. There were a lot of 'Thou shalt not's'" (DENIECE WILLIAMS, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Jan. 1987, p. 17).
"I am dedicated to good music whether it's pop, Christian, gospel, R&B, blues, jazz, classical, rock or whatever. I just love good music" (STEVE CAMP, MusicLine magazine, Feb. 1986, p. 22).
"Though potent, the message [of STEVE CAMP] never overwhelms or becomes preachy" (MusicLine magazine, June 1985, p. 20).
"I'll have a Foreigner 4 [secular rock group] album going in my car and then the next minute I'm on my knees talking to the Lord about something that is very personal in my life. . . . Some guy will just say, 'I'm only a Christian entertainer.' Bull [expletive deleted]! These guys have a responsibility to talk to these kids as if they were speaking the very words of God themselves in their theology" (STEVE CAMP, CCM performer, interview with CCM Magazine, Nov. 1986, pp. 20-21).
"Question: Would it be equally possible for a Christian to minister Christ in the context of a show at Las Vegas as in a church? Steve Green: 'I don't have an answer for that. I do have personal convictions that I conduct my life by, but I'm not going to force my convictions on someone else or try to make them jump through my hoops, through the convictions I have set up for my life'" (STEVE GREEN, MusicLine magazine, Dec. 1985, p. 9).
"[ROGER ROSE's] attempts to avoid church talk and clichi result in some fresh, invigorating images. In 'Living Dead,' the line 'I need life blood' is, Rose suggests, 'another way of getting at Jesus' words that we need to be born again without using those now too familiar words" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, March 1987, p. 14).
"[DONNA SUMMER's lyrics] Stand as directly and unpreachily as possible, the approach most likely to win the attention of an intelligent non-Christian audience" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Oct. 1984, p. 40).
"The Boston Globe says they [U2] represent a 'non-dogmatic Christianity and a sense of moral righteousness' . . . In short, they have chosen instead of proclaiming a direct Christian message to act Christianly in the world" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, July 1987, p. 46).
"FOURTH WATCH cites groups like U2, the Police, Genesis, Pete Townshend, and the Alarm as major influences. Members listen to a great deal of mainstream music, making no apologies for it, and they express a desire to play clubs and other non-church settings" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, April 1987, p. 19).
"A strong rhythm section drives the title cut and 'Auschwitz 87' [by the group BARNABAS] which opens with solo vocals by, yep, Adolf Hitler. We can't tell you exactly what these songs are about because there's no lyric sheet and NANCY JO MANN's voice can't sustain the clear delivery and energy her three partners deliver" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, March 1987, p. 14).
"It is a good thing that this album [by CRUSE] comes with a lyric sheet, because most of the words do not come through distinctly enough for one to easily follow the message" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, March 1987, p. 19).
"You now have songs about pain and death and divorce and sex and relationships and everything that every one of us goes through, whereas at one time contemporary Christian music only talked about the death and resurrection of Christ. We're much more in touch with ourselves and our neighbors, which is the whole idea behind Christ in the first place" (MELISSA HELM OF MYRRH RECORDS, MusicLine magazine, June 1986, p. 4).
"The two main influences in JON GIBSON's music are Stevie Wonder and Jesus Christ--in that order. Wonder's touch is obvious in every syllable of Gibson's vocal performance. A Christian perspective is background for Gibson's socially-aware, moral songs about unemployment and girlfriends" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, August 1987, p. 34).
"Most of what is imported from any culture carries little of moral or scriptural significance. Culture, in its most basic form, is essentially neutral" (DOUG VAN PELT, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 21).
"We believe all music comes from God, and that liberates us to express ourselves in a wider range of artistic expression than some others" (BEBE WINANS, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 21).
"[CCM performer and writer JOHN FISCHER speaks of an imaginary encounter with God] 'Wait a minute Kid [supposedly this is God speaking to John]. Leave it [the radio] on You know, I kind of like this stuff [rock].' I watched in shock as He smiled at me through a casual puff of cigar smoke and swayed His head ever so slightly with the music" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, July 1984, p. 20).
"The Christian life is not a bunch of do's and don'ts, but a life of what you can accomplish in Christ" (TERI DESARIO, cited by Dan and Steve Peters, What about Christian Rock?, p. 111).
"The kids that were into Stryper four or five years ago are into thrash right now" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 20).
