QUOTES:

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).

"More people have been led to Christ with [the song Dust in the Wind] than with everything else I've ever written. Not only did that song not mention Jesus, but I was not a Christian at the time. It just happened to be a truth that the song emphasized" (KERRY LIVGREN, former member of the secular rock group Kansas, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 8).

"We've been beating people up with our lyrics, condemning the world harshly. You don't have to tell someone they're locked up in prison--they already know that. They want to know how to get out. Where the key is, and that key is God's love which is more powerful than hatred. This is a pleasant and warm message to the world, one they need and want to hear" (BEBE WINANS, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 17).

"We're just gonna present the facts and love one another through thick and thin, and love people and hope that that presents a witness that will attract people to God, rather than turn them off. You turn on the TV and you see these guys screaming and yelling and trying to preach people into the Kingdom of God. I just see more people from our generation turning their backs cold on that. I think that we will draw more people into the Kingdom of God like Stryper, Bloodgood, Barren Cross and these types of ministries have" (LARRY DEAN, Heaven's Metal Magazine, Number 18, p. 10).

"[Describing the CCM group LEVITICUS at a bar in Omaha, Nebraska]: Leviticus came out and rocked the place. What was amazing is that people flooded the dance floor, after the second song. This was hard- driving Christian heavy metal from Sweden!" (Heaven's Metal Magazine, Number 18, p. 24).

"[Our album 'Run to the Light' is] A peace and love type of message. . . . we sorta tamed the message down to peace and love . . . so we wouldn't feel like hypocrites. You know, like Bible-beatin' people and not the whole band was born again Christians, ya know?" (BRAD HOLSTER, member of the CCM group TROUBLE, Heaven's Metal Magazine, Number 18, p. 12).

"I think the subtle approach reaches a wider audience, when it's right out, it turns 'em off" (BRUCE FRANKLIN, member of the CCM group TROUBLE, Heaven's Metal Magazine, Number 18, p. 12).

"I'm really sick of all this heavy-handed Christianity. Musicians take themselves too seriously. They should have more fun, and they should stop preaching unless that's what God has called them to. If I want to hear a sermon, I'll go to my church, thank you" (RICH MULLINS, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, April 1987, p. 12).

"People are tired of Christian songs that are only praise and worship. The church forced the 'old' taste in music on kids. We're breaking the stereotype" (LESLIE PHILLIPS, cited by Carol Leggett, Amy Grant, New York, 1987, p. 12).

"I found out that the church really wasn't the place where I had more freedom, it was the opposite: I actually was restricted more. And I always felt like I was swimming upstream in that environment. I guess the main thing is, I want to grow as an artist and I want to be able to write about whatever I want to write about. And I really don't want to be restricted, and I feel like I am in Gospel music. . . . The born-again movement is more about obsession and narrow-mindedness and repression and true Christianity is about mercy and freedom and love" (LESLIE PHILLIPS, CCM performer, CCM Magazine, November 1988, p. 8).

"On Street Light [DEGARMO AND KEY's album] we were trying to stick to the street theme and deal with problems people were dealing with. They weren't biblical themes, and they didn't talk about God a lot" (Dana Key, CCM Magazine, November 1987, p. 20).

"I'd rather we weren't so trapped in dogma, so busy confirming what we already know, so eager to hear what we already agree with, that we miss another point of view that might just happen to come from God. I'd love to see Christians less concerned about getting the words right and more concerned about the heart" (JOHN FISCHER, quoted from Fischer's regular column in CCM Magazine, March 1990, p. 52).

"That's the problem I'm having with Christian music; it's so formula-oriented. The praise stuff is great, but even the praise stuff is formula. . . . I guess you just kind of run out of things to say when you start talking about that stuff. You're limited to a certain number of phrases that are biblical and scripturally-oriented" (BROWN BANNISTER, prominent record producer and promoter, CCM Magazine, October 1988, p. 13).

"There are three ways I can approach song-writing, and I've chosen one particular approach. There's one way I won't write. I won't write a song that says, 'You better get right with God.' From my own experience I find that way sometimes makes people defensive" (WAYNE WATSON, CCM performer, Christian Activities Calendar, Spring-Summer 1989, p. 11).

"But the album we made for EPIC [Look Up] is more subtle and still has the Christian message. But it is not so religious sounding. We've been careful to avoid any religious terminology in this record that would turn people off" (MYLON LEFEVRE, CCM performer, cited by Jeff Godwin, What's Wrong with Christian Music, p. 124).

"'The Christian Rocker's Creed'--We hold these truths to be self-evidence, that all music was created equal, that no instrument or style of music is in itself evil--that the diversity of musical expression which flows forth from man is but one evidence of the boundless creativity of our Heavenly Father" (CCM Magazine, Nov. 1988, p. 12).

"My true belief about Rock 'n' Roll--and there have been a lot of phrases attributed to me over the years--is this: I believe this kind of music is demonic . . . . A lot of the beats in music today are taken from voodoo, from the voodoo drums. If you study music in rhythms, like I have, you'll see that is true..." (LITTLE RICHARD, quoted by Charles White, The Life and Times of Little Richard, New York: Pocket Books, 1984, p. 197).

"Eldridge Cleaver hasn't changed his mind about his beliefs half as much as this guy [RICHARD PENNIMAN, LITTLE RICHARD] who's gone from flamboyancy and decadence to that old-time religion and back again more times than Jerry Lee Lewis' mama could count. Now come reports, confirmed by Richard himself, of a conversion to Judaism. Whoa, Nellie! All that said, 'Lifetime Friend' is a fine gospel-rock record in its own right, regardless of its star singer's state of mind and/or spirit. Every song on the album has a distinctly Christian flavor, even though in recent climes Richard has downplayed any spiritual convictions. The 'Lifetime Friend' of the title song is clearly Jesus, even though the cover photograph--which has the modern Richard Penniman sitting in front of a rendering of his '50's persona--gives you the impression that it's Little Richard who's supposed to be your lifetime friend. . . . It's fairly successful synthesis of rock and gospel stylings--provided, of course, you're equipped to enjoy a work without spending too much time fretting about the state of mind and belief of the singer responsible" (CHRIS WILLMAN, Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, March 1987, p. 34).

"I have matured to the point as a Christian that I stay out of Christ's way. I don't clutter it up with my personal opinion, or religion. I just love people" (JON GIBSON, CCM performer, interview with Inside Music, June 1992, p. 20).

"Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight. . . . So now I see the whole design, my church is an assembly line . . . I want to be a clone. I'm glad they shoved it down my throat; I want to be a clone. Everybody must get cloned" (STEVE TAYLOR, CCM performer, cited by Jeff Godwin, What's Wrong with Christian Rock?, p. 22).

"My music is not praise or evangelism. I don't even call it a ministry, because that puts a hundred expectations on you before you ever play a note" (ROBIN CROW, CCM performer, interview with CCM Magazine, August 1983, p. 28).

"We listen to just about everybody. From Whitney Houston to Judas Priest. We like music in general. If we closed our minds to one particular way or one particular thing in music we wouldn't be artists. We wouldn't be able to write the kind of music we write. Of course, we're rooted and grounded so it doesn't hurt us. Somebody who can't handle themselves, listening to that kind of music might make them want to go out and booze and party and whatever" (OZ FOX, band member for STRYPER, Youth!, January 1987, p. 11).

"We always had this attitude that we didn't want to be characterized as this little religious band sold in religious bookstores and happy and content to play in a church for love offerings." (ROBERT SWEET, STRYPER, Milwaukee Journal, August 25, 1987, p. 11).

"You won't pick up this record [Against the Law] and hear anything that says 'God' or 'Christ.' That was intentionally done. We were tired of people coming back with excuses, saying, 'Sorry we can't play this.' MTV's got to play this and the radio's got to play it or it doesn't serve the purpose" (ROBERT SWEET OF STRYPER, CCM Magazine, August 1990, p. 10).

"When STRYPER hit the Christian music scene a few years ago, cultural trappings like earrings, makeup, spandex, and headbanging came with them. In the same way, bands like Vengeance and Deliverance bring with them torn jeans, ratty t-shirts and 'moshing'" (Contemporary Christian Music Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 20).

"I know if I'm too blatant about my Christianity and talk about Jesus I won't succeed in the mainstream. But hey, I'm not an evangelist, I'm a singer" (MICHAEL W. SMITH, cited by Monica Langley, "Rock of Ages," Wall Street Journal, Sept. 11, 1991, p. 1).

". . .you’re always going to have those very very conservative people. They say you can’t do this; you can’t do that, . . . you can’t drink; you can’t smoke. . . . It’s a pretty bizarre way of thinking" (MICHAEL W. SMITH, The Birmingham News, Feb. 1993, p. 1B).

"Dance helps me communicate with the kids I'm trying to reach" (TIM MINER, "A Time to Dance?" CCM Magazine, Sept. 1991, p. 12).

"The topics we deal with are universal in many ways. And we’re not only singing to Christians, so why would I want to write a song that uses all this language that only Christians would understand? That would be shooting ourselves in the foot. An artist spends most of life in a prison tainted by his experience. Ours is tainted by our experience of being in church and being Christian. Hopefully, people who hear us are going to go ‘Wow! That was a good song!’ And we hope some people get some hope out of our music. Anything else is great" (DAN HASELTINE, JARS OF CLAY, Religious News Service, reprinted from The Christian News, Dec. 8, 1997, p. 17). [Note that Haseltine considers the traditional Christian-church connection a prison from which he desires to escape.]

"Question: What do you want to accomplish spiritually or in a ministry sense with the new record? Answer: We are trying to stay away from any Christian formulas for ministry. … Just because we are Christian in this band, that does not entitle kids to expect a spiritual circus at every show" (Jesse and Dan of ZAO, HM magazine, May-June 1998, p. 25).

"The main message we are really praying about, sharing about, is that God accepts anyone, as long as they accept Him. … We want to offer music that they actually want to listen to, and show them that they can have their souls saved at the same time" (DOUG MEACHAM of BLAME LUCY, HM magazine, May-June, 1998, p. 46).

"A secular label will help us be heard by the lost people. … if they hear the music first, people will not be as quick to judge the Gospel being preached through the lyrics. That way, they can hear that not all Christian music is cheesy" (SONNY SAMILPA, POD (PAYABLE ON DEATH), HM magazine, May-June 1998, p. 48).

"The inspirational title cut [‘The Sky’s the Limit’] expresses the universal theme that we as individuals can do anything, when we put our minds to it, because ‘the sky is the limit’" (LEON PATILLO, Contemporary Christian Magazine, May 1984, p. 39).

"God is the King of Soul; He’s the King of all rhythm" (PHIL DRISCOLL, quoted by Tim Fisher, Battle for Christian Music, p. 82).

"... the only difference [between rock and Christian rock] is the lyrics and then the difference is sometimes subtle ... at the basic root, there's no difference. ... Christianity is about rebellion. Jesus Christ is the biggest rebel to ever walk the face of the earth ... he was crucified for his rebellion. Rock 'n' roll is about the same thing--rebellion ... to me rock and the church go hand in hand" (MARK STUART of AUDIO ADRENALINE, Pensacola News Journal, March 1, 1998, pp. 1,6E).

"So, where do you go when times get tough? You 've got to have a powerhouse. You've got to have a place where you can go. . . We want to tell people that there are places to go, that we should build communities where they can get strength, not to knock anybody else down, but to find something deeper within themselves" (WHITE HEART, CCM, February, 1991, pp. 20-23).

"A lot of bands, the reason they get so turned off, is because you have to put the word 'Jesus' in every line. … That's why so many bands get almost anti-Jesus in their lyrics, even though they're Christians" (JASON MARTIN of STARFLYER 59, HM, Mar/Apr 97, p. 21).

"Sometime people give us a hard time because we don't mention God onstage. . . I know that a lot of other bands and people are called to talk about God onstage a lot more than we do, and that's great, but we just feel that our calling is to get people interested in our MUSIC, interested in US . . ." (GHOTI HOOK, HM magazine, Issue #67, pp. 34-35).

"Everybody used to do the twist
The mashed potato and it goes like this
The funky chicken, monkey too
There wasn't nothing' they would not do
But there's a new dance no one can stop
A leap for joy we call the Holy Ghost Hop.

"Now get ready, hold steady
Don't deny it, just try it
Be bold now, let it go now
Give the Holy Ghost control now.

"Hey all you brothers and you sisters too
Don't let tradition tell you what to do
Release your worries and your fears
'Cause we've been hopping in the church for years
If King David was here I know that he
Would do the Holy Ghost Hop with me." (The Holy Ghost Hop by Carmen)

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