Good Reads: "God Gave Rock & Roll To You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music"

Occasionally, I will share about what I've been reading. For the early part of September, I read this book. If you're so moved, read on. 

God Gave Rock & Roll To You: A History Of Contemporary Christian Music by Leah Payne

Non-Fiction, Cultural Studies

Thoughts: Somewhere in the early 1990s, I was in the Paris, Tenn., Walmart looking at the expansive cassette tape section when I came across the self-titled debut from the Christian Rock band Petra. I had seen some recommendations at a Christian bookstore in the past stating something along the lines of "if you like Guns N' Roses, you'll love Petra." I bought the tape and, as a young rock & roll fan who was also entrenched in the Southern Baptist church in which I was raised, I expectantly hit play. "Disappointment" doesn't begin to convey my reaction.

This was so far from Welcome To The Jungle that it might as well have been Welcome To The Jungle Gym.

However, it was only a brief detour in a genre that was — and would — profoundly impact(ing) my life. For instance, dc talk's Jesus Freak became a pivotal album at a formative time — and, perhaps, the best album ever to come from the genre. Third Day's Time album helped me sort out some internal conflicts. Heck, I've even written some songs of my own that would be categorized in this genre.

That's only a fraction of my relationship with Contemporary Christian Music. When I heard about author Leah Payne's deep-dive into the genre in a book called God Gave Rock & Roll To You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music, I knew I had to read it. It was a blast to read (I finished the 200-plus page book in about a week — pretty quick for me) as I lived through a significant portion of the book's historical examination and remember it well. Additionally, for the past 20-plus years, I've been a part of a church as a worship minister (now its Executive Minister) tasked with leading a large church in singing. This book is in the middle lane of my alley.

Christianity Today's editor-in-chief Russell Moore writes of the book, "Payne argues that anyone wishing to understand some of the most epochal shifts in American culture and politics over the past 30 years ought to listen to the radio—specifically to the contemporary Christian music (CCM) genre of a generation of white evangelicals." He goes on to write, "The path from CCM glory days to an evangelicalism in crisis should inform us—and Payne’s book does that brilliantly." (Read his essay HERE)

Payne's examination of the genre reveals some things I already knew and some things I had suspected for years — and some things that can lead to an extended soapbox-assisted monologue few probably want to hear. For instance, a spiderweb of money, Charismatic/Pentecostal theology, race, and politics has had an outsized influence on, not only the CCM genre and our modern church practices, but also culture and American political movements, as well.

Honestly, I could spend hours crafting a dissertation, but, instead, I will encourage this book to any interested. It's not perfect (anecdotes from random CCM fans, past and present, often sound like they were pulled from a social media post's comments and there is a lack of key-player interviews, in my opinion), but it is a very comprehensive, detailed, and honest look at the genre — including where it came from, where it was, and where it's headed.