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{{Christian music}}'''Christian rock''' is a form of [[rock music]] played by [[band (music)|bands]] where the musicians are openly [[Christianity|Christian]]. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands.
Some critics of Christian rock complain that Christian music trends are [[cliché]]d derivative of [[rock music]] and [[pop music]] in that they copy these styles and trends without creating original sounds of their own. <ref>[http://ilx.wh3rd.net/thread.php?msgid=3704000 Criticism of "spiritless and lifeless" Christian music.]</ref> The critics' [[stereotype]] of Christian rock is a [[censorship|censored]] or [[plagiarism|plagiarised]] version of whatever is popular on the radio [http://www.elca.org/lp/conmusic.html].
Another critique Some critics of Christian Rock is rock complain that some critics also feel that in reaching out to mainstream listeners, Christian Rock waters down the Christian message and content into amorphous love songs. [[Amy Grant]], for example, received criticism for her song, "[[Baby Baby]]" because it [http://www.mindspring.com/~brucec/amygrant.htm] was not clear whether she was singing to God or to a good looking man in the music video. [[Richard Rossi]] was criticized for performing his gospel trends are clichéd derivative of rock in bars music and secular nightclubs. Steve Camp, Christian pop music critic, complains in that Christian music has become "yodels of a Christ-less, watered-down, [[Bland|pabulum]] based, positive alternative, aura-fluff, cream they copy these styles and trends without creating original sounds of wheat, mush-kind-of-syrupy, God-as-my-girlfriend kind of thingtheir own." [http://watch.pair.com/ccm.html]. Others respond that expressions The critics' stereotype of unconditional love reminiscent of romantic love are consistent with God's [[agape]] love and the tradition Christian rock is a censored or plagiarised version of whatever is popular on the [[Bible|biblical]] book, [[Song of Solomon]]radio.
* In the show [[South Park]], [[Eric Cartman]] creates a Christian rock band to take advantage of religious people (see the episode [[Christian Rock Hard]]).
*[http://www.christrocks.net ChristRocks.net]--extensive list of online Christian rock stations
*[http://www.christrocks.net ChristRocks.net] - Dozens of online Christian rock stations
*[http://www.thexstream.org/ TheXstream.org - Streaming Rock, Indie, and Hardcore]
*[http://lifeonline.fm/slam.php Slammin Christian Hits] on Life 100.3
* [http://www.danielsmusic.com/ DanielsMusic.com] Concert Photography
* [http://www.musicfaith.com Music Faith E-Zine]
==External links==
* [http://www.whitedove.cc/ Whitedove Pentecostal Project] - Christian Rock - The Music of Devils in the Church
* [http://www.answersdepot.com/christian_rock.html Is Christian rock music of the devil?] - A defense of CCM
→External links: removed - Is Christian rock music of the devil? - site no longer exists
In the 1970s, [[Larry Norman]] was a popular Christian rock musician who challenged a view held by some conservative Christians (predominantly [[Christian Fundamentalism|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.
=="Christian rock" band definitions==
There are multiple definitions of what qualifies as a "Christian Rock" band. Christian rock bands that explicitly state their [[belief]]s, like [[Servant (band)|Servant]] and [[Petra (band)|Petra]], and use Christian imagery in their lyrics tend to be considered a part of the [[contemporary Christian music]] (CCM) industry and play for a predominantly Christian market. Other bands perform music influenced by their faith but see their audience as the general public. They may generally avoid specific mention of [[God]] or [[Jesus]]. Such bands are sometimes rejected by the CCM rock scene and may specifically reject the CCM label. Possibly the very first documented appearance of a Christian Rock band is [[Mind Garage]] in 1967, whose ''Electric Liturgy'', finally recorded on RCA in 1970, gives them credibility as a cornerstone in the creation of the Christian Rock genre. Some artists such as [[U2]], [[Lifehouse (band)|Lifehouse]], [[Creed (band)|Creed]], [[Sufjan Stevens]], [[King's X]], [[Thrice]], [[Evanescence]], [[Coldplay]], [[Blessid Union of Souls]], [[The Elms]], and [[Switchfoot]] do not claim to be "Christian bands", but include members who openly profess to be Christians and feature Christian thought, imagery, scripture or other influences in their music. There is a tendency among some Christian rock music fans to label rock music bands as Christian where their lyrics are seen as consistent with the fans' understanding of [[Christian theology|Christian belief]], but this is generally not accepted by the [[contemporary Christian music]] industry.
Related [[subgenres]] are [[Christian alternative rock]], [[Christian metal]], [[Christian industrial]], [[Christian punk]], and [[Christian ska]].
==Critiques of Christian rock==
Another critique of Christian Rock is that some critics also feel that in reaching out to mainstream listeners, Christian Rock waters down the Christian message and content into amorphous love songs. Amy Grant, for example, received criticism for her song, "Baby Baby" because it was not clear whether she was singing to God or to a good looking man in the music video. Richard Rossi was criticized for performing his gospel rock in bars and secular nightclubs. Steve Camp, Christian music critic, complains that Christian music has become "yodels of a Christ-less, watered-down, pabulum based, positive alternative, aura-fluff, cream of wheat, mush-kind-of-syrupy, God-as-my-girlfriend kind of thing.". Others respond that expressions of unconditional love reminiscent of romantic love are consistent with God's agape love and the tradition of the biblical book, Song of Solomon. Some critics feel bands market themselves to the Christian audience because the market is easier to enter. The competition in the Christian market is not as fierce, so they can gain huge success quickly. Some bands are accused of using the CCM industry to springboard into the "mainstream" as they prove to the record labels they can sell albums. Oftentimes these accused bands will quickly reject the Christian label they once embraced, causing controversy.
==In Popular Culture==
==Evangelistic goals of Christian rock==
Many Christian bands have an explicitly evangelistic goal: they hope to use their music to attract new converts to their faith. Some musicians try to draw in non-Christian listeners by writing songs with an underlying Christian message. These bands include [[Switchfoot]], [[Relient K]] and the now-defunct [[Sixpence None The Richer]]. Solo artists such as [[Kevin Max]] also employ this method of reaching non-christians.
==Christian rock festivals==
There are many [[:Category:Christian events|Christian rock festivals]] held worldwide every year, including the [[Cornerstone Festival]], [[Newsong]], [[Sonshine Festival]], [[Ichthus Festival|Ichthus]], [[Spirit West Coast]], [[Rock the Desert]], [[Purple Door]], [[Parachute music festival|Parachute]], [[Shout Fest]], [[Christmas]] Rock Night in [[Ennepetal]], Germany, [[Lifest]], [[Rock the Universe]] at [[Universal Studios Florida]], Night of Joy at [[Walt Disney World]], and [[TomFest]]. They range from single day events to four day festivals that provide camping and other activities. Christian rock can also be heard at other Christian festivals that are not exclusive to rock, such as the [[Creation Festival]] and YC Newfoundland and YC Alberta. Many events are held in Australia called Encounterfest, Jam United and EXOday. There are also many in the UK, including 'Ultimate Events' at [[Alton Towers]], 'Frenzy' and [[Creation Fest, Woolacombe, Devon]].
==Christian rock radio programs==
* Hip Rock UK (on Premier Christian Radio- [http://www.premier.org.uk www.premier.org.uk])
* [http://radaol-prod-web-rr.streamops.aol.com/radio/radioclient/common/html/OpenRadio.html?stationid=6728 Christian Rock Radio]
*[[MAD Christian Radio Show]]
*[http://christianrock.net/ ChristianRock.net]
*[http://www.classicchristianrock.net/ Classic Christian Rock Radio]
*[http://www.xmusiconline.com/ 24/7 XMusicOnline.Com - Positive Rock Radio]
*Air1 - The Positive Alternative [http://www.air1.com]
*Against The Flow, which is broadcast every Sunday on [[NU 107]] in the Philippines
[http://wwwsites.freewebsgoogle.com/rockradio31site/revolutionradio31]Davids Christian Rock Radio*ZJAM-Broadcast every Saturday from 9pm-12am CT[http://www.zjam.com]*Sirius Revolution Ch.67 [http://www.sirius.com/revolution]
==Magazines, Books and Websites==
* [http://www.thoughtquotient.com ThoughtQuotient.com] ThoughtQuotient.com Christian Music interviews, reviews
* [http://www.cmspin.com/ CMSpin.com] Christian music news, reviews, testimonies, interviews and artist profiles.
* [http://www.christianmusicdaily.com/ Christian Music Daily] Christian rock music news and interviews from Mark Weber
* [http://www.hmmagazine.com/ HM Magazine]
* [http://www.firestream.net/ Firestream.net] Large community of Christian Rock / Metal listeners
* [http://www.godcore.com/ Godcore.com] Christian rock band database
* [http://www.ccmmagazine.com CCM Magazine]
* [http://www.soundgrid.net/ Soundgrid.net] Christian Music News
* [http://www.worship.com worship.com]
* [http://www.musicevangelism.com Music Evangelism]An essay styled book about Christian rock music
==See alsoExternal links==*[[List of Christian rock artists]]<references />
* [http://music.thoughtquotient.com ThoughtQuotient.com] ThoughtQuotient.com's Interview with Christian artists
* [http://www.bodypiercingsavedmylife.com/ Website for ''Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock'', by Andrew Beaujon]
{{rockreturnto}} [[Category:Contemporary Christian rock|Christian rockmusic]][[Category:Rock Christian music genres]] [[es:Christian Rock]][[pl:Chrześcijański rock]][[pt:Rock cristão]]
