WHY DO YOU CONDEMN ALL CCM?
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Updated January 21, 2008 (first published July 1, 2001) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
Responding to our warnings against Contemporary Christian Music, some have charged us with “throwing the baby out with the bath water.” They argue that we are wrong to condemn all CCM. Following is my reply to this:
First of all, I have personally examined hundreds of CCM songs, and I have found that THE VAST MAJORITY of it is unacceptable. In the book Contemporary Christian Music under the Spotlight and in our video presentations on this subject, we do not use extreme examples to paint the entire CCM movement with a broad brush. It is an irrefutable fact that the movement as a whole is overwhelmingly ecumenical, charismatic, shallow, and worldly. Exceptions do not overthrow the rule.
Second, I do not condemn sound music, regardless of how new or contemporary it is. There is some spiritual and sound music being written by contemporary Christian musicians. Some of the praise music, for example, is lovely and scriptural. A bit of it is truly sacred as opposed to worldly in its sound. If a piece of music is sound, I do not condemn it, though I will warn of its dangerous associations.
Third, I will hasten to add that to find truly sacred music within CCM one must wade through tons of musical pollution. For example, Carman’s I Surrender All album contains an “Old Rugged Cross Medley” which has some beautiful parts, but the very next cut on the album launches into a heavy, sensual boogie-woogie rendition of “Peace Like a River”! The music of Twila Paris is another example of the danger of CCM. While some of her songs have full orchestration, acoustic strings, no bass or drums pounding out the rock back beat, there are rock songs on the same albums. For example, her rendition of “When the Roll Is Called up Yonder” is sung to a funky beat with heavy bass and constant snare drum. The song “We Seek His Face” is sung to a strong disco style rock rhythm. Also many of her songs that begin in a traditional and sacred style blend into a rock style. “Be Thou My Vision,” for example, begins with Paris singing to a traditional sacred organ background, then morphs into a strong back beat with drums and bass guitar. Therefore, those who purchase Twila Paris’ albums for the non-rock songs will be enticed to accept the rock music on the same albums.
Fourth, CCM creates an appetite for unholy music and is a bridge to secular rock. Contemporary Christian Music uses the world’s sensual dance music, and this music appeals to the flesh. The flesh, in turn, is never satisfied. Note the rapid progression of rock music itself, from the relatively mild character of ‘50s rock to the strangeness of ‘60s rock to the wildness of ‘70s rock to the insanity of ‘80s rock. In our book Contemporary Christian Music under the Spotlight we have documented that the CCM musicians themselves love secular rock music. They also perform secular and record rock music. There is absolutely no separation between CCM and secular rock, and those who listen to CCM are creating and sustaining unholy appetites for the things of the world and bridges to the world.
Fifth, the CCM world is constantly moving, and the movement is toward harder rock and a more obscure, more unscriptural message. The CCM musicians themselves continually move in the direction of a harder and more eclectic rock style. Many of those who began with soft rock have progressed to harder rock. The Gaithers illustrate this. Sandi Patty illustrates this. She has gone deeper and deeper into hard rock music. Her 1993 album LeVoyage does not mention the name of Jesus but it rocks so heavily that CCM Magazine made this statement: “…old-line Patty fans are either going to be seeking refunds in droves, or be so flabbergasted at seeing an entirely new side of her...” (CCM Magazine, May 1993, p. 40). Of course, what actually happens is that the “fans” are carried along on the journey. The dramatic changes that have occurred in CCM in a mere two decades were described by John Fischer in CCM magazine: “In 1978, Christian music was unquestionably Christian in content. ... Almost every song had a distinctly gospel message of some sort. Many songs [from the ‘90s], however, were hardly recognizable as ‘Christian’ songs, at least not in the traditional sense. Lyrics were sometimes unintelligible; not every song was about Jesus” (John Fischer, “Two Nights Out,” CCM Magazine, July 1998, p. 145). Consider the following goal dc Talk had for their “Jesus Freak” video: “The intention of the clip was to ‘PUSH THE ENVELOPE’ of the Christian music community ... they expect some of the more conservative members of the Christian community to frown on the adventurous clip” (Billboard, Nov. 11, 1995). CCM Magazine admits that Amy Grant has continually pushed the barriers of Christian music (CCM Magazine, July 1998, p. 42).
As CCM rockers “push the envelope” of acceptability, they are drawing generations of professing Christians with them more deeply into complete and total acceptance of every sort of sensual rock music and ever closer to the world.
CCM is dangerous. All of it is dangerous. It is moving further and further away from the Word of God with each passing decade. It is moving increasingly deeper into the world. It is taking its listeners not only closer to the world but is yoking them in fellowship with the unscriptural ecumenical-charismatic movement. The only sure protection from its unscriptural and unholy aspects is separation from all of it.
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33).
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