The following article by Warren Smith regarding Christian music and the sanctity of church worship is spot on, especially since I was a concert promoter for New Life 91.9 for 10 years and know, first hand, the truth in what Warren reports.
Read and be warned.
“From Christian radio to a church near you”
By Warren Cole Smith
Within the past few weeks, a number of troubling stories have roiled the calm waters of contemporary Christian music (CCM). As I wrote two weeks ago, Michael Gungor, who leads the Grammy Award–winning band bearing his name, expressed public doubt about essential Christian doctrine. Last week, singer and songwriter Vicky Beeching, whose “Glory to God Forever” has become a staple of evangelical church services, announced she is a lesbian, which was affirmed by tweets from fellow CCM artists Kim Hill and Margaret Becker.
Expect such announcements to continue, because the Christian music industry’s “star-making machinery,” to use Joni Mitchell’s famous line, is designed to create hits, not necessarily artists with character and integrity. But to understand that, you must first know how the gears in this machine turn and how it relates to the greater Christian Industrial Complex.
The largest cog in this machine is Christian radio, with nearly half of its audience made up of non-Christians or nominal, non-church-going Christians. These listeners are also overwhelmingly female. The industry’s archetype is the mythical “Becky,” and station programmers often ask, “Will Becky like it?” when they choose the songs their station play. I’ve actually seen a Stepford Wife–like photo of a mythical, smiling “Becky” prominently displayed at stations to remind staff whom they’re trying to please.
Read the entire article by Warren Smith at the World
You can find out more about Warren at www.worldmag.com
