July 24, 1999 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Marsha Stevens is the author of the popular song "For Those Tears I Died (Come to the Water)." She has toured with the Children of the Day as well as solo and has provided vocals on several of the Maranatha and Praise albums.

In 1979, she divorced her husband of seven years (she has two children by that marriage) because she had "fallen in love with a woman." She said: "When I came out as a born again lesbian, I didn't anticipate that people would come unglued the way they did. Once the church found out, people came over and told me to take the ‘Jesus Is Lord’ sign off my door. People would rip the pages out of their hymnals containing my songs and send them to me with hate mail."

She quit her music career for about five years, but claims that God showed her that He accepts her as she is and, "I found that the Word still burned in my heart and I could not contain it. I began to sing again." She performs in a variety of liberal denominational churches as well as the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. She started her own label called BALM (Born Again Lesbian Music) and performs between 150 and 200 concerts a year. Two of her songs are "The Body of Christ Has AIDS" and "Love Is the Only Law."

She lives with her "partner," Suzanne McKeag, and they travel together to concerts. In her December 1998 newsletter, she noted that she had to leave Suzanne for three days in an RV park "with a ‘Christian’ group parked next door who made it a point to tell her that gay people are going to hell."

Her ministry is recommended by Dr. Mark Allen Powell, Professor of New Testament, Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He is the author of "An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music." He states: "The Mother of Contemporary Christian Music continues to capture hearts for Jesus. Argue interpretations of Scripture and debate the ethics and origins of homosexuality all you want - no one with sensitivity to things of the Spirit can deny God is using Marsha Stevens to bring the love and mercy of Christ to people whom God apparently has not forgotten."

Stevens claims to have been saved in 1969 when she was a teenager. This is how her salvation is described at her web site: "In 1969, Marsha Stevens was a troubled adolescent when she had her first conscious encounter with Christ while participating in a Bible study group. In the vision this encounter evoked, she saw herself walking with Jesus near a deep blue river and this experience both changed and saved her life. Following it, she composed the folk hymn, ‘For Those Tears I Died (or Come To the Water).’ The song has now become a standard of Christian hymnals and it launched her career as a Christian singer/songwriter."

This is not a biblical salvation testimony, and it is no wonder that she has become apostate. To see oneself walking with Jesus near a deep blue river is not the same as confessing and repenting of one’s sin and trusting the blood of Christ for forgiveness.

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My book Contemporary Christian Music under the Spotlight is available from Way of Life Literature. To our knowledge, this 450-page book is the most extensive examination of Contemporary Christian Music in print. It features: A definition of Contemporary Christian Music. The spiteful anti-fundamentalist attitude which permeates CCM. The intimate connection between end-time apostasy and CCM. Southern gospel yesterday and today. The love affair between CCM musicians and secular rock music. The ecumenicalism of Contemporary Christian Music. The close association of CCM with Roman Catholicism. The intimate connection between CCM and the Charismatic Movement. An encyclopedia of 200 CCM musicians, containing profiles of their lives and ministries, church affiliations, philosophies, ecumenical associations, music, etc. Documentation proving that CCM is owned largely by secular corporations. Lyrics to CCM songs illustrating the vagueness and heresy of their message. Twenty-three key CCM arguments answered (we must use rock music to win young people, music is neutral, people are getting saved, God doesn't look on the outward appearance, Luther used tavern music, God created all music, Christians are not to judge, etc.). Careful documentation of every fact presented. How to keep Contemporary Christian Music out of churches. Where Christians should draw the line with music. The book contains a list of Suggested Resources on Music, listing sources for sound Christian music, hymnals, resources for song leading, and materials for further reading on the topic of Contemporary Christian Music. There is also an extensive bibliography on the subject of Christian music. 450 pages, 7X8, perfect bound. $19.95 + $4 S/H.

Way of Life Literature
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