Since 1969, when singer Larry Norman combined Christian lyrics with a rock beat, modern music has become a major vehicle for Christian outreach. Two years after Norman’s pioneering work, Word Records hired Billy Ray Hearn to start a label for contemporary gospel music. After establishing the Myrrh label for Word, Hearn founded his own company, Sparrow Records.
“I saw in contemporary music the best vessel to reach young people with the gospel,” says the former church youth and music director. “They listen to the music that is current. That’s their language.”
At first, so-called rock gospel was frowned on by many Christians. But the combination of pop music and Christian lyrics gradually gained a following. Fifteen years later contemporary gospel, as well as more traditional styles, is gaining prominence in the American music world.
As recently as 1977, gospel music occupied a barely visible segment of the American music industry. In a market study that year, Warner Communications lumped Christian music into a category called “other,” along with humor, spoken word, and miscellaneous records. The entire category accounted for only 3 percent—slightly more than $100 million—of all record sales.
A more recent Warner Communications study indicates that annual sales of gospel records increased from $180 million to $210 million between 1980 and 1983. In contrast, overall record sales in the United States remained steady. The gospel market accounted for nearly 6 percent of last year’s total sales of records and tapes. Gospel music now outsells both jazz and classical.
Christian music is receiving increased attention on the airwaves and in the press. Pop and rock artists like Donna Summer, U2, Kansas, and Bruce Cockburn are singing about their faith on popular secular albums. And at least one gospel label is entering the world of music videos.
Sparrow Records is leading the Christian record industry in the use of video presentations of gospel artists. The company sells several full-length performance and teaching videos, as well as a number of shorter promotional clips, similar to those shown on the cable television channel MTV (Music Television). A Sparrow video featuring singer Sheila Walsh has been broadcast on secular stations.
Sparrow maintains a roster of popular contemporary gospel singers. But children’s records account for more than half of the company’s sales. Its Music Machine series has sold more than one million copies.
The first album in the series, The Music Machine, is one of only three gospel albums that have been certified “gold” by the recording industry. Alleluia: A Praise Gathering for Believers (Benson) and Age to Age (Word) also have been certified gold. In order to achieve gold status, an album has to sell more than 500,000 copies. A gospel album normally is considered a “best seller” if it sells 150,000 copies.
“We’ve seen not only increased sales, but an improvement in the quality of recordings,” says Don Butler, executive director of the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association. “We’ve also seen a more credible approach to lyrics, with more meaningful messages and less rhetoric, trite messages, or pie-in-the-sky lyrics.”
Recognizing the growing interest in gospel music, some secular record companies attempted to cash in on the market, CBS and MCA started Christian-oriented labels. But both companies later discontinued their gospel music divisions, saying sales were slower than expected. ABC, owner of Word Records, remains the only major secular owner of a gospel music company.
With increased sales has come a growth in the styles of gospel music. Dan Johnson, a vice-president at Word Records, says pop and rock gospel comprise 40 percent of his company’s sales. Middle-of-the-road artists, such as the Bill Gaither Trio, account for 20 percent of sales. Black gospel music makes up 15 percent; southern and country gospel represent 10 percent; and traditional gospel music, children’s music, and miscellaneous products account for 5 percent each.
At the Benson Company, a subsidiary of the Zondervan Corporation, traditional and inspirational artists such as Sandi Patti and Doug Oldham account for 45 percent of record sales. Pop and rock gospel artists account for 30 percent, southern gospel for 20 percent, and black gospel for 5 percent.
The three major gospel music companies—Benson, Word, and Sparrow—reported either increased sales or sales in excess of projections for 1983. But Christian record producers say recent sales increases are only part of the story. Songs that highlight the gospel message, they say, are still the most important aspect of the business.
A Federal Judge Upholds The U.S. Army Chaplaincy
A federal district judge has ruled that the U.S. Army is within the bounds of the Constitution in paying the salaries of military chaplains.
Judge Joseph M. McLaughlin issued the ruling last month in response to a lawsuit filed by two Harvard University law students in 1979. Joel Katcoff and Allen Weider had charged that the military chaplaincy violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment.
The plaintiffs argued that civilian chaplains could adequately serve military personnel. They filed an affidavit from Carl Mischke, president of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, to support their argument. By funding its own chaplains, Mischke said, his denomination is able to “adequately provide religious support to our members in peace and war, at home and overseas.”
In response, the army argued that a civilian chaplaincy could not reach large numbers of soldiers and military personnel stationed in remote areas. McLaughlin did not rule on the effectiveness of a civilian chaplaincy. But he upheld the constitutionality of chaplains paid by the army.
“It is not without significance that the first Congress drafted the First Amendment and, at the same time, authorized a paid chaplain for the army,” he wrote. “The army chaplaincy program is a constitutionally permissible means to a constitutionally mandated end.”
