Christian music popular because it disposed of 'silly separatism,' says author If you believe Mark Joseph, author of The Rock & Roll Rebellion, the reason Christian artists have been banished to "gospel" or "inspirational" shelves in the record stores is their own fault. "Christians exiled themselves from pop culture," he tells The Washington Times, which also says that's why Christian bands were "absent from popular arenas such as Woodstock." (Woodstock?!) He draws the parallel between Amy Grant and columnist Cal Thomas, saying their success in the popular culture "proves that it was possible for serious believers, once they had disposed of silly separatism, to be accepted or at least tolerated by the culture." By the way, the article also mentions Christianity Today as an example of this silly separatism. One would think Julia Duin, who regularly covers religion for the Times, would have talked with someone who could shed some light on evangelicalism's supposedly separatist tendencies.

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Author Mark Joseph's book The Rock and Roll Rebellion (Broadman & Holman) poses a provocative thesis--namely, that Christian artists should not retreat from the secular music world, but instead put their work into the same arena as pop acts and compete for audience attention without muting their beliefs or abandoning their faith-based messages. Joseph's book does two things very well: It offers a comprehensive look at the birth and rise of contemporary Christian music, outlining the struggles of such acts as dc Talk, Michael W. Smith, and Amy Grant to expand their appeal without deserting their core sound. The book also demonstrates that it's possible for devout Christians to reach out to secular audiences without being hypocritical or artificial; Joseph includes conversations with Lenny Kravitz, Donna Summer, B.J. Thomas, and even David Geffen to illustrate his point. What he doesn't hit quite as hard is the issue of race, most notably how the Christian music industry remains almost rigidly divided in terms of marketing when it comes to white and black artists. He spends some time on the subject, but doesn't substantively discuss the separate playlists for CCM and black gospel stations, or the different gospel categories in the Grammy and Dove awards. Much of The Rock and Roll Rebellion is valuable, however, especially Joseph's argument that gospel artists need to stay in the mainstream rather than retreat into a niche market. --Ron Wynn

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"A Wonderful look at how contemporary Christian music artists may have contributed to the fast decline of secular music by segregating themselves from mainstream audiences. A must-read for music fans. Lots of talk about Christians who stayed secular and those who went back."

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By Lou Carlozo

"The Rock & Roll Rebellion: Why people of faith abandoned rock music--and why they're coming back" (Broadman & Holman, $12.99 paperback)

In his 1993 book "Roaring Lambs," Bob Briner fashioned a groundbreaking thesis for people of faith connected to the entertainment industry. The church and its members, he argued, had failed by gradually abandoning culture-shaping professions such as television, movies, the media and popular music. Instead of making their voices heard, believers were staying silent or burrowing into the safety and comfort of Christian "subculture."

"Very few of us ever consider ways we could engage our culture with views that have been shaped by the transforming message of the Gospel," Briner wrote. "And because of that, Christian thought and values are missing from American culture." To say Briner's ideas caused a seismic shift among music industry observers is putting it mildly. Two recent books that examine the problems and challenges of mixing faith and music owe their existence to "Roaring Lambs." Charlie Peacock's "At The Crossroads" thoughtfully outlines the theological blind spots of the Christian music industry. And Mark Joseph's "The Rock And Roll Rebellion" takes a close-up look at the players themselves who abandoned mainstream music careers to preach (or sing, as it were) to the choir. Joseph (who like Peacock dedicates his book to Briner) wastes no time letting his readers know where he sits. His opening chapter is titled, alarmingly, "The Musical Negro Baseball League." "As with baseball, strange bedfellows colluded to push musicians with orthodox Christian beliefs into the modern-day equivalent of the Negro baseball leagues--the CCM industry," Joseph writes. He then plunges into one of the book's strongest suits; with the precision of an investigative journalist, Joseph documents capsule histories of some 17 musicians who left thriving careers in mainstream music to pursue "Christian music"--and lost the bulk of their following in the process. In similar fashion, Joseph also catalogs "the remnant"--those artists of faith such as U2, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Cliff Richard and Kansas who stayed in the mainstream music world. When Joseph does inject his critic's voice, he does so with righteous indignation. Clearly, Joseph bristles while recounting how many faith-based artists intentionally walled themselves off from the mainstream (and, as a result, the impact they could make there). True, he indulges in 20-20 hindsight when analyzing the career path of Christian rockers such as Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key. But in doing so, Joseph brings to light some revealing contradictions.

"They [DeGarmo and Key] remained skeptical and critical of those who sought to cross over into mainstream music," Joseph writes. "'It irks me when people use the Christian music industry as a stepping stone to get into secular music,' said DeGarmo, who must've been especially irked when dc talk, one of the bands signed to his label Forefront, moved on to Virgin Records after five albums in the CCM market." One reviewer at a prominent Christian music magazine suggests that Jospeh goes too far in making such statements, and goes on too long with his roll call. But Joseph has a valid axe to grind, and his work in cataloging case studies roots his book in the solid, old-fashioned foundations of journalistic reporting. Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it, and Joseph for the first time collects that lamentable history into one unified volume. That's an essential undertaking, and its fruit rasies cause for concern. Though new labels such as Squint Entertainment and Tooth and Nail have shown progressive thinking in signing artists of faith--and getting their records on mainstream radio, MTV and in record stores--the Christian music industry remains ineffective in reaching those who need to hear the good news most. In "The Rock and Roll Rebellion," Joseph drives home this point convincingly, mostly by letting the artists and their track records do the talking.

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In Print
The Rock & Roll Rebellion-Why People Of Faith Abandoned Rock Music And Why They're Coming Back
By Mark Joseph,
Broadman & Holman Publishers $12.99; 316 pages

by Deborah Evans-Price

For the past two decades Christians who love to make music have been faced with a choice. They must either sing to the choir-that is, record strictly for the Christian music industry-or pursue a career in the mainstream community and risk being rejected if any of their lyrics blatantly mention God or Jesus Christ. In this fascinating new book "The Rock & Roll Rebellion: Why People of Faith Abandoned Rock Music and Why They Are Coming Back," author Mark Joseph makes a strong case for the latter option of integrating faith-based music into the broader American culture. He even suggests that there really shouldn't be a contemporary Christian music "ghetto" at all. Joseph demonstrates intimate knowledge of the Christian rock genre and the artists who have contributed to its growth, chronicling the genre's early years and giving brief histories of Benson, Sparrow, Word and other key Christian music record companies as well as of CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) magazine.

Then, Joseph takes on unflinching look at what he calls "The Great Retreat" a "secessionist movement" that found talented men and women leaving mainstream secular culture for the safe confines of the CCM world. Joseph's theory is that "the Scopes Trial early in the century and the seemingly relentless pace of scientific and social progress" put Christians on the defensive. He says that by separating themselves from the cultue at large and spawning their own little creative sanctuary, Christian artists created their own equivalent of the Negro Baseball League, an organization that boasted as much talent as the regular major leagues, but whose standout players never received their fair share of recognition. He voices particular disappointment that guitarist Phil Keaggy didn't continue to affect mainstream music with his talent, withdrawing to sing to the CCM choir instead. Joseph profiles key artists in the contemporary Christian music subculture and divides them into such categories as "The Defectors" with Pat Boone, B.J. Thomas, Rick Cua, Leon Patillo, and Grand Funk Railroad's Mark Farner as examples of artists who abandoned secular music after converting to Christianity. He also recognizes those he refers to as "The Rebels" such as Steve Taylor, dc Talk, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith, Sixpence None The Richer and Amy Grant-the latter of whom he singles out to praise for boldly taking her music to the mainstream despite the shots she took from conservative Christians. Joseph dedicates the book to the late Bob Briner, author of "Roaring Lambs" who always encouraged Christians to be both salt and light in the world. In the final paragraph of "The Rock & Roll Rebellion" Joseph carries forward Briner's message, urging Christians to return to the original command to "go and make disciples of all nations."

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THE ROCK & ROLL REBELLION: WHY PEOPLE OF FAITH ABANDONED ROCK MUSIC AND WHY THEYRE COMING BACK
Mark Joseph Broadman & Holman, 1999, 316 pp., $12.99 800/251-3225

A broad look at the history and future of Christian music, comparing it to the Negro baseball leagues in which the extremely talented played in obscurityand the black players and white fans both lost. Joseph calls for the integration of Christian music subculture and the mainstream music business. Those interested in the music industry will definitely want to pick this one up.

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Lambs With Chops

By DAVE SHIFLETT

The religious lives of popular musicians are a source of constant wonderment -- and occasional shock. Author Geoffrey Giuliano no doubt deeply chilled fans of John Lennon by reporting that the aging Beatle evolved into an ardent fan of the Rev. Pat Robertson, to the point of kneeling before his television set to soak up the utmost karma from Mr. Robertson's broadcasts. At the other end of the spectrum, Marilyn Manson's Satan-worshiping has been the subject of stern denunciation, which could grow harsher in the wake of recent revelations that he leans Republican. All told, however, rockers tend to stick to the secular, which is neither an accident nor a blessing, at least according to Mark Joseph, head of a Los Angeles entertainment group and author of "The Rock & Roll Rebellion."

As Mr. Joseph argues, many artists who would rather sing about the Lord than their libidos (and related infatuations) have hidden out these past 30 years in what he calls the "Christian ghetto," a market dedicated to serenading the choir. The result is a mainstream very thin on traditional spirituality, a trend Mr. Joseph and like-minded believers hope to alter.

"For years people of faith complained that mainstream culture doesn't allow them to be heard," says Mr. Joseph, the son of Christian missionaries to Japan. "There was some truth to that. Secular labels didn't want a lot of religious music, and some Christian artists demanded 10 songs about Jesus on their albums. Because Christians are taught not to compromise, many retreated to the ghetto. Now we're seeing artists and executives crossing back over the bridge." One such executive is Barry Landis, a vice president of Atlantic Records and an acolyte of the late Bob Briner, chief prophet of a ghetto-blasting movement called the "roaring lambs." According to Mr. Landis, a roaring lamb is a believer with a good set of pipes and a desire to be heard in the wider world. Mr. Landis brings glad tidings to this subspecies: If the lamb has chops, he will succeed. "The fact is, the ghetto allowed Christian musicians to become very lazy and complacent," says Mr. Landis, who is currently teaching a course to members of Nashville's large Christian music industry (25 or so labels) on how to expand their influence.

"I am absolutely convinced that a good song by a Christian artist will do well on radio. I also believe the country is going to be in much better shape if strong Judeo-Christian morals are expressed in our creative, culture-shaping channels. And if a song reflecting healthy love relationships, positive self-images, and morally clean ideas knocks a raunchy song off the radio, hooray for that." Lest anyone fear a tidal wave of ballads about John the Baptist or midnight strolls upon the waters, Mr. Joseph says the new generation of Christian artists recognizes that subtlety offers the clearest path to the soul. "C.S. Lewis pointed out that what's important is not to write books or songs about Christianity, but books or songs that reflect a Christian world view," he says, offering a line from "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer as an example: "We'll take the trail marked on your father's map."

This path, Mr. Joseph explains, does not lead through the bedroom or opium den. "Overall, it's an innocent world view." Innocence can pay dividends. "Kiss Me" went to Number 2 on the Billboard charts. And successes have been charted by such lamb bands as Jars of Clay, P.O.D. (i.e., Payable on Death), and dc Talk, a band that formed at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University (but that, Mr. Joseph says, is not allowed to play there). "Flood," by Jars of Clay, achieved premier crossover status: It was played on "Beavis and Butthead." Dan Haseltine, the lead singer and lyricist for Jars, says his band learned from the masters, including the Beatles and Rolling Stones -- a strategy other lambs should consider. "A bad song -- no matter what lyrical genius rides across its melody -- is still just a bad song," says Mr. Haseltine. One need not be a card-carrying lamb to play the role. As Mr. Joseph notes, Emmylou Harris, Bono, Al Green, Bob Dylan and even Alice Cooper -- once known for his on-stage guillotine -- have a positive spiritual influence. Mr. Cooper, as it happens, was a drinking partner of Mr. Lennon's, and his passionate warnings about the existence of the devil indicate that, sooner or later, many a rocky road leads to the 700 Club, or environs. For Messrs. Landis and Joseph, sooner is the goal.

Mr. Shiflett is a writer in Midlothian, Va.

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More than 30 years after Larry Norman helped birth Contemporary Christian music the genre still struggles to come to terms with itself. Is it ministry or entertainment? An outreach to the world or a self-iisolating society? Or in that stragest of paradoxes, is it a bit of everything?... Mark Joseph's "The Rock and Roll Rebellion" asserts that Christian musicians have erred by abandoning the general markets for what Joseph calls the "religious music ghetto" of Christian labels, radio stations and retail outlets. By boxing themselves in with the faithful, artists such as Phil Keaggy and Mylon Lefevre (just two he names) have missed out on greater opportunities to share Christ. The argument's worth exploring, but Joseph, a longtime music writer and president of an entertainment company, stretches it thinly across 316 tedious pages. The problem isn't his point of view but in the way he offers it-through close to 60 biographical sketches from Keith Green to MxPx, that focus on the degree each artist stepped into or out of the general market. Unfortunately the brunt of the profiles are drawn from previously published magazine articles and suffer from a "haven't I read this before," vibe. Moreover his tone is at times unnecessarily sarcastic... The author spends so much effort either praising or knocking musicians in these bios that by the time he wraps up with his own challenging vision for the future-which includes Christian radio stations playing Guns 'n' Roses and a new culture of church-financed music ministers-the yawns threaten to take over. The Rock and Roll Rebellion would have worked far better if Joseph had focused on that vision and less on rehashing the lives of artists.

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Can you imagine artist-ministers receiving flat salaries instead of relying on album royalties? The term Christian artist being avoided like poison ivy? Joseph not only envisions such changes but he says they're necessary if Christian music is to reach the broader culture while still meeting believer's needs. To his credit, he's clearly not a controversy hound; he critiques artists and record-label executives but consistently tries to be fair. For example, he heaps praise on Phil Keaggy while lamenting the artist's decision to leave mainstream rock. A bonus benefit is the up-to-date history of contemporary Christian music. Customers will ask about this bold book. Cross-merchandise copies in your store's music section-with the confidence that you're giving space to a thoughtfully and courageously crafted work.

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New book examines tension between the world and faith-based music

Taking an historical look at the development of contemporary Christian music, author Mark Joseph offers several ideas on the pluses and minuses of "CCM" as a musical genre. He also makes some recommendations to help overcome its limitations with a new paradigm. Joseph is the president of MJM Entertainment Group, a TV and music production and distribution company. He has worked as a TV and radio entertainment reporter, and has written about music for a variety of publications. The author looks to the past at artists who left mainstream careers to enter Christian music - artists such as Pat Boone, Al Green, Leon Patillo of Santana, Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad, Rick Cua of The Outlaws, Kerry Livgren and John Elefante of Kansas, Joe English of the Wings and BF Thomas. Some of these artists have returned to doing mainstream music without leaving their faith behind.

The author examines their situations and some of the hardships tin moving between the "worlds" of music. Then there are the artists who have managed some "cross over" from the Christian music to a wider market: Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Jars of Clay, Sixpence None the Richer, and so forth. The trail is littered, however, with artists and songs, which were never heard from again because of suspicion from the church or from record labels. There is some discrimination by mainstream radio and records labels against programming Christian music, as the book explains using the example of the Michael W. Smith song Place In This World. But, Joseph writes, Christian music has limited itself by existing in its own genre, largely unheard by the bulk of music fans across the country. Although CCM is growing, it still accounts for less than eight percent of all music sold in the United States - and an even lesser percentage of radio listeners. The author suggests that artists (indeed, all people) of faith need to become integrated into mainstream popular music culture, rather than retain their current status as mostly segregated in their own "ghetto". He admits this process could take several decades. But the hope is that at some point artists who are Christians will be making music the world will be able to hear and benefit from, without it having to carry a label of "Christian" which has closed doors in the past. There are some individual artists who already have made breakthroughs. But they are few and far between.

Of course, some artists would continue to write and perform music specifically feared toward the church and worship settings, Joseph says. Two interesting observations - Joseph suggests Christian bands should decline Grammy nominations in the gospel categories. Instead they should ask that their music be placed in whatever appropriate style category they would otherwise naturally fall. There may be a precedent: Amy Grant's Heart in Motion album was placed in mainstream categories when it was nominated for a Grammy in the early 1990's. (Her subsequent albums have been in gospel categories, however). But the result of such requests may well be that very few gospel albums would ever be nominated for Grammys, and even fewer would actually win the award. Visibility of the music would suffer. Joseph also argues that music by "mainstream" artists like Creed or Collective Soul, for example, which expresses aspects of the gospel message, could be granted Dove Awards in the various style categories. This would be difficult to implement. The Gospel Music Association had a Dove category from 1975 to 1985 titled "Secular Artist," and saw winners such as Charlie Pride and Bob Dylan. There are a lot of facts, figures and stories in this book, along with many artist photos.

Helpful is an index in which you can check for mentions of particular artists, record labels, etc. This is a great book for Christian music trivia buffs, actually. There's information about artists such as Dan Peek, Richie Furay, Donna Summer, Cliff Richard, U2, King's X and others who have had more than dalliances with Christian themes in their music. In it's specific anecdotes and footnotes it is more complete than the Charlie Peacock book At the Crossroads. Although it is more crowded with information, it is less closely reasoned and not as philosophical as the Peacock treatise. Joseph also makes a pitch for a more "open" playlist for Christian radio, which would be politically if not financially difficult for current Christian radio stations to follow. However, The Rock & Roll Rebellion does shed light on the possibilities of how music from people of faith can make its mark in a world that is in need of a positive, redemptive message.

Quote from the book's forward: "Mark Joseph's book provides valuable historical perspective on the inevitable tension between the religious sensibility and American popular music. He helps to provide thoughtful support for the notion that rock 'n roll will unavoidably influence religion, but religion can also influence rock 'n roll. -Michael Medved, columnist, radio talkshow

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Some Christian contemporary musicians are avoiding Christian recording companies and religious-sounding names for their bands so they can have more of an effect on the secular culture, Mark Joseph, author of The Rock & Roll Rebellion, said in the Washington Times.

They once "exiled themselves from pop culture" with heavily evangelistic themes that nonbelievers could not relate to, but no longer, Joseph said. ...The groups now are writing songs that have a spiritual component but also relate to a secular audience, and even are touring with secular groups, Joseph said. Their names, Full on the Mouth, the Galactic Cowboys, MxPx, and Burlap to Cashmere, are not transparently Christian, and neither are some of their songs, but other songs speak clearly of God and Jesus Christ, he said. ...If Christians write music, books, and magazines only for themselves they become too separate from the mainstream, and have little effect on it, Colorado Springs writer Steve Rabey says. He said he believes Christians should be more engaged in mainstream culture, including the area of music. "Bach and other composers wrote sacred music, but it was also music the entire culture appreciated."

HM Magazine

The Rock and Roll Rebellion Mark Joseph Broadman & Holman It would be impossible to write a review of Mark Joseph’s book without mentioning Charlie Peacock’s, At the Crossroads. It is a critique of the Christian music industry. It also presents an attainable future that may be more effective in “engaging” the world with a Christian worldview through popular culture. But while Peacock’s book focuses much more on a theology / philosophy of art, Joseph attempts a thorough history of rock and roll believers and their struggle to reconcile a holy faith with a worldly culture. Peacock’s tone was that of a pastor and insider that wanted to see the CCM “congregation” mature. Joseph’s tone is that of a prophetic biographer — a critic that stands outside (having written for mainstream music magazines, distributed music through Sony in Japan, and worked as a correspondent for CNN) and calls for revolution. With this work he expresses an outrage that hasn’t been stated so well before. But he is not a complete outsider. While he doesn’t work often within the CCM industry, he is clearly a member of the Church and has her highest priorities in mind. In his zeal, Joseph may come down hard on guitar hero Phil Keaggy and skim over the difficulties of Lenny Kravitz, but his words on folks from DeGarmo & Key to U2 are right on. The only oversight: no mention for neo-psychedelic rockers, Flick. Like Crossroads, this is a must read for Christians who record, sell or buy music . . . and for the shepherds that watch over them. —Joey Aszterbaum

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