Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music - Book Review

Currents in Theology and Mission, Feb, 2003 by Mark Bangert

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. By Mark Allan Powell. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002. 1088 pages, with CD-Rom. Paper. $29.95.

Mark Allan Powell, professor of church history at Trinity Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, has compiled a remarkable amount of interesting, sometimes helpful, if not revealing information in this hefty volume. Persons and performing groups connected in one way or another to the contemporary Christian music scene constitute the grist for approximately 1,900 cross-referenced entries, all presumably written by the author. They are prefaced by an introduction and followed by a concise but useful glossary (in case the reader needs help with labels such as ska, death metal, or new jack swing). An index of entries concludes the book. The accompanying CD enables one to download all the entries (Windows 98 or later or Macintosh 05 8.0 or later required) and provides helpful links, Web sites, and some musical excerpts.

Both as adventure and informative exercise I serendipitously chose an entry, "Adam Again," heretofore unknown (which may be more a commentary on my listening habits than on the actual profile of the group) in order to discover the tone and character of the volume. Material on Adam Again contained nineteen boldfaced references, including some of the "greats": Amy Grant, Crystal Lewis, Lost Dogs, The Swirling Eddies, Marvin Gaye, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, all of whom have their own entries. In the case of Adam Again the moniker refers to a group, the members of which according to the established pattern are mentioned up front, followed by the ensemble's more popular albums and Web site. Reading on, we learn that the group centers in its spokesperson, Gene Eugene, who, the author notes among other bits of information, "was reticent in interviews and private about his personal life" (p. 23) and who played Vince Blame in the movie "Gidget Gets Married." Powell opines that "what made the songs Christian was no m ore (and no less) than the fact that self-declared Christians wrote and sang them" (p. 23).

The Adam Again adventure takes us to Crystal Lewis. We are informed that her sound is "often likened to that of other R&B-inflected white women" and that "the media has not failed to notice her fashion-model good looks, which have improved with age and confidence (blonde hair and leather pants both served as wise career moves)" (p. 525).

Some entries in the book I recognized even with limited knowledge of the genre: Amy Grant, Ray Repp, John Ylvisaker, U2, and the Indigo Girls, about whom I first heard from the proud father of Emily, colleague Don Saliers.

Powell's love of this music shows on nearly every page. "I regard the persons in this book as amateur theologians whose perspectives and insights on life and faith are every bit as valid as those of any Harvard professor or Rhodes scholar" (p. 8). At the same time, he does not dodge issues that surround this music's production and use. For instance, he notes that definitions are hard to come by. His attempt at something substantial slips unfortunately into a solipsism: "Contemporary Christian music is a music that appeals to self-identified fans of contemporary Christian music on account of a perceived connection to what they regard as Christianity" (p. 13). Something more useful comes as an aside as he ventures that "we're talking about Christian pop music, loosely defined" (p. 12).

A page full of quotes at the beginning of the volume is meant, one must assume, to pave the way for those a little hesitant to partake of the enthusiastic reviews that follow. But the list begs a critical touch. From St. Francis we read "Preach the Gospel. Use words only as necessary." This about a genre of music that is chiefly text-driven? Then from Luther there is this well-worn comment: "Why should the devil have all the good music?" The question might be, all things being equal, Who is the devil in this context, and what is "good?" Luther wrote much about music. In his preface to a collection of motets for the church year published in 1538 by Georg Rhau Luther praised its contents and went on to warn against those whose "perverted minds prostitute this lovely gift of nature and of art with their erotic rantings;...so that these bastards purloin the gift of God and use it to worship the foe of God" (Liturgy and Hymns, in Luther's Works 53 [American ed.]: 324). Luther's support for any kind of contemporary music can be called upon only very carefully. So how does one go about evaluating this phenomenon called Contemporary Christian Music?

Powell begins to lead us in some productive directions. He concludes his introduction with a theological postscript (p. 17) in which he points out that this subculture-like music has its roots within fundamentalism with strong ties to the Jesus movement of the late 60s and early 70s (p. 10). "Thus the image of Christianity expressed in most contemporary Christian music differs from that of historic and global Christianity in key ways." Among those he lists (1) personal private relationship with Jesus, (2) literal reading of Scripture, (3) personal morality, and (4) sentiment and piety. I am glad that Powell has the courage to make these observations, for he helps us to understand why large segments of the church find the texts of this music out of sync with a faith rooted in a lively interchange with the Word and in a dynamic love affair with the Christ revealed at the table.