In 1971, the first Christian rock album was recorded, titled “Come to the Waters” by the group Children of the Day. Led by singer Marsha Stevens, her song “For Those Tears I Died” was the spark that ignited the CCM wildfire. Dr. Mark Powell, author of An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, writes, “[Marsha] certainly deserves to be known as ‘the mother of contemporary Christian music’”. (p.870) CCM’s “Mother” is also a militant lesbian. Marsha started the spiritually perverted group B.A.L.M. (Born Again Lesbian Music).

Another popular CCM group is King’s X. Despite the fact, that King’s X member Doug Pinnick is a proud homosexual, they are still romanced by the Christian world. Pinnick told Aquarian Weekly, in May 2000, “Yeah, I’m gay; big deal”. During Christian concerts, Pinnick proudly wore the homosexual trademark; “pink triangle”. Viciously denouncing Christianity, Pinnick told Metal Manaics:

“I just finally kinda somehow weaned myself out of religion, out of the whole thing to the point I just do not believe in Christianity anymore at all. . . Why do people live their lives for God, wasting their lives. . .” (Metal Maniacs, Nov. 2000, p.78)

The 1980’s were rocked and shocked by the Christian metal-glam rockers Stryper. Stryper pranced around wearing mascara, lip gloss, eye shadow, earrings, spandex and women’s hair styles, deliberately mocking 1 Cor. 6:9-10 (“effeminate. . . shall inherit the kingdom of God”). Stryper’s popularity and perversion of Christian music garnished a CCM-record-breaking, two platinum and four gold records!

Robert Sweet of Styrper, makes a startling admission about Christian rock in RIP magazine:

“As a matter of fact, the band was one thing that was making us turn and walk the opposite direction from Christianity. . . If you’re doing something you like doing, and God says not to do it then you’re not going to pay attention.”(RIP, April, 1987 p. 49)

“From the end of 1988 ‘til February of this year [1997], I was drunk every day.” (HM, Mar/Apr 97 #64, p.47)

Oz Fox of Stryper honestly says,

“To be honest, Stryper wasn’t what we should have been spiritually speaking... there was sin happening in the band. . . And the reason why it was happening is because we didn’t know the Lord like we should have.” (HM, Mar/Apr 97 #64, p.49)

In 1995, shock waves shook the CCM planet. CCM’s queen-of-clean, Sandi Patti, confessed to committing adultery since 1991 with singer Don Peslis. And he was not her first. Christianity Today reports,

“According to several independent sources who at different times were aware of Patty’s activities, she took part in two extramarital relationships, in both cases with married men.” (Christianity Today, Sept. 11, 1995 p. 72)

PsychoHeresy Awareness writes, "Patty's rising popularity is indicative of the trashed condition of Christians who claim the name of Christ but will not follow the doctrines of the Bible. Marrying a partner in adultery does not make the relationship right. It constitutes a continual condition of disobedience to God. How does one repent of adultery while one continues in an ongoing relationship with a former accomplice in adultery?" (PsychoHeresy Awareness Letter, March-April 1998 pp.1,8).

By the way, Sandi is more popular than ever.

Proverbs 30:20 has Sandi’s name on it:

Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
Proverbs 30:20

One of CCM’s recent emerging stars was the dance-hip-hop group Raze. In 2001, Raze singer, founder and former dancer for Carman, Ja’ Marc Davis was arrested and charged with five counts of lewd molestation, three counts of rape by instrumentation and three counts of forcible sodomy. His three victims were ages 13 and 16 (2). Incredibly, much of the time Raze is singing for the Holy Lord Jesus, the lead singer has molested a 13-year-old girl!

Loudly testifying to CCM’s total lack of any Christian convictions, a few months after Davis was arrested for molesting a 13-year-old girl, the prestigious Dove awards honored Raze with two Dove Awards! Frank Breeden, president of the Gospel Music Association said, “If they [Raze] should win, it would go to them”. Breeden describes Davis’s child molestation, rape and sodomy charges as simply a “moral difficulty”. It is no wonder much of Christian music is wallowing in the moral and spiritual sewers because the leaders label child molestation as a “moral difficulty” and also honor the pervert with two Dove awards!

1994 was an unprecedented night at the famous Dove Awards. CCM superstar former Bill Gaither Trio Star, Michael English won an unbelievable, record-breaking, six Dove Awards! Just as unbelievable, less than 24 hours later, English called a press conference to confess an adulterous affair with Marabeth Jordon of the CCM group First Call. To make matters even worse, both were married and Jordon was pregnant with English’s illegitimate child.

Despite English’s highly publicized adultery, the very next year he won another Dove award for his recording with the Bill Gaither group! English soon filled the tabloids with such juicy slime as frequenting strip clubs; dating a stripper; being arrested for assault charges filed by his shacked-up girlfriend. During much of this open-sin-decadent time, English was still happily working within the CCM world. In 2000, English was arrested and pleaded guilty to 12 counts of illegally obtaining prescription painkillers. Despite his open rebellion, English can still be found performing Christian concerts, and for a while, even hosting the Michael English Show on TBN. English flippantly says of his drug addiction, forged prescriptions and arrest, “It was an innocent mistake. It could happen to anybody.”

Why air out all this dirty laundry infesting CCM? Because Christians need to wake up to the fruits of rock music. Rock music was born and bred with the seeds of rebellion. Calling it Christian and changing a few words will not transform the rebellious nature of rock music. The Encyclopaedia Britannica Yearbook for 1956 described rock’n roll as, “insistent savagery . . . deliberately competing with the artistic ideals of the jungle.”

Secular rocker Lita Ford got it right,

“Listen, rock’n roll ain’t church. It’s nasty business. You gotta be nasty too. If you’re goody, goody, you can’t sing or play it. . .” (Los Angeles Times, August 7, 1988)

“Rock has always been the devil’s music. . . I believe rock and roll is dangerous . . . I feel we’re only heralding something even darker than ourselves.” (Rolling Stone, Feb. 12, 1976)

Clearly, the fruits of CCM stink with the stench of sin and rebellion of rock music.

After documenting the many sins polluting Christian rock, I always get the question, "But how will we reach our young people if we do not use Christian rock?" Barna Research Group prepared an extensive survey of Christian teenagers titled Third Millennium Teens Report. In the report they write (p. 68), “Among the surprises emerging from the research is that teenagers do not come to church because it has hot music.” In the report (p. 54), Barna constructed a list of “What Teenagers May Look For In a Church”. And out of 18 items on the list – at an insignificant number 14 was the type of music! Barna’s extensive report has an error rate of less than 5%. The “Great Drawing Card” of rock music is a myth! The evidence proves it is not true!

Undoubtedly, the most outspoken promoter of Christian rock is CCM artist Charlie Peacock. In his book, At The Crossroads, Peacock admits Christian rock is NOT reaching lost people! Peacock polled 35 popular CCM artists. He asked them “to estimate the number of letters received from non-Christians over the span of their careers”. Peacock writes, “. . . over 50% gave ten or fewer letters as their answer”. He adds, “. . . we must give serious consideration to the possibility that we’re producing very little evangelism and cultural penetration for the cause of Christ.” (Peacock, Charlie, At The Crossroads, p. 184) And may I remind you – that is from CCM’s greatest supporter!

Christian rock is not getting people saved!

It is spiritually blinding and perverting Christians!

CCM veteran Michael Card, warns about CCM,

“The direction and value system are getting worse faster than any of us can imagine.” (Christianity Today, May 20, 1996, p. 22)

CCM star, Jaci Velasquez’s starring role in the movie, Chasing Papi, confirms Card’s warning. Chicago Sun-Times, famed movie critic, Roger Ebert describes Chasing Papi, as a “. . .feature-length jiggle show with Charlie’s Angels transformed into Latina bimbos. . .” Ebert compares Chasing Papi to the nearly-nude magazine Maxim (Walmart removed Maxim for it’s filth). Papi, he writes, “. . would make your average Maxim reader feel right at home.” One scene in Chasing Papi, is the three women (including Jaci) hiding in Papi’s bedroom wearing very (very, very) skimpy red lingerie. When Papi appears they all lusciously pop-out. Ebert says the scene looks like “. . . a fashion show by Victoria’s Secret”. Another reviewer says Chasing Papi is “. . . as lubricious as a centerfold.” (Lubricious means sexual arousal or lustful)

Unbelievably, Velasquez tells CCM, "With my music and now this movie, I feel like I've been given a platform. More than ever, I want to use that platform to be authentic about my faith to people who may not know God. . ." How can anyone be "authentic about their faith" by appearing in a lustful, movie that is compared to a centerfold, wearing red skimpy lingerie in a man's bedroom? Can people really be that spiritually blind? Velasquez proudly tells CCM, after her concerts ". . . I always get letters saying, 'You dress too sexy. I was offended; I'm never taking my kid to your show again.'"

Another revealing testimony to the complete spiritual blindness of CCM is the unmasking of the gothic metal band Evanescence. Evanescence’s album Fallen was heavily marketed by the mega Christian music distributor Provident and it swiftly climbed to the Number One spot on Billboard’s Christian charts! Virtually overnight, Evanescence was the new “shining star” of the Christian Music world. But there was one little-bitty problem. . .

Evanescence is not a Christian band!

In Entertainment Weekly (April 18, 2003), Evanescence finally could no longer take it. The spiritual blindness of the Contemporary Christian Music world even baffled Evanescence! Guitarist Ben Moody flatly tells Entertainment Weekly,

“We’re actually high on the Christian charts, and I’m like, What the f*** are we even doing there?” (Entertainment Weekly, April 18, 2003, p. 41)

Here is how spiritually-blind, CCM magazine reviewed Evanescence’s Fallen:

“Evanescence’s unapologetic declaration of faith in songs like ‘Tourniquet’ and ‘Whisper’ have Christian message boards buzzing with commentary about the band’s seemingly brave ‘Jesus’ agenda.” (CCM, May 2003, p. 41)

Let's take a look at some of Evanescence's lyrics. Let us examine their “unapologetic declaration of faith”:

In their song, Breathe No More, they openly sing, ". . . I've come to believe my souls on the other side".

Breathe No More - Evanescence (Fallen)

I've been looking in the mirror for so long.
That I've come to believe my souls on the other side. . .
And I bleed, I bleed, . . .
Convince me that I've been sick forever.

Bring Me To Life - Evanescence (Fallen)

How can you see into my eyes. . .
Without a soul
my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold . . .
Save me.
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Wake me up.
Bid my blood to run. . .

Everybody's Fool - Evanescence (Fallen)

Lost in your lies . . .
I know the truth now
I know who you are. . .
Never was and never will be
Not for real that you can save me
And somehow now you're everybody's fool

Farther Away - Evanescence (Fallen)

I sold my soul just to hide the light.
And now I see what I really am,
A thief a whore, and a liar.

Hello - Evanescence (Fallen)

Don't try to fix me
I'm not broken
Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide...

Imaginary - Evanescence (Fallen)

Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The goddess of imaginary light

My Last Breath - Evanescence (Fallen)

Closing your eyes
You pray your dreams will leave you here,
But still you wake and know the truth -
No one's there.
Say goodnight, don't be afraid
Calling me, holding me, as you fade to black.

Whisper - Evanescence (Fallen)

No one's here and I fall into myself
This truth drive me
Into madness
I know I can stop the pain. . .
Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes

How different from the words of the Lord Jesus. Jesus says in John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"

How in the world, can ANYONE possibly believe this is Christian music?

In the song Tourniquet, Evanescence sings a haunting, dark, gothic, blasphemous cry mocking salvation. They even toss in the title "Christ". Music-Critic.ca says of Tourniquet: "The question of whether God is listening or even there at all is brought up throughout the song,. . ." (www.music-critic.ca/album-reviews/evanescence_fallen.shtml) And this is a Christian message?

Tourniquet - Evanescence (Fallen)

Am I too lost to be saved ?. . .
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation. . .
Lost for so long.
Will you be on the other side ?
Will you forgive me ? . . .
My soul cries, for deliverance.
Will I be denied ?
Christ! Tourniquet! My suicide.

No wonder Singer Amy Lee also tells Entertainment Weekly, “I guarantee that if the Christian bookstore owners LISTENED to some of those songs, they wouldn’t sell the CD."

Now what does that testify to the spiritual discernment of the Contemporary Christian Music world? Compare CCM's misleading "brave 'Jesus' agenda" and "unapologetic declaration of faith" review of Fallen to MTV's review of Fallen:

"Sounds Like: Exactly how they look: dark, eerie, and unabashedly rocking. . . "
MTV's review of Fallen
(www.mtvasia.com/reviews/cds/Items/2003050702.html, emphasis added)

"When one looks longs into the darkness, it stares into the depths of your soul as well. This abysmal introspection builds the beautiful ruins of truth. Just such a stark glory is what shines in the band Evanescence. . . pristine vocals soar over emotional, ethereal instrumentals ranging from the soft and sorrowful to the dark, heavy melees of aggression. . .Evanescence is not brutal, but is darkly heavy."
(http://www.unearthed.com/reviews/review_r_0232.shtml)

What's the difference? The secular world is simply listening to the music and making an honest evaluation. And the CCM crowd, as Evanescence's lead singer told Entertainment Weekly, "There are people hell-bent on the idea that we're a Christian band in disguise, and that we have some secret message,"

She got that right! They are "HELL bent". There is no way the Holy Spirit of God EVER lead anyone to recommend Evanescence to Christian young people! Not in a million years!

In Matthew 13:15, the Lord Jesus Christ describes some people whose "heart is waxed gross" and their ears are "dull of hearing". They hear it, but because of the deception in their heart, they can no longer hear the truth. A perfect description of many in Contemporary Christian Music. They are so caught up in rock music, they are not spiritually capable of hearing the truth.

When Elvis and the Beatles first appeared, the secular world was shocked as teenage girls screamed in lustful affection for their gods. Shout! magazine (Dec.1995, p.35) says of Carman, “...just the mention of his name brings excitement to throngs of fans, many of whom are women.”

Carman tells Shout, "I don't know what I do to attract women, I'm just trying to do what God told me to do long ago - bring the gospel to the world."

Yea. . . Right. . .

The Minneapolis Star Tribune in an article titled "Is he Elvis? Is he John Travolta? Nope. He's Carman", describes a sensual, carnal and ungodly Carman concert as:

"On his toes, he's a deep-voiced Elvis, swiveling his hips until the pointed-finger disco of 'Saturday Night Fever' kicks in, and he's suddenly John Travolta with a Bee Gees shrill. He raps, he rocks, he line dances. . ."
(Minneapolis Star Tribune, Is he Elvis? Is he John Travolta? Nope. He's Carman, 09-13-1996, p. 01E)

For some strange reason, I do not think swiveling your hips, rapping, rocking, line dancing, Elvis and John Travolta impersonations is what the Lord Jesus had in mind when He said in Mark 16:15, ". . . Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel. . ."

To no great surprise, Carman's "The Official R.I.O.T. Tourbook" lists Carman's Dream duet with none other than sex-symbol-heartthrob - Tom Jones!

An "enlightening" display of irony occurred when Carman printed his back page ad for "Halloween 3:16" in the Oct. 29, 1998 "Life" section of USA Today. It seems there was a slight typographical error. . . The ad stated referring to Carman - "See Him live." (See image at RIGHT)The "h" in "him" was "capitalized". To capitalize a "pronoun" (other than the beginning of a sentence) is to emphasize deity or God! The capitalization of a pronoun is reserved for God ONLY! Sound familiar? It was the same lie Satan told Eve in Genesis 3:5, ". . .and ye shall be as gods. . ." According to CCM (CCM, December 1998, p.24) this little typo cost Carman $300,000.

Carman’s Resurrection Rap video is some of the worst blasphemy I have ever witnessed. The video has the Lord Jesus Christ as a confused street hippie, the Pharisees and apostles are black street gang members. The crucifixion takes place, not on Calvary — but in a back alley gang fight. The body of the Lord Jesus is thrown into a garbage dumpster!

Dallas Morning News, (April 27, 1996), describes a dcTalk concert, “As teenagers’ shrieks filled the Dallas Convention Center moments before dc Talk took the stage Friday night, one of the relatively few grown-ups in the sold-out crowd observed, ‘This is just like the Beatles.’”

The secular rocker Kurt Cobain is among rock’s worst antichrist. Cobain went around his neighborhood spray-painting, “ABORT CHRIST” and “GOD IS GAY”. (Des Barres, Pamela, Rock Bottom, pp.54-55) The CCM group dcTalk pays homage to antichrist Cobain by singing his song “All Apologies” in their concerts! Toby McKeehan of dc Talk, told USA Today, “Sometimes, being labeled a Christian band, we consider that a negative. . .”

A reporter for the San Diego North Country Reader, (Feb. 29, 1996), covering a dcTalk concert writes,

“. . . we both laughed during the buildup for the encore of “Purple Haze/Jesus Freak” as several young booty shakers cried, almost in unison, ‘These guys are the sh**, man.’”

CCM even has their own “sex-symbol-boy-bands”. CCM (June 2000) writes of Plus One,

“Following in the footsteps of ‘NSync, Backstreet Boys. . . The men are already Christian music’s latest sex symbols, with excitable teen girls doing what excitable teen girls do — screaming their adoration and begging for tokens of love.”

True Tunes describes a Plus One sex-symbol-show, “Suddenly, they appear. . . Girls scream. . . The silk robes are dropped to reveal sleek wardrobes. The female population of the audience is now screaming at a deafening pitch.”

CCM performer, Michael Card, tells Christianity Today (May 20, 1996 p. 22), “Now, the industry is celebrity-driven. The song is almost irrelevant. The focus is on the person, and songs have become disposable.”

ADD BACKSET BOYS TO DO A CHRISTAIN ALBUM

Do you know this CCM-man-worship is abomination to the Lord? Luke 16:15 says, “. . . that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God”? Do you realize, that according to the Lord Jesus, Satan’s goal is to uplift man? Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6:23, “. . . Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”

Could there possibly be any clearer proof of the real “god” of Christian Rock?

The award for the most nauseating display of spiritual blindness easily goes to Jody Davis of the Newsboys. Davis says of their album, Love Liberty Disco,

“Back in the 70’s when disco originated, the people who were into that would go to these clubs looking for love and acceptance. That’s something we have in the Church...” (Release, April/May 2000, p. 24)

Discos were homosexual hell-holes of filth and perversion. Here is how secular writers describe “discos”:

Disco music is a “call for gays to come out of the closet.” (Newsweek, April 2, 1979 p. 63)

“For the heyday of disco was also the heyday of recklessness in the gay male life-style. . . it cannot be denied that many gay men saw disco as the theme music of their collective orgy…” (Hole in our Soul, p.281)

“A 1980 handbook for would-be disco proprietors, describes discos as a pleasure palace where the public can ‘abandon themselves to the tidal wave of raw animal emotions that engulfs them’” (Ibid, p.281)

Fanny Crosby is the greatest hymn writer that ever lived, writing over 9,000 songs! Before Fanny got saved, at 45 years old, she wrote many secular songs. But after she got saved - things were different. . . Here's what Fanny said about mixing Christian and worldly music:

"Sometimes I need to reject the music proposed for my songs because the musicians misunderstand that the Fanny Crosby who once wrote for the people in the saloons has merely changed the lyrics. Oh my no. The church must never sing it's songs to the melodies of the world."
- Fanny Crosby

Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in Glory;
Strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long;
Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellant greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!
-- Fanny J. Crosby

There is no such thing as “Christian” rock music. Just as there is no such thing as “Christian adultery” or “Christian homosexuality”. When it is rock, it is not Christian. There is only one “Christian rock” and “THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST” (1 Cor 10:4).