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Playing their first full-length set since 1991, Stryper closed the July 3-7 festival that showcased Christian legends such as Larry Norman, the 77s, The Sweet Comfort Band, Randy Stonehill, Kemper Crabb, Daniel Amos, Victoria Williams and others.

"There's a lot of music out here this week," Norman said at the Bushnell, Illinois event. "There's so much out now and a lot of different kinds of music like Christian reggae and hip hop. It's really great … but I kind of liked it better when I was the only one doing it."

Festival director John Herrin said Cornerstone likes bringing back old favorites just for fun. "By having 300 bands come here every year, we give ourselves the chance to do a lot," he said. "We have fun with it and the people who come all enjoy it a lot."

Having been a member of Resurrection Band, Herrin said he had the chance to play with many of the Christian rock veterans on the playbill, so bringing them to the Jesus People U.S.A. festival is just like seeing old friends. In fact, fellow Resurrection Band members Glenn Kaiser and Stu Heiss (now with GOD'Zone) also took the stage.

"We thought Stryper would be a great fit and a lot of fun," Herrin said. "They hadn't played in a long time so we thought, 'Let's see if these guys are still cooking.'"

Since their breakup in 1991, the band members have pursued their own projects and turned their individual focuses to raising families. Lead singer Michael Sweet put out three solo albums (including the recent Truth album) while bassist Tim Gaines and guitarist Oz Fox formed the band Sindizzy.

Stryper had never played Cornerstone before, but Michael told Christianity Today that he feels the band should have. When invited for the 18th annual festival, the four band members called around the country to one another and were in agreement that it was finally time to do the Christian festival.

"Back in the Stryper days, we had a certain plan," said Fox. "We wanted to attract the non-Christians. We were trying to bring a draw to people who didn't know the Lord so we didn't think Cornerstone fit into that. We have different feelings about it now."

In 1984, Stryper found success by taking blatantly Christian music to the mainstream, said Chris Lutes, editor of Campus Life magazine. Signed to a secular label (the same that launched RATT and Motley Crue), Stryper changed both the image of Christian rock and of heavy metal, infusing the musical style associated with darker bands like Black Sabbath and KISS with hopeful songs about Jesus.

While previous Christian rock groups had trouble selling to non-Christian crowds, the heavy metal band with eyeliner, teased hair, and yellow-and-black spandex became a regular on radio and MTV, selling between $70 million and $100 million worth of albums. They were profiled in Rolling Stone and received a Grammy nomination.

"They were pioneers," Lutes said. "Who else was doing what these guys were? Nobody. They were right out there in the mainstream with the big dogs."

While commercially successful and popular, the band's brand of ministry and outrageousness did not sit well with some Christians. Believers complained about the band's appearance, its touring with groups like Metallica, and its trademark: throwing of Bibles into audiences. Lyrics like "To Hell with the Devil" didn't help win these critics over.

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July (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45