View source for Christian rock

{{Short description|Rock music with lyrics related to Jesus and Christianity}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{original research|date=November 2009}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2009}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Christian rock
| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|[[Rock music]]|[[Jesus music]]|[[Christian music]]}}
| cultural_origins  = Late 1960s, United States
| derivatives       =
| subgenrelist      =
| subgenres         = * [[Christian alternative rock]]
* [[Christian metal]]
* [[Christian punk]]
* [[Christian hardcore]]
| fusiongenres      =
| regional_scenes   =
| local_scenes      =
| other_topics      = * [[Christian hip hop]]
* [[Contemporary Christian music]]
* [[Christian electronic dance music]]
}}
'''Christian rock''' is a genre of [[rock music]] that features [[lyrics]] focusing on matters of [[Christian faith]], often with an emphasis on [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus]]. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between [[Band (rock and pop)|bands]]. Many bands who perform Christian rock have ties to the [[contemporary Christian music]] labels, media outlets, and [[Music festival|festivals]], while other bands are independent.

In the 1990s and 2000s, [[Tooth & Nail Records]] became a catalyst in legitimizing Christian rock as a notable subgenre of [[alternative rock]]. Signing acts like [[Starflyer 59]] and [[MxPx]], Tooth & Nail helped make alternative rock immediately accessible within [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] church communities throughout the United States,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hartse |first=Joel Henge |date=December 2014 |title=The Alternative Music Label That Shaped Evangelical Culture |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/2014/12/alternative-music-label-that-shaped-evangelical-culture/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719004520/https://www.christianitytoday.com/2014/12/alternative-music-label-that-shaped-evangelical-culture/ |archive-date=July 19, 2025 |access-date=July 19, 2025 |work=[[Christianity Today]]}}</ref> and subsequently the wider [[Western world]] with the advent of [[Music streaming service|music streaming]].

In the 2000s and onwards, Christian rock bands [[Skillet (band)|Skillet]], [[Thousand Foot Krutch]], and [[Red (band)|Red]] were influenced by acts like [[Linkin Park]] to develop their own sounds that combined [[hard rock]] and [[nu metal]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=DiBiase |first=John |date=November 16, 2003 |title=Skillet, "Collide" Review |url=https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/Collide.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250413060441/https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/Collide.asp |archive-date=April 13, 2025 |access-date=April 13, 2025 |work=JesusFreakHideout.com}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Ryan |date=October 22, 2020 |title=Thousand Foot Krutch's 'Phenomenon' |url=https://www.newreleasetoday.com/article.php?article_id=3020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250112013500/https://www.newreleasetoday.com/article.php?article_id=3020 |archive-date=January 12, 2025 |access-date=January 12, 2025 |website=New Release Today}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=DiBiase |first=John |date=June 6, 2006 |title=Red, "End of Silence" Review |url=https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/endofsilence.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250413061227/https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/endofsilence.asp |archive-date=April 13, 2025 |access-date=April 13, 2025 |work=JesusFreakHideout.com}}</ref> Skillet received [[Grammy Award|Grammy]] nominations for two albums,<ref name="2007 grammy nomination">[http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/headlines/11561322/ CCMMagazine.com: Skillet Closes Out 2007 With Grammy Nomination] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218133142/http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/headlines/11561322/ |date=December 18, 2007 }}. Retrieved March 13, 2008.</ref> along with having two albums certified platinum and double platinum.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Skillet |title=Gold & Platinum - RIAA |website=RIAA |access-date=May 20, 2019}}</ref> Red also received Grammy nominations for two albums.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Red – Artist – GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/red/14698 |access-date=April 13, 2025 |website=GRAMMY.com}}</ref>

==History==
===Christian response to early rock music (1950s–1960s)===
Most traditional and [[Christian fundamentalism|fundamentalist]] Christians did not view rock music favorably when it became popular with young people from the 1950s, even though [[country music|country]] and [[gospel music]] often influenced early rock music. In 1952, Archibald Davison, a Harvard professor, summed up the sound of traditional Christian music and why its supporters might not like rock music when he wrote of "... a rhythm that avoids strong pulses; a melody whose physiognomy is neither so characteristic nor so engaging as to make an appeal in its own behalf; counterpoint, which cultivates long-breathed eloquence rather than instant and dramatic effect; a chromaticism which is at all times restricted in amount and lacking in emotionalism; and modality which creates an atmosphere unmistakably ecclesiastical".<ref>Faulkner, Q. 2006, "Straight Talk About Traditional Versus Contemporary Christian Music", ''The American Organist'', vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 79–81.</ref> In the light of Archibald Davison's characterisation it is easy to see how different these two genres of music are. Christians in the United States did not want their children exposed to music with unruly, impassioned vocals, loud [[guitar riff|guitar-riff]]s and jarring, hypnotic rhythms. [[Rock and roll]] differed from the norm, and thus it was seen by them as a threat.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Haines |first=John |date=October 27, 2011 |title=The Emergence of Jesus Rock: On Taming the 'African Beat' |journal=Black Music Research Journal |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=229–60|doi=10.5406/blacmusiresej.31.2.0229 |s2cid=194012423 }}</ref>
Often the music was overtly sexual in nature, as in the case of [[Elvis Presley]], who became controversial and massively popular partly for his suggestive stage antics and dancing. However, "Elvis" was a [[religious]] person who  released a gospel album: [[Peace in the Valley (EP)|''Peace in the Valley'']]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wilson |first=Charles R. |year=2006 |title="Just a Little Talk with Jesus": Elvis Presley, Religious Music, and Southern Spirituality |journal=Southern Cultures |volume=12 |issue=4|pages=74–91 |doi=10.1353/scu.2006.0059 |s2cid=159657945 }}</ref>
in 1957. Individual Christians may{{original research inline|date=February 2020}} have listened to or even performed rock music in many cases, but conservative church establishments - particularly in the [[Southern United States|American South]] - regarded it as [[anathema]].

[[He Touched Me (album)|''He Touched Me'']], a 1972 gospel-music album by Elvis Presley, sold over 1 million copies in the US alone and earned Presley his second of three Grammy Awards. Not counting compilations, it was his third and final album devoted exclusively to gospel music. The song "He Touched Me" was written in 1963 by [[Bill Gaither]], an American singer and songwriter of southern gospel and Contemporary Christian music.

In the 1960s, rock music developed artistically, attained worldwide popularity and became associated with the radical [[counterculture]], firmly alienating many{{quantify|date=February 2020}} Christians. In 1966 [[The Beatles]], one of the most popular and influential rock-bands of their era, ran into trouble with many of their American fans when [[John Lennon]] jokingly offered his opinion that Christianity was dying and that the Beatles were "[[more popular than Jesus]] now".<ref name="Time">{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,842611,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716190805/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,842611,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 16, 2009 |title=Rock 'n' Roll: According to John Friday |date=August 12, 1966 |magazine=Time |access-date=June 25, 2011}}</ref><ref name="LennonIKnew">{{Cite news |last=Cleave |first=Maureen |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/10/05/bmlennon05.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051214163403/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=%2Farts%2F2005%2F10%2F05%2Fbmlennon05.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 14, 2005 |title=The John Lennon I Knew |date=October 5, 2005 |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=December 20, 2007 |location=London }}</ref> The romantic, melodic rock songs of the band's early career had formerly been viewed as relatively inoffensive by Christians, but after the remark, churches nationwide organized Beatles-record burnings and Lennon was forced to apologize.<ref name="LennonSorryJesus">{{Cite book |last=Bielen |first=Kenneth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s2VCWBa0-o8C&q=Jesus+%2B+Lennon&pg=RA1-PA55 |title=The Lyrics of Civility |date=May 11, 2000 |publisher=Garland Publishing |isbn=9780815331933 |access-date=March 3, 2008}}</ref> Subsequently, the Beatles and most rock musicians experimented with a more complex, [[psychedelic rock|psychedelic style of music]] that frequently used anti-establishment, drug-related, or sexual lyrics, while [[The Rolling Stones]] sang "[[Sympathy for the Devil]]" (1968), a song openly written from the point of view of [[Satan]]. Allegations of [[Satanism|Satanic]] intent also arose from the Beatles and others of the controversial [[backmasking#Controversies|backmasking]] recording-technique. This further increased Christian opposition to rock music.

Later, in the 1960s, the escalating [[Vietnam War]], [[Civil Rights Movement]], [[May 1968 in France|Paris student riots]] of 1968 and other events served as catalysts for youth activism and political withdrawal or protest, which became associated with rock bands, whether or not they were openly political. Moreover, many{{quantify|date=February 2020}} saw the music as promoting a lifestyle of promiscuous "sex, drugs and rock and roll", also reflected in the behavior of many rock stars. However, there was growing recognition of the diverse musical and ideological potential of rock.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} Countless new bands sprang up in the mid-to-late 1960s, as rock displaced older, smoother pop styles to become the dominant form of [[pop music]], a position it would enjoy almost continuously until the end of the 20th century.

===Development (mid 1960s–1980s)===
{{Main|Jesus music}}
Among the first bands that played Christian rock was [[The Crusaders (1960s garage band)|the Crusaders]], a Southern Californian [[garage rock]] band, whose November 1966 [[Tower Records (record label)|Tower Records]] album ''Make a Joyful Noise with Drums and Guitars'' is considered one of the first gospel rock releases;<ref>David Di Sabatino, in Mark Allan Powell, ''Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music'' (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002):217.</ref>{{qn|date=November 2022}} John Joseph Thompson identifies it as "the first record of Christian rock".<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1                = Thompson
 |first1               = John Joseph
 |year                 = 2000
 |title                = Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll
 |url                  = https://books.google.com/books?id=CJhaBvbmuOQC
 |publication-place    = Toronto
 |page                 = 43
 |publisher            = ECW Press
 |isbn                 = 9781550224214
 |access-date          = 22 November 2022
 |quote                = The first record of Christian rock came from a band called The Crusaders in 1966. [...] The title of the record was Make a Joyful Noise with Drums and Guitars, and that's exactly what The Crusaders did, in a campy 1960s pop way.
}} 
</ref>
Brian Collins characterises [[Mind Garage]] as "arguably the first band of its kind":<ref>Brian Collins, ''Sightings'', Martin Marty Center University of Chicago Divinity School, {{Cite web |url= http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/sightings/archive_2008/0612.shtml |title= Divinity School at the University of Chicago &#124; Publications |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130525062607/http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/sightings/archive_2008/0612.shtml |archive-date=May 25, 2013 |access-date=October 27, 2008 |quote = Today original records from many of the original Jesus Rock bands like The Mind Garage (arguably the first band of its kind), Aslan, Selah, The Concrete Rubber Band, and Agape go for hundreds of dollars to collectors on eBay, presumably not all of them Evangelical Christians.}}</ref><ref>Compare: ''Bluefield Daily Telegraph'' (April 24, 2009), {{cite web |url= http://www.bdtonline.com/columns/local_story_114164933.html |title= Memory of one song lingers long after the band stopped playing » Columns » Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV |access-date=September 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://archive.today/20120721220234/http://www.bdtonline.com/columns/local_story_114164933.html |archive-date=July 21, 2012 | quote = The Mind Garage evolved into perhaps the nation's first Christian Rock Band on the strength of their original composition, the Electric Liturgy. }}</ref> they recorded the 1967 ''Electric Liturgy'' at [[RCA Corporation|RCA]]'s "Nashville Sound" studio in 1969.<ref>Jo Renee Formicola, ''The Politics of Values: Games Political Strategists Play'' (Rowman & Littlefield 2008):64. Formicola argues that "Christian Rock Music began...when a group known as the Mind Garage recorded "Electric Liturgy".</ref> Both of these recordings were preceded by the [[rockabilly]] praise LP ''I Like God's Style'', written and performed by one 16-year-old Isabel Baker and released on the private Wichita, Kansas Romco label in 1965, which no one published on until the 2000s.<ref>Anthony Martinez, "[https://www.classicchristianrockzine.com/2017/06/june-18-19-1965-isabel-baker-recorded-i.html June 18–19, 1965: Isabel Baker Recorded 'I Like God's Style']" ''Classic Christian Rock'' (June 18, 2017)</ref>

[[Larry Norman]], often described as the "father of Christian rock",<ref name="Sanford">Sanford, David. [http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/news/2005/larrynorman.html  "Farewell, Larry Norman."] ''Christianity Today''. June 27, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2007. "The man known as the Father of Christian Rock, whose health has been failing in recent years, played his last U.S. concert Friday night in his hometown of Salem, Oregon."</ref> and in his later years "the Grandfather of Christian rock",<ref>Mike Adkins, [http://www.mikeadkins.com/article/contemporary-christian-music-the-real-deal-in-quallity-passion/ "Contemporary Christian Music: The Real Deal in Quallity & Passion"] (January 3, 2010).</ref> who, in 1969 recorded and released ''[[Upon This Rock (Larry Norman album)|Upon This Rock]]'', "the first commercially released Jesus rock album",<ref>Don Cusic, ''The Sound of Light: A History of Gospel Music'' (Popular Press, 1990):127. See also John J. Thompson, ''Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll'' (ECW Press, 2000):49.</ref> challenged a view held by some conservative Christians (predominantly fundamentalists) that rock music was anti-Christian. One of his songs, "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?" summarized his attitude and his quest to pioneer Christian rock music.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=In Another Land |title-link=In Another Land |others=Larry Norman |year=1976 |type=Album liner notes |publisher=Solid Rock Records |location=Solid Rock Records}}</ref> A cover version of Larry Norman's [[Rapture]]-themed "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" appears in the Evangelical Christian feature film ''[[A Thief in the Night (film)|A Thief in the Night]]'' and appeared on [[Cliff Richard]]'s Christian album ''[[Small Corners]]'' along with "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?". 

In 1966, the band [[Žeteoci]] (transl. ''The Harvesters'') was formed in [[SFRY|Yugoslavia]]. Founded by four students of the [[Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb|Zagreb Catholic Faculty of Theology]], Žeteoci performed [[beat music]] with religious lyrics, being the first Christian rock band in Yugoslavia and arguably the first Christian rock band in a [[Communist state|communist country]]. Their first and only album, ''To nije tajna'' (''It Is Not a Secret''), released in 1969, was the second full-length album in the history of Yugoslav rock music. <!-- Although they were not among the earliest Yugoslav rock bands, Žeteoci, as other 1960s rock bands from Yugoslavia, played a pioneering roll on the [[Yugoslav rock scene]]; -->
<!--Although an openly religious band in a communist state, due to specific political and cultural milieu of the [[Non-Aligned Movement|Non-Aligned]] Yugoslavia, for the most of their career Žeteoci enjoyed the attention of the media and notable popularity among the Yugoslav youth. Their only album was released in cooperation between ''[[Glas Koncila]]'' (''Voice of the [[Second Vatican Council|Council]]''), the official newspaper of the [[Catholic Church in Croatia --> 
They ended their activity in 1971, as the members of the band finished their studies of theology and went on to become priests of the Catholic Church.<ref name="janjatović252">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title= EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960–2006|year=2007|publisher=self-released|location=Belgrade|page=252}}</ref><ref name="istorija372-374">{{cite book|last1=Fajfrić|first1=Željko|last2=Nenad|first2=Milan|title= Istorija YU rock muzike od početaka do 1970.|year=2009|publisher=Tabernakl|location=Sremska Mitrovica|page=372–374}}</ref>

[[File:WelcomeToParadiseStonehill.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Randy Stonehill's "Welcome To Paradise" (1976)]]
Another Christian rock pioneer, [[Randy Stonehill]], released his first album in 1971, the Larry Norman-produced ''Born Twice''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Powell |first=Mark Allan |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00mark/page/879 |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music |publisher=Hendrickson Publishers |year=2002 |isbn=1-56563-679-1 |location=Peabody, Massachusetts |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00mark/page/879 879]}}</ref><ref>While it is claimed that Norman borrowed $3,000 from Pat Boone to start One Way Records (see Randy Stonehill in Chris Willman, [http://www.nifty-music.com/stonehill/ccm0890.html "RANDY STONEHILL: TURNING TWENTY"], CCM, August 1990), Norman denied this explicitly. (See Larry Norman, linear notes, Bootleg (2005 CDR Release-"Red Letter Edition"):2.</ref> In the most common pressing of the album, side one is entirely a live performance.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Powell |first=Mark Allan |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00mark/page/880 |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music |publisher=Hendrickson Publishers |year=2002 |isbn=1-56563-679-1 |location=Peabody, Massachusetts |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00mark/page/880 880]}}</ref> Another early Christian rock album was ''Mylon (We Believe)'' by [[Mylon LeFevre]], son of members of the southern gospel group [[The LeFevres]]. He recorded the album with members of [[Classics IV]] and released it through [[Cotillion Records]] in 1970.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Powell |first=Mark Allan |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00mark/page/520 |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music |publisher=Hendrickson Publishers |year=2002 |isbn=1-56563-679-1 |location=Peabody, Massachusetts |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00mark/page/520 520]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.christianmusicarchive.com/album/mylon-we-believe |title=Mylon (We Believe) |publisher=Christian Music Archive |access-date=October 5, 2011}}</ref> Ocean (Canada) gained gospel pop big hit "Put Your Hand in the Hand" in 1971.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/ka519|title=Ocean - Put Your Hand in the Hand | access-date=29 November 2024 }}</ref> [[Norman Greenbaum]] and [[the Doobie Brothers]] had gospel hits, but they were not Christian rockers. Sister [[Janet Mead]] had a gospel hit in 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milesago.com/Artists/janet-mead.htm|title=Janet Mead profile|publisher=Milesago.com| access-date=5 December 2024 }}</ref>

In the late 1970s, Christian rock received exposure through more mainstream rock and folk rock musicians. [[Bob Dylan]] became a [[Born again|born-again]] Christian and released three albums between 1979 and 1981. This period would yield the [[Grammy]] winning single "[[Gotta Serve Somebody]]" and three successful concert tours that would later see release as ''[[The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981|The Bootleg Series Vol. 13]]''. Dylan's influence was also felt in other members of the folk revival; [[Arlo Guthrie]], for example, converted in 1979 (in part over his concerns over whether he faced a [[Huntington's disease]] diagnosis like others in his family) and released his own Christian folk-rock album ''[[Outlasting the Blues]]''; ''Outlasting the Blues'' received the biggest record label promotion of Guthrie's career.<ref>{{cite book|last=Reineke |first=Hank |title=Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years |publisher=Scrarecrow Press |location=Lanham |year=2012 |pages=209–14 |isbn=978-0810883314}}
</ref>

Christian rock was often{{quantify|date=November 2022}} viewed as a marginal part of the nascent [[contemporary Christian music]] (CCM) and contemporary gospel industry in the 1970s and 1980s,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baker |first=Paul |title=Contemporary Christian Music |publisher=Crossway Books |year=1985 |isbn=0-89107-343-4 |location=Westchester, Illinois |pages=74, 80, 105–108}}</ref> though Christian folk rock artists like [[Bruce Cockburn]] and rock fusion artists like [[Phil Keaggy]] had some cross-over success. [[Petra (band)|Petra]] and [[Resurrection Band]], two of the bands who brought harder rock into the early CCM community, had their origins in the early to mid-1970s. They reached their height in popularity in the late eighties alongside other Christian-identifying hard rock acts such as [[Stryper]]. The latter had videos played on [[MTV]], such as "Calling on You" and "To Hell with the Devil", and even saw some airtime on mainstream radio stations with their hit song "Honestly". Christian rock has proved less successful in the UK and Europe, although such artists as [[Bryn Haworth]] have found commercial success by combining blues and mainstream rock music with Christian themes.

Michael Knott would be credited for being a pioneer of "alternative Christian rock."<ref name=alternativechristianrock /> Knott's 1987 album ''[[Shaded Pain]]'' being noted for lyrics which challenged church morality. This resulted in the album being banned by churches and Christian bookstores.<ref name=alternativechristianrock>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/03/14/1238503679/michael-knott-christian-rock-pioneer-obit|title=Michael Knott, who changed the course of Christian rock, dies at 61|first=Lars|last=Gotrich|publisher=NPR|date=March 14, 2024|accessdate=March 14, 2024}}</ref> Nevertheless, Knott was still credited for changing the course of Christian rock, with his short-lived company [[Blonde Vinyl]] becoming a major source for Christian rock musicians during its existence.<ref name=alternativechristianrock />

===1990s–present===
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The 1990s saw an explosion of Christian rock. Many of the popular 1990s Christian bands were initially identified as "Christian [[alternative rock]]", including [[Jars of Clay]]. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the success of acts like [[Skillet (band)|Skillet]], [[Thousand Foot Krutch]], [[Red (band)|Red]], [[Underoath]], [[P.O.D.]], [[Switchfoot]], and [[Relient K]] saw a shift toward mainstream exposure. Rock label [[Tooth & Nail Records]] would be credited for having "altered the course of the Christian rock industry by launching and legitimizing the careers of [[MxPx]], [[The O.C. Supertones]] and [[Underoath]]."<ref name="alternativechristianrock" />

[[File:Jars of Clay.jpg|thumb|[[Jars of Clay]] in concert, 2007.]]There are also some [[Roman Catholic]] bands such as [[Critical Mass (Catholic rock)|Critical Mass]]. Some [[Eastern Orthodox Christian]] rock groups, mostly from [[Russia]], started performing in the late 1980s and 1990s such as [[Alisa (Russian band)|Alisa]].<ref>[[Newsweek]]. [http://www.newsweek.com/id/45534 A Russian Woodstock].<br />Once an anti-establishment rebel, Kinchev's most recent work includes Orthodox Christian rock and Russian patriotic songs.</ref> The Orthodox Christian lyrics of these bands often overlap with historical and patriotic songs about [[Kievan Rus']].

The musical genre that was once rejected by mainstream Christian churches is now considered by certain churches as one of the most important evangelism tools of their congregations.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}} According to Terri McLean, author of New Harmonies, old-guard churches (United Methodist is given as an example) of the late 1990s were experiencing a rapid decline in membership and were under threat of disbandment within the next decade, a trend that has been going on since the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McLean |first=Terri |title=New Harmonies |publisher=Alban Institute |year=1998 |isbn=1-56699-206-0 |location=n.p. |page=109}}</ref> McLean, using numerous quotes from theologians, Christian apologists and professors, points to traditional music styles as the reason for the falling popularity of more traditionalist churches.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McLean |first=Terri |title=New Harmonies |publisher=Alban Institute |year=1998 |isbn=1-56699-206-0 |location=n.p. |page=110}}</ref> 

The worship of God was originally removed from or hidden within the lyrics of early, secular rock n' roll. Santino described one method of changing Christian lyrics as a process that transformed "lyrics that sang of the mystical love of God into lyrics that celebrated the earthly love of woman".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Howard |first1=Jay |title=Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music |last2=John M. Streck |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |year=1999 |isbn=0-8131-2105-1 |location=Lexington, Kentucky |pages=[https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/ qtd. 27] |url=https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/}}</ref> Howard & Streck offer examples of this, comparing Ray Charles' "This Little Girl of Mine" to "This Little Light of Mine" and "Talking About You" to "Talking About Jesus". They claim that because of actions such as this, despite the liberal editing of the original hymns, "gospel 'showed rock how to sing'".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Howard |first1=Jay |title=Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music |last2=John M. Streck |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |year=1999 |isbn=0-8131-2105-1 |location=Lexington, Kentucky |page=[https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/27 27] |url=https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/27}}</ref> Howard & Streck go on to describe how the conflict between music and religion, spearheaded by southern fundamentalists, was originally racially based, but how in the sixties this moved on to a clash over the perceived lifestyle of rock musicians.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Howard |first1=Jay |title=Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music |last2=John M. Streck |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |year=1999 |isbn=0-8131-2105-1 |location=Lexington, Kentucky |pages=[https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/27 27, 28] |url=https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/27 }}</ref>

==Definitions==
There are multiple definitions of what qualifies as a "Christian rock" band. Christian rock bands that explicitly state their [[belief]]s and use religious imagery in their lyrics, like [[Servant (band)|Servant]], [[Third Day]], and [[Petra (band)|Petra]], tend to be considered a part of the [[contemporary Christian music]] (CCM) industry.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/christian-rock-ma0000002945 |title=Christian Rock Music Genre Overview {{!}} AllMusic |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=August 21, 2017}}</ref>

Other bands perform music influenced by their faith or containing Christian imagery, but see their audience as the general public. For example, [[Bono]] of [[U2]] combines many elements of spirituality and faith into his lyrics, but the band is not directly labeled as a "Christian rock" band.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Heim |first=David |date=March 21, 2006 |title=Breakfast with Bono |journal=The Christian Century}}</ref>

Such bands are sometimes rejected by the CCM rock scene and may specifically reject the CCM label.
Other bands may experiment with more abrasive musical styles. Beginning in the 1990s and 2000s there was much wider acceptance even by religious purists of [[Christian metal]], Christian industrial and [[Christian punk]]. Many of these bands are on predominantly Christian record labels, such as [[Tooth and Nail Records]] and [[Facedown Records]].

Rock artists, such as [[Switchfoot]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2006/switchfoot-1106.html |title=Audience of One |last=Hansen |first=Collin |date=November 27, 2006 |access-date=December 27, 2006 |archive-date=December 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061226215552/http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2006/switchfoot-1106.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Morse |first=Steve |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2004/01/09/switchfoot_steps_toward_stardom |title=Switchfoot steps toward stardom |date=January 9, 2004 |work=[[Boston Globe]] |access-date=August 9, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050123135046/http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2004/01/09/switchfoot_steps_toward_stardom?mode=PF |archive-date=January 23, 2005}}</ref> do not claim to be "Christian bands", but include members who openly profess to be Christians or at times may feature Christian thought, imagery, scripture or other influences in their music.

{{Quote box
 | quote  =I'm an artist who's a Christian, because I don't write music to be evangelical. Now, if that happens, it happens.
 | source =[[Scott Stapp]], lead [[vocalist]] for [[Creed (band)|Creed]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2004/scottstapp-0804.html |title=Stapp: I Am a Christian |last=Moring |first=Mark |date=August 9, 2004 |publisher=ChristianityToday.com |access-date=April 1, 2008}}</ref> | width  =35% | align  =right}}
Some of these bands, like [[Creed (band)|Creed]], played up the spiritual content of their music and were widely considered a "Christian band" by the popular media. Some bands reject the label because they do not wish to exclusively attract Christian fans, or because they have been identified with another particular music genre, such as [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] or [[indie rock]].

==Evangelism==
{{More citations needed section|date=October 2010}}
The aims for making Christian music vary among different artists and bands. Often, the music makes evangelistic calls for Christian forms of praise and worship. Accompanying such music, street outreach, local festivities, church functions, and many alternative forms of internal or (soulful) expression may occur.

Some Christian artists as [[Third Day]], [[Kutless]], [[Thousand Foot Krutch]] and [[Disciple (band)|Disciple]] have sung songs that carry overtly Christian messages. Bands such as [[Underoath]], [[Blessthefall]] and [[Haste the Day]] incorporate symbolism and Christian messages more indirectly.<ref name="Euro">{{Cite interview |title=Interview With Underoath |url=http://www.europunk.net/interviews/174 |access-date=December 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212191636/http://www.europunk.net/interviews/174 |archive-date=February 12, 2009 |publisher=Europunk.net |date=July 17, 2006 |subject=Chamberlain, Spencer |subject2=Gillespie, Aaron}}</ref><ref name="Oct Int.">{{Cite interview |last=Chamberlain |first=Spencer |title=underOATH Interview October 18th, 2005 |url=http://www.drivenfaroff.com/2005/10/21/underoath-interview-october-18th-2005/ |access-date=December 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221131809/http://www.drivenfaroff.com/2005/10/21/underoath-interview-october-18th-2005/ |archive-date=February 21, 2008 |publisher=drivenfaroff.com |date=October 18, 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Bands such as [[Flyleaf (band)|Flyleaf]] do not call themselves Christian bands, though they state that their Christian faith affects their lyrics.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=7457032&blogID=356095186 |title=Lions and tigers and Christian bands, oh my! |date=February 9, 2008 |publisher=MySpace |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708014919/http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=7457032&blogID=356095186 |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |access-date=December 9, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.atlanticcityweekly.com/arts-and-entertainment/Flyleaf-is-Mindful-of-Death-94283274.html |title=Flyleaf Is Mindful of Death |last=Schwachter, Jeff |date=May 19, 2010 |website=Atlantic City Weekly |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909011136/http://www.atlanticcityweekly.com/arts-and-entertainment/Flyleaf-is-Mindful-of-Death-94283274.html |archive-date=September 9, 2010 |access-date=December 9, 2011 }}</ref> Bands such as [[Switchfoot]] have said they try to write music for both Christians and non-Christians alike.<ref name="Boston Globe">{{Cite news |last=Morse |first=Steve |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2004/01/09/switchfoot_steps_toward_stardom |title=Switchfoot steps toward stardom |date=January 9, 2004 |work=[[Boston Globe]] |access-date=December 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050123135046/http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2004/01/09/switchfoot_steps_toward_stardom?mode=PF |archive-date=January 23, 2005}}</ref><ref name="christianitytoday06">{{Cite web |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2006/switchfoot-1106.html |title=Audience of One |last=Hansen |first=Collin |date=November 27, 2006 |access-date=December 9, 2011 |archive-date=December 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061226215552/http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2006/switchfoot-1106.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="jsonline">{{Cite news |last=Tianen |first=Dave |url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=444350 |title=Rocking for Jesus |date=June 30, 2006 |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |access-date=December 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060706140202/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=444350 |archive-date=July 6, 2006 }}</ref>

==Festivals==
{{More citations needed section|date=October 2010}}
{{Update|part=section|date=April 2023}}{{Main|Christian music festival}}

Festivals range from single day events to multiple-day festivals that provide camping and other activities.

One of the first in the US was the six-day [[Explo '72]] held in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]] in June 1972 that was attended by around 80,000 people with around 100,000{{snd}}150,000 at the final concert and which featured acts such as [[Larry Norman]], [[The Archers (musical group)|The Archers]], [[Love Song (band)|Love Song]], [[Randy Matthews]], [[Children of the Day]], [[Johnny Cash]] and [[Kris Kristofferson]].

Significant festivals in the US are [[Creation Festival]], [[Ichthus Festival]], and [[Cornerstone Festival]]. There is also a festival in [[Orlando, Florida]] called [[Rock the Universe]], a two-day festival at [[Universal Orlando Resort]] that overlaps with the [[Night of Joy (festival)|Night of Joy]] event at Walt Disney World. Ichthus, currently held in Kentucky, is a three-day festival that involves over 65 bands.

There are also many in the UK, including [[Greenbelt Festival]], [[Soul Survivor (charity)|Soul Survivor]], [[BigChurchDayOut]], 'Ultimate Events' at [[Alton Towers]], Frenzy in Edinburgh and [[Creation Fest, Woolacombe, Devon]], which is not related to Creationfest in the United States.

The [[Flevo Festival]] of The Netherlands, which offers seminars, theater, stand-up comedy, sports and movies as well as Christian music from a wide variety of genres, is considered to be one of the biggest Christian festivals in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://blog.breezybaldwin.com/2009/11/europe-again/ |title=Europe… again! &#124; Breezy's Blog |last=Lauren says |date=November 11, 2009 |publisher=Blog.breezybaldwin.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112191215/http://blog.breezybaldwin.com/2009/11/europe-again/ |archive-date=November 12, 2011 |access-date=October 5, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/news/2009/08/19.REBECCA%20ST.%20JAMES%20HEADS%20TO%20EUROPE%20THIS%20WEEK%20FOR%20LIGHTNING%20ROUND%20OF%20MAJOR%20CONCERTS.asp |title=Rebecca St. James Heads to Europe This Week for Lightning Round of Major Concerts |date=August 19, 2009 |publisher=jesusfreakhideout.com |access-date=June 25, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.christianactivities.com/artistupdates/story.asp?ID=6918 |title=Artist Updates |publisher=Christian Activities |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928044808/http://www.christianactivities.com/artistupdates/story.asp?ID=6918 |archive-date=September 28, 2011 |access-date=October 5, 2011 }}</ref> It was discontinued in 2013, due to financial issues.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-09-29 |title=Xnoizz Flevo Festival stopt, alternatief in de maak |url=https://www.nd.nl/geloof/geloof/823889/xnoizz-flevo-festival-stopt-alternatief-in-de-maak |access-date=2024-07-18 |website=www.nd.nl |language=nl}}</ref> It has been unofficially restarted by a collection of Christian organizations who previously collaborated on Flevo Festival under the new name of Flavor Festival.{{Citation needed|date=December 2014}}

Skjærgårdsfestivalen is an annual music festival held in Norway, which headlines Christian rock bands.{{Citation needed|date=December 2014}}

Many events are held in Australia called, Easterfest (in Toowoomba) Encounterfest, Jam United, Black Stump and Big Exo Day.{{Citation needed|date=December 2014}} [[Bogotá]], Colombia hosts the summer festival '''Gospel al Parque'''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2014}}

The most "underground" expression of Christian rock was the annual Cornerstone Festival sponsored by the [[Jesus People USA]], a community which formed during the [[Jesus Movement]] of the 1970s. The festival ceased operations in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/information/specialAnnouncement.php |title=Cornerstone Festival 2012 :: Special Announcement |date=June 30, 2011 |publisher=Cornerstonefestival.com |access-date=July 14, 2012 |archive-date=July 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729020614/http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/information/specialAnnouncement.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Christian rock bands]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* {{Cite book |last=Stowe |first=David W. |title=No Sympathy for the Devil: Christian Pop Music and the Transformation of American Evangelicalism |date=2013 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-1469606873}}
* {{Cite book |last=Young |first=Shawn David |title=Cult Pop Culture: How the Fringe Became Mainstream |date=December 7, 2011 |publisher=Praeger |isbn=978-0313357800 |editor-last=Batchelor |editor-first=Bob |chapter=Jesus Freaks and Countercultural Music: From Niche to Mainstream}}
* {{Cite book |last=Young |first=Shawn David |title=Gray Sabbath: Jesus People USA, the Evangelical Left, and the Evolution of Christian Rock |date=2015 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0231172394}}

{{Christian music articles}}
{{rock}}
{{Contemporary Christian Music}}
{{Pop rock}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Christian rock| ]]
[[Category:Contemporary Christian music|Rock]]
[[Category:Rock music genres]]
[[Category:Rock radio formats]]