Holy Rock ‘N’ Rollers Record Sales, Radio Stations Show Christian Music Gaining Popularity

If God were a musical fad, he’d be in vogue.

Christian music is booming in the United States. Both Christian pop concerts and record sales generated between $750 million and $900 million last year, up significantly from 1994, according to Time magazine.

The number of Christian pop stations in the country has increased from 200 to 500 in the last 10 years.

Christian record labels, once small companies eking out paltry profits, are merging with corporate giants.

More and more Christian artists are becoming commercial successes and are even making an impact on the Billboard album charts.

D.C. Talk’s new album “Jesus Freak,” released Nov. 21, debuted at number 16 on the Billboard pop album chart, selling 86,000 copies its first week. It was the strongest firstweek outing of any contemporary Christian act in music history.

And at the moment, three major Christian music arena tours - Michael W. Smith, D.C. Talk and Petra - are rivaling secular tours like the demonic White Zombie. And they’re doing it with success.

The Michael W. Smith, Three Crosses and Jars of Clay tour stops at the Spokane Arena on Sunday, and the other two will arrive here in the next two months., Smith, who just snagged a Grammy for best gospel album for “I’ll Lead You There,” is pleased with the progress Christian music has made in recent years and agrees that it’s now more popular than ever.

“I think more than anything that people are becoming educated on exactly what we do,” said Smith from a recent tour stop on Tulsa. “I think for so long people thought Christian music was four guys sitting around the piano singing quartet music.

“I don’t think anybody really knew what it was and really had any desire to go check it out and find out what it was all about,” continued the singer. “I think it definitely helped to have an Amy Grant or a Michael W. Smith on a pop radio station with a hit. I think that stirred people’s curiosity a little bit.”

More than a little bit.

In the past, Christian music was about as hip as easy-listening. Musically, it was sub-par pop.

No wonder the artists were having difficulty grabbing the interest of younger generations. If Christian acts wanted to win over the kids listening to acts such as Nirvana and Snoop Doggy Dogg, they were going to have to get with the times.

“I think a lot of Christian music in the ‘80s was just OK. As a matter of fact, I think a lot of it was bad,” Smith recalls.

“You can’t compete when you’ve got product that’s just fluff. I’m not pointing fingers at anybody. I think I’m just stating a fact. I think our industry has woken up a little bit, saying, ‘We have to get some integrity here.”’

Thanks to several hit songs, both Smith and Grant helped remove the barrier preventing Christian-oriented music from entering the mainstream.

Smith’s last four albums, “I’ll Lead You Home,” “Change Your World,” “Go West Young Man” and “Eye to Eye,” have reaped golden sales. His singles “Places In This World” and “I Will Be Here for You” were Top 10 and Top 30 hits, respectively.

Many new artists are also piercing the mainstream.

Jars of Clay, currently accompanying Smith on his national tour, has spawned a major secular radio and MTV hit with the song “Flood.”

It’s nearly impossible to turn on local adult alternative station KAEP “The Peak” and not hear the song. On KNDD in Seattle, the band is one of the most requested artists.

Last week, “Flood,” produced by King Crimson member and influential solo artist Adrian Belew, charted at No. 5 on the adult alternative chart and No. 16 on the alternative chart, according to Radio and Records Magazine.

Perhaps what’s most telling about Christian music’s popularity is that Hootie and the Blowfish plan to bring Jars of Clay, the Christian equivalent of Toad the Wet Sprocket, along for a summer and fall national tour.

Last year, Garth Brooks did the same thing for popular Christian crooner Susan Ashton.

Success hasn’t come without cost, however. Many Christian artists have had to streamline their message.

For example, Jars of Clay’s references to God are extremely vague on its self-titled debut. The band resorts to cloaking Him as “you” in every song. For non-Christian music fans, the “yous” can be interpreted as anything, such as a friend, a family member or a lover.

It’s the proverbial double-edged sword. If musicians aren’t bold with their religious message, they’re alienating many Christian music fans. But if they aren’t covert, secular music fans won’t give them a chance.

“I think I do it in a way that’s not offensive,” says Smith, who doesn’t bombard listeners with constant religious references. “I think a lot of Christian artists do it in a way that is offensive. Maybe it’s because I’ve run into so many people who have seen so much hypocrisy in the Christian community.

“I think the last thing you want to do is shove it down somebody’s throat. I don’t think that’s what Jesus did.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CONCERT Michael W. Smith, Three Crosses and Jars of Clay will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Spokane Arena. Tickets are $19.50 reserved and are available at all G&B outlets and area Christian bookstores. It’s $3 off groups of 20 or more; call 324-7000.