Contemporary Christian Music (or even CCM) occurs as somewhat out-of-date term originally utilized in the 1970s to describe a newly form of pop/rock music that was lyrically based in the Christian faith. This music experienced its roots within "Jesus Music", which sprung from a hippie Jesus Movement of the early 70s. Creative person like 2nd Chapter of Acts, Love Song, Barry McGuire, and Larry Norman were making folky pop music about their faith around Jesus Christ.

Partially due to the fissiparous attitude, & besides due to the fact that sorting through mainstream radio play would become quite hard, an entire Christian music industry soon sprang up, by owning Christian-sole creative person, record labels, radio stations, & record places. Per 1980s, CCM was a super big & remunerative music industry, sustaining creative person like Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith selling millions of records.

On top period, nevertheless, numerous Christian creative person opposed the idea of a separate Christian music "ghetto" & began working outside a confines of the Nashville, Tennessee-based CCM industry. This attitude was pioneered by rock band U2 in the early 1980s, when it dodged a CCM industry altogether & signed by using mainstream label Island Records. Additionally, there were far extra styles of Christian music appearing, like Christian hip hop, punk, alternative, and metal. Per 1990s, artists like a Lost Dogs, Starflyer 59, Vigilantes of Love, and Joy Electric were rebelling against the stereotypes of the CCM industry & creating compellingly original music.

Now, a term "CCM" usually refers to music by a Nashville-based CCM industry (look at Billboard Magazine's Hot Christian Tracks chart [http://www.billboard.com/bb/charts/airplay/christiantracks.jsp]). Nevertheless, numbers of Christian creative person come currently searching for profits in the mainstream music industry, like P.O.D., Switchfoot, and MxPx.

Views
Age to Age
Amy Grant (1982) There are many different attitudes on a subject of Christians inside popular music, however these may be generalized into 4 groups: a separationist, purist, spiritually reflective, & incident positions. [http://www.surefish.co.uk/culture/features/141004_xian_music_fair_question.htm]

A Breakaway Position This position states that Christians should non become listening to or even making pop/rock music the least bit. Numerous that embrace this argument trace rock's roots to Satanism, and claim that any association with it is wrong. Jimmy Swaggart, a illustrious televangelist & CCM oppositionist, summed higher this learn from once he said that "so-called Christian rock... is a diabolical force undermining Christianity from within... I turn on my television set. I see a young lady who goes under the guise of being a Christian, known all over the nation, dressed in skin-tight leather pants, shaking and wiggling her hips to the beat and rhythm of the music as the strobe lights beat their patterns across the stage and the band plays the contemporary rock sound which cannot be differentiated from songs by the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, or anyone else. And you may try to tell me this is of God and that it is leading people to Christ, but I know better." [http://www.videonics.com/articles/TV-QUOTES.html]

A Purist Position In that learn from, Christians should apply music as a thing of spreading a gospel of Christ to others. Steve Camp, a CCM musician & advocate of this look at, states that "Those of us who are privileged to represent our Lord Jesus Christ in the arts should be galvanized by mission, not by ambition; by mandate, not by accolades; by love for the Master, not by the allurements of this world. Is there justified concern that Contemporary Christian Music has abandoned its original calling from the Lord, left the Biblical standard for ministry and has failed to remain accountable to the local church? I believe it so." [http://a1m.org/page.php?page=template7.php&pageid=88ded2e3b8bddb9235de87f641e12322] Victims in that class action will as well point to the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther who said "I am not of the opinion that all arts are to be cast down and destroyed on account of the Gospel, as some fanatics protest. On the other hand, I would gladly see all arts, especially music, in the service of Him who has given and created them. Why should the devil have all the good music?" [http://chi.gospelcom.net/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps154.shtml]

A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band
Rich Mullins (1992) A Spiritually Reflective Position This position states that Christians should embrace pop & rock supplementary as an art form than the preaching convienence. Journalist Lev Eakins explains that creative person therein camp "sometimes produce songs that have no anchor in anything vaguely spiritual, and instead create their art simply because they are artists and that's what they are compelled to do. What separates these artists from the incidental definition is that their own spirituality acts as the main (but not exclusive) engine for their work, fuelling their desire to continue expressing themselves." [http://www.surefish.co.uk/culture/features/141004_xian_music_fair_question.htm] T-Bone Burnett, a Christian musician & producer, summed higher this see swell after he said that "You can sing about the Light, or you can sing about what you see because of the Light. I prefer the latter" [http://www.jesusjournal.com/jj_culture/music/music_burnett.html]. Numerous creative person world health organization hang on to this look at own experience frustrations by using a CCM industry for a want of originality, creative thinking, & depth; in point of fact, occasionally develop cut ties using the industry altogether (e.g. Sam (Leslie) Phillips), questioning the require for the separate Christian music "ghetto".

A Incident Position This position holds that a creative person' intent is irrelevant. Inside more words, Christians could locate beauty & truth within certain music, irrespective of the creator's intent or even spiritual stance. An lesson of this is Jeff Buckley's cover version of "Hallelujah" (originally written and recorded by Jewish singer Leonard Cohen), a song that resonates by using numbers of Christians however was sung by an creative person non usually associated by owning a CCM industry. Eakins explains that music of this sort "is allied to no spiritual or Christian tradition and may form its inspiration from any source. Where as the purist or spiritually reflective positions have inspiration in God, any Christian music produced from the incidental position is precisely that, incidentally created." [http://www.surefish.co.uk/culture/features/141004_xian_music_fair_question.htm]

Criticisms
Critics of CCM typically discredit a music when blatant imitations of mainstream, non-Christless music. An lesson of this is uncovered within an episode of Comedy Central cartoon South Park, in which Eric Cartman bets his friends that he can create the gold record before them. Cartman decides to make Christian music to this prevent: "All we have to do is cross out words like 'baby' and 'darling' and replace them with 'Jesus'." Defenders assume this argument unfair & point to the fact that numbers of creative person, potentially non-Christless ones, draw from either their influences & imitate more creative person.

Artists
2004
Inside 2004, Casting Crowns[http://www.castingcrowns.com/] was the virtually all large creative person, remain top of numerous Top Xx CCM Songs lists, especially by owning their song, World health organization Am I personally?. Steven Curtis Chapman [http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/], album All Items Up to date, [http://www.christomlin.com/ Chris Tomlin], Arriving [Enchanced], & [http://www.mercyme/org/ MercyMe]'s Undone were a lot large & was sold widely in the United States.

2005
Note: However around run. [http://www.matthewwest.com/ Matthew West]'s recently & popular album, History, occurs as super dominant album. As well, [http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/artists/salvador.html Salvador], by owning their hit song, Heaven, is a second topper.

Christian music genres intersecting with CCM
Christian alternative Christian hip hop Christian metal Christian punk Christian rock Christian hardcore

CCM Websites
Jesus Freak
dc Talk (1995) [http://www.cmcentral.com Christian Music Central] [http://board.christianrock.net/board Christianrock.net Messageboard] [http://www.ccmcom.com Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) Magazine] [http://one-way.org/jesusmusic/ A Decade of Jesus Music, 1969-1979] [http://www.hmmagazine.com HM - The Hard Music Magazine] [http://www.firestream.net Firestream.net - The Believer's Heavy Music Refuge] [http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/ Jesus Freak Hideout] [http://www.tollbooth.org The Phantom Tollbooth] [http://www.realmagazine.com Real Magazine] [http://relevantmagazine.com Relevant Magazine] [http://one-way.org/jesusmovement/ Remembering... A Jesus Movement] [http://www.trgriffin.com TR Griffin Christian Music] [http://www.tvulive.com TVU Christian music television] [http://www.cyshift.com/jarc/ Jesus Artist Resource Center] [http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk Cross Rhythms]

Online Radio Stations
[http://www.chargeradio.com ChargeRadio.Com] [http://www.choicefmradio.com Choice Radio Network] [http://www.christianrock.net ChristianRock.Net] [http://www.christianhardrock.net ChristianHardRock.Net] [http://www.christian-hiphop.net Christian-HipHop.Net] [http://www.klove.com K-Love] [http://www.reignradio.com Reign Radio] [http://www.lifefm.co.nz lifefm]

Record Labels
[http://www.absoluterecords.com Absolute Records] [http://www.ardentrecords.com Ardent Records] [http://www.atlanticrecords.com Atlantic Records] [http://www.becrecordings.com BEC Recordings] [http://www.brokenrecords.com Broken Records] [http://www.crossdriven.com Cross Driven Records] [http://www.crossmovementrecords.com Cross Movement Records]Sixpence None the Richer
Sixpence None The Richer (1997) [http://www.curb.com Curb Records] [http://www.essentialrecords.com Essential Records] [http://www.facedownrecords.com/ Facedown Records] [http://www.ferventrecords.com Fervent Records] [http://www.flickerrecords.com Flicker Records] [http://www.floodgaterecords.com Floodgate Records] [http://www.forefrontrecords.com Forefront Records] [http://www.galaxy21music.com Galaxy21 Music] [http://www.gotee.com Gotee Records] [http://www.grrrrecords.com/ Grrr Records] [http://www.inorecords.com INO Records] [http://www.inpop.com Inpop Records] [http://www.reunionrecords.com Reunion Records] [http://www.rocketownrecords.com Rocketown Records] [http://www.srerecordings.com S/R/E Recordings] [http://www.solidstaterecords.com Solid State Records] [http://www.sparrowrecords.com Sparrow Records] [http://www.toothandnail.com Tooth And Nail Records] [http://www.wordrecords.com Word Records]

Further Reading
The Beautiful Letdown
Switchfoot (2003) Alfonso, Barry. A Hoarding Prescription to Contemporary Christian Music. Hoarding Books, 2002. Di Sabatino, David. A Jesus Population Movement: An Annotated Bibliography & General Resource. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1999. Sodbuster, Thom. CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. Nashville: CCM Books, 2001. Howard, Jay R & John Thousand Streck. Apostles of Rock: A Splintered Globe of Contemporary Christian Music. Lexington: A University of Kentucky Click, 1999. Joseph, Mark. A Rock & Roll Rebellion: How come Humans of Faith Abandoned Rock Music-- & How come It're Coming Back. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999. Powell, Mark Allan. A Cyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Hendrickson, 2002. Romanowski, William D. Eyes Wide Open: Wanting to find God within Popular Culture. Brazos Click, 2001. Pruitt, Jim. Contemporary Christian Musician's Survival Manual. Dish, 2003. http://www.cyshift.com/jarc/ccmsm.html

pl:Contemporary Christian music zh:当代基督教音乐