(CIEF-Chile, September 9, 2006)

1. FIRST PART: HOLLYWOOD STAR FOR CCM MUSICIAN

Amy Grant is scheduled to receive a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 19. This is further evidence of the worldly nature of Contemporary Christian Music. The world didn’t reward Jesus Christ and the apostles. In fact, Christ warned: “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).

Amy was one of the first cross-over artists who found success by selling Christian music to the world. She did this with vague lyrics, worldly rhythms, and a sensual presentation. Amy and her second husband, Gary Chapman, admit that they purposefully avoid direct messages, preferring to “be a little bit sneaky with the lyrics.” Chapman says, “We don’t want to shove anything down anybody’s throat. When you start getting churchy, they start running’” (“The Gospel of Grant,” Weekend Post, Houston, Texas, Nov. 10, 1985). The Lord’s apostles didn’t fear getting “a little churchy”! Paul plainly preached the judgment of God and the resurrection of Christ to the idolaters at Athens (Acts 17). Most mocked and rejected his message, but this did not stop Paul from preaching a plain Gospel to the world because he knew that apart from the plain preaching of the Gospel there is no salvation.

In 1984 Grant said: “I’m a singer, not a preacher. I’m not looking to convert anybody. I feel people come to hear my music, not to hear me talk” (St. Petersburg Times, April 7, 1984, p. 4). She also said: “That’s one reason I started writing songs, because I DIDN’T WANT TO IMPOSE MY RELIGION ON ANYONE. This way the audience can sit back and draw its own conclusions. … My art and the feeling I am trying to communicate through the songs, it would be silly for me to say, this is who God is; I don’t have any answers” (Amy Grant, interview, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 21, 1984). This sounds pious to the unsaved world and to an ecumenical generation, but Amy’s philosophy is strictly contrary to the Bible.

The early Christians did not seek to “impose their religion” on others, but they did preach the Word of God boldly to a lost world. “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). We are to hold forth the Word of life to this wicked generation (Philippians 2:15-16). The Christian is supposed to have the answers people need, because we have God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15).

2. SECOND PART: CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSICIANS AND THE BEATLES

As noted in the previous report, one of the reasons we are opposed to Contemporary Christian Music is its worldliness. For example, Contemporary Christian musicians make no attempt to hide the fact that they love secular rock & roll and they have no shame for doing so. When asked in interviews about their musical influences and their favorite music, invariably they list a number of raunchy secular rock musicians, and one of the rock groups that CCM musicians love is the Beatles. Phil Keaggy paid “homage to the Beatles” on his Crimson and Blue album. Caedmon’s Call often performs Beatles music. DC Talk opened its “Jesus Freak” concerts with the Beatles’ song “Help,” and performed “Hello Good-bye” during their “Supernatural Experience” tour. The lead guitarist for Jars of Clay is said to be a “Beatles fanatic” (Christian News, Dec. 8, 1997).

During the Feb. 18, 2002, premier show for Michael W. Smith’s Come Together Tour, Third Day took the stage to the strains of the New Age Beatles song “Come Together.” In his musings on Contemporary Christian Music of October 2, 2002, Russ Breimeier (co-director of Christianity Today.com) exalts the Beatles and describes his recent attendance at a Paul McCartney concert as a fulfillment of a lifelong dream. It is absolutely unconscionable for Christian musicians to encourage an appetite for Beatles’ music in young people. No rock group has had a more spiritually destructive influence than the Beatles. They were certainly controlled by demons as they captured the affection of an entire generation with their “magical mystery” music and carried millions of young people along on their journey to eastern religion, atheism, drug abuse, and rebellion against established order. In his song “God,” Lennon sang: “I don’t believe in Bible. I don’t believe in Jesus. I just believe in me, Yoko and me, that’s reality.” Lennon’s extremely popular song “Imagine” (1971) promotes atheism. The lyrics say: “Imagine there’s no heaven … No hell below us, above us only sky.” How many millions of people throughout the world have followed the Beatles in their delusive dreams?

The Beatles have done more to further the Devil’s program in this generation than any other music group. It is unconscionable for a Christian to pay homage to these people and to their demonically-inspired music, thereby encouraging Christian young people to think that rock & roll in general and the Beatles in particular are harmless. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).


CIEF-Chile has compiled in this text two articles published in Friday Church News Notes, September 15 2006, www.wayoflife.org. The head-title has been done by CIEF.