Posted on 08/17/2003 9:06:04 PM PDT by xzins
By Brian Bowers, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, August 17, 2003
MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine” has been all over mainstream radio. Superchic(k) provided more music for “Legally Blonde 2.” And Stacie Orrico is a staple on MTV’s “Total Request Live.”
Contemporary Christian music is very popular this summer — but you wouldn’t know it from the news media. Journalists generally aren’t interested in topics involving religion unless there’s a whiff of scandal. Perhaps that’s why a reader asked how to find out what’s topping the genre’s charts.
I can fill part of that vacuum by adding a list of best-sellers to the bottom of this column from now on. Fans will have to turn to the Web to fill in the rest.
The best source is Billboard magazine, but you normally can’t get to its listings on the Internet unless you are a subscriber. If you’re really into it, go to www.billboard.com and sign up.
R&R magazine keeps track of radio airplay. Its Christian listings are at: www.rronline.com/Formats/christ_home.htm.
If you are simply interested in news and trends, check out the site for CCM magazine at www.ccmmagazine.com or the Musicforce page at the site for Christian Book Distributors at www.christianbook.com.
Disc tip
“Testify to Love: The Very Best of Avalon,” Avalon. This adult-contemporary group has made a lot of fans happy by putting all of its best music on one CD. With its 12 hits spread among six albums, listeners had to take the good with a lot of so-so. Now, they can focus on the best — with only a little so-so mixed in. “In Not Of,” “Adonai,” “Testify To Love” and the other hits are still catchy and uplifting but the three new songs seem relatively routine. The best is “New Day,” which contains the harmonies and sunny lyrics that make Avalon popular but doesn’t soar to the level of past hits.
On the charts
Top contemporary Christian albums as reported by SoundScan, according to The Associated Press.
1. “Almost There,” MercyMe.
2. “Worship Together: I Could Sing of Your Love Forever,” Various Artists.
3. “Stacie Orrico,” Stacie Orrico.
4. “Spoken For,” MercyMe.
5. “WOW Worship (Yellow),” Various Artists.
6. “Unclassified,” Robert Randolph & the Family Band.
7. “The Beautiful Letdown,” Switchfoot.
8. “Offerings II: All I Have to Give,” Third Day.
9. “Rise and Shine,” Randy Travis.
10. “Adoration: The Worship Album,” Newsboys.
You'd think these folks would put a lot more effort into identifying that Miraculous Breakwater which divides all of time. As best I can tell, it occurred well after the Son of Man stepped out of heaven to relate to the sons of men. By their reckoning, it seems to have happened sometime between when Christ, in His wisdom, dropped the contemporary tongue of Aramaic for the more holy Elizabethan English.
yOU DIDN'T HAVE TO, THAT IS WHAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WORD dance NOW, UNLESS IT IS DEFINED SPECIFICALLY OTHERWISE.
Sorry, caplock! Too lazy to re-type!
I'd love to continue discussing contemporary expressions of sound doctrine, engagement with the Lord, worship, and so on with you, but I just don't know how to reason with you, RaceBannon. I've tried to get at the "heart" of the matter, discussing from a Scriptural and historical foundation, but your opinions are just too firmly held.
I suppose I could post some photos of CCM artists -- MANY OF WHOM ARE VERY "NORMAL" LOOKING -- but I'd imagine that you'd ignore the facts again, and insist that because a member of KISS or AC/DC one time admitted that God existed, that proves that modern Christian music is evil.
It's sad that your understanding of the Creator is so skewed that you can't conceive of any contemporary creative expressions of love for that Creator, so skewed that you can't believe that any "humans" can write doctrinally sound and Creator-approved songs/hymns/psalms any more, so skewed that you actually believe that a drum or a cymbal or a guitar or a synthesizer can't be used in a redemptive way as a God-honoring noisemaker.
Go on and condemn my expressions of love for my Savior as "celebrating the flesh" and leading others to hell. The Lord gives me grace to not get too disturbed by hard-hearted people like you.
If you were at dinner with Jesus, and some woman who you knew to have been engaged in seriously sick sexual sin came in and used the tool of her trade (perfume) to try to "honor" the Lord, what would you do?
Seriously, try to imagine you're there, and suddenly the room is filled with a scent that you associate with prostitution, sultry and darkened room harlotry. But that "tool" is used by a woman with a changed and grateful heart.
Would you be among those to turn red-faced in embarrassment? Would you try to stop her? Or would you quietly walk up to her and ask her to save some of the perfume, so that you could also annoint the Savior's feet with it?
Recall Jesus' response to this woman's expression of worship....
The Church catered to the new element. "Spiritual feeding" is now done with slogans and very Commercial means. (Easter Plays with a guy dressed like the son of god) Hence Contemporary. Jesus is not NIKE or the NY YANKEES, yet t-shirts and bumper stickers have continued to reduce the glorified Son of God to the exact level of an AMWAY Product. “Feel Good Church.” Like a good 2 ½ minute Rock tune.
Performance church is a slippery slope. It has no bottom, no end. It has to top itself to remain with the contemporary style. To remain Contemporary you must slide with the sinful world down the same path. Is the world getting more or less godless? What Race posted is what I agree with 100%..
Music plays to emotions, emotions are a small part of being a Christian. But after reading this thread I can see that it is a major part of some people’s lives. You can keep this emotional feel good Christianity. It is not built on solid rock but sinking sand. Sinking with the contemporary element of modern society.
My point exactly.
1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
Clearly they were praising the Lord with the pop music of the day, on the pop instruments of the day.
All the criticisms of pop music could easily apply to ancient worship music -- repetitive, rythmic, loud, chanting, "hypnotic," and all the rest.
Many "sacred" hymns of today were originally barroom songs with added Christian lyrics.
A legalistic fundie can make anything dark and evil and scary and a sin. Alcohol, dance, music, lovemaking, Christmas, trick or treating, even joy and laughter. You name it, some legalistic fundie has it on his "thou shalt not" list.
And funny thing is, they still claim to be under grace, not law. They don't even recognize the contradiction.
Define "Rock beat." Define "Rock lyrics."
Are these "Rock lyrics?:"
Make my life a prayer to You
I want to do what you want me to
No empty words and no white lies
No token prayers no compromise
I want to shine the light You gave
Through Your Son You sent to save us
From ourselves and our despair
It comforts me to know You’re really there
Well I wanna thank you now
For being patient with me
Oh it’s so hard to see
When my eyes are on me
I guess I’ll have to trust
And just believe what You say
You’re coming again
Coming to take me away
I want to die and let You give
Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope You gave me
The love that set me free.
I want to tell the world out there
You’re not some fable or fairy tale
That I’ve made up inside my head
You’re God the Son and You’ve risen from the dead
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