CCM Needs Reform

The situation with Michael Tait has many people talking. Some are expressing sadness while others are expressing confusion and, for some, anger. Some non-Christians hope that this kills Christian music. 

I have loved Christian music for years. I even attended church with a Contemporary Christian musician, who would do solos at church from time to time. Christian music has been a way for me to hear music that was not worldly or even had to worry about the lyrics.

Christian music is not immune from scandal, and it is not just Michael Tait. I will never forget when Michael English, who we dubbed at my church, the Michael Bolton of the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) world, confessed to an affair with one of the female singers of a group named First Call. English only had two CCM albums released at the time and his music played on Christian radio. After the affair was confessed, his albums were pulled from Christian Bookstore shelves, and his songs were never played on the radio again.

While this along with recent scandals in the CCM world, many have wondered what needs to change for CCM artists. Let's face it, CCM is a money-making industry. I get it. A worker earns his wages. However, record labels care about image and what sales. Just watch the movie "Unsung Hero," and you will see how true that is. 

Granted, there have been many great CCM artists and songs over the years, but there needs to be a change. There needs to be reform if artists want to magnify Christ and encourage its listeners. Not trying to sound like K-Love, but I remember songs encouraging me during my teenage years. I am still encouraged by some of them to this day although there are some songs I have issues with theologically that I would not even recommend today. 

I do not want to give up on CCM. I still think it can be used by God to magnify His name, but there needs to be reform. There needs to be a change. I know some of you might not agree with me and that is fine. Some of you might want to see CCM go away. Granted, there are some CCM artists that I wish did not make music because of their links to false teachers, but CCM needs solid artists who are not ashamed of the gospel and long to see people come to faith in Christ. 

Over the next few posts, I will be sharing my thoughts into what changes need to happen in the CCM world.