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Originally Posted by Brwn_eyes0511
1. THEY ARE
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So were a ton of other mainstream artists, a point which you seem unable to address. Look at Johnny Cash's last big hit, 2003's "Hurt." Since it was originally a Nine Inch Nails song, I have a really hard time calling this country, but Mr. Cash was the type of guy who could cross all kind of musical boundaries. The song itself wasn't necessarily religious (originally, it was about the angst of wanting to beat heroin), but the video featured lots of footage of a movie about the life of Jesus that Mr. Cash produced himself. The result was a visual that suggested a man who was close to death calling out for Jesus. How Christian is that? That's the type of thing that is religious, crosses all kinds of musical genres, and was able to earn the respect of critics, consumers, and musicians. If anything, this one song probably earned him MORE fans. It was art at its purist, and deeply honest. There was no backlash.
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Originally Posted by Brwn_eyes0511
2. They feel that have been called to a ministry of music
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Which is a point I made when I said: "They're using the almighty as a marketing tool to raise money. Hopefully, the money is being raised for some credible ministry..."
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Originally Posted by Brwn_eyes0511
3. It depends on what label you are with.
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Labels are about making money. The only reason there might be a "Christian" label is because they are able to focus their marketing on a certain segment of society. Even the prized "indy" label is out to turn a profit. So, this point hold absolutely no weight as far as I'm concerned.
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Originally Posted by Brwn_eyes0511
And also the facts aren't going along with your contingency that Christian music is "limiting", not when sales and interest in Contemporary Christian music is continuing to grow...
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I don't think he was referring to sales potential. He was referring to creative potential. Look at Amy Grant. She was a superstar on the Christian music scene, but had to leave it once it started limiting her.
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Originally Posted by Brwn_eyes0511
Fine, forget Sheryl (she was just the singer songwriter that kept jumping into my head)...pick ANY secular pop artist, and if they were to come out with a song specifically written about their love for Christ (not just GOD but JESUS CHRIST), you don't think they would receive some backlash?
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The aforementioned video to "Hurt" was, I believe, the video of the year in 2003. Lots of Jesus in that video.
Eric Clapton's Blind Faith classic "Presence Of The Lord" is still deemed one of his better tunes. Clapton also had a hit with "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."
U2 has always had a Christian element to their music. In fact, a few years back, a company was selling the books of the Bible individually, with a preface by a philosopher/personality/theologian. Bono did the liner notes for the Book of Psalms. I don't see there being any backlash against U2, considering they've had one of the top tours of 2005.
Al Green still packs in the crowds, and he's an ordained minister. He's recorded relgious and secular music, and has said that both are needed.
Aretha Franklin is the daughter of Reverend C.L. Franklin, who was one of the most influential ministers in Detroit in the 1950s. As such, her career has been extremely laced with Christian songs. Even today, she tops the list of popular female artists.
Dolly Parton is still one of the most popular female singers, and she did an album in 2003 called "For God & Country" that had several Christian songs (the first track being "The Lord Is My Shepherd").
Look at the critical success artists like Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss have earned with their gospel contributions to the "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack that cut across musical lines.
People aren't opposed to having religion, or more specifically Christianity, in their music. They just don't want it to be the only thing interesting about an artist. The above artists that I mentioned are but a small number (the first that came to my mind) of artists who have been able to express their religion in their music, but still were able to keep the respect and attention of the masses.