Through the years Christian music has seen many changes. The Jesus movement of the 60's is usually credited with the origins of contemporary Christian music. Larry Norman was an early pioneer in the genre. In the mainstream music scene there was also a movement toward featuring Christ's message in song. There was even a popular song by Ocean that made it onto the mainstream charts.
"Put Your Hand in the Hand" was a very good God song. It really became popular among a broad audience. Unfortunately the biggest obstacle was created by other Christians. There was a belief in the community that "Rock Stars" could not deliver the message in an appropriate way. The resistance could not overpower the will of the people. The fans spoke and the Christian music movement was here to stay.
As with any new genre Christian music fell victim to the bandwagon effect. Christian songs were being released by bands that were not talented enough for mainstream. This was due to a lack of talented artists willing to release Christian music. There was a major demand for this new music. In a move of desperation the record companies chose to release music that was not of the greatest quality. The motivation behind these bands choosing to perform Christian music is something I personally am not sure of. I leave that up to the good Lord to judge.
It was only a matter of time until real talent started to outnumber the posers in Christian music.. Performers who formerly hid their beliefs began to deliver the message. The Christian songs that started being produced were of a much better quality. In the early seventies a band called Petra was formed. Petra changed the face of Christian music, they were and still are an influence on many Christian artists. Their popularity really peaked in the eighties.
Petra was still a very popular band well into the 90's and beyond. Christian music started to branch off into many more styles. There was a Christian counterpart for pretty much any style of music. The Christian music movement had finally arrived.
Christian music perhaps saw its greatest growth during the 90's. These artists were able to adapt and grow with mainstream trends. With the popularity of gangsta rap Christian rappers like T-Bone offered Christian alternatives. These days Christian music is a well established music genre. It is no longer a step behind mainstream music. The genre as a whole now grows right along with the mainstream.
It is not uncommon to see an album from a band like Jars of Clay debut on the mainstream charts. You will find these Christian songs in feature films and television. The people who oppose Christian music will never go away completely. It is my hope that this will not keep people from exploring this very diverse music genre.
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Christian music encompasses all styles. Find out more about God songs at http://godsongsblog.com/.
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