Without question, the most impressive thing about the 2008 Reader’s Choice Awards was not the winners themselves as the voter turnout. Close to 6,000 participated in this year’s online survey, which is nearly twice as many as last year. And yet, despite the leap in numbers, the results are still more or less the same—a reminder of which fan clubs remain far and away the largest in all of Christian music.
We may as well start with Skillet and face the facts. They’ve been the favorite band in many a music survey before Christian Music Today started, they’ve been the favorite for as long as we’ve run this survey, and they’re bound to be the winner for years to come. Third Day and Casting Crowns may be the runners-up, but believe me, it wasn’t even close as far as the votes go. In fact, I may as well give an unofficial award to Skillet fans (“Panheads”) as the most fervent fan base in all of Christian music—they’ve earned it, time and again. They may run away with the voting year after year, and thus render the survey uninteresting, but honor is due.
That said, Panheads better hope that Skillet releases their next album by October 200Otherwise, they won’t have an eligible Skillet album to vote for! But as far as 2008, the band released their concert album Comatose Comes Alive just under the wire to top the competition. Sorry, Family Force 5 fans—Dance or Die placed second, and it didn’t garner nearly as many votes. (For those of you wondering, our review of Comatose Comes Alive appears with our December 15, 2008 DVD round-up.)
Fans at least refrained from voting for Skillet as Best New Band this year. And though lead singers John and Korey Cooper were among the finalists for Best Male and Female Artists, they actually didn’t come close to winning, suggesting that at least a few Panheads were objective enough to spread their votes.
For Best Male Artist, it’s now been five years straight for Jeremy Camp, who just released Speaking Louder than Before, his follow-up to 2006’s Beyond Measure. Fans made this another landslide victory, awarding Camp twice as many votes as the runner-up, tobyMac. With the new album in stores as of November 2008, it wouldn’t be surprising if Camp remained the favorite for 200(It’s also interesting that longtime favorites Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman didn’t place in the Top 5 for the first time in years.)
However, for the first time since this survey began in 2003, voters have crowned a new favorite Female Artist, reflecting the decrease in Rebecca St. James‘ musical output, visibility, and radio airplay. In fact, she’s now dropped to third place behind the runner-up, Krystal Meyers. Meanwhile, longtime fourth place winner Natalie Grant finally makes the leap to the top. For years, she’s been the favorite among Dove Award voters—now she’s the favorite among our readers.
Which leaves us with the single most interesting category from year to year, since it’s impossible for artists to win Best New Artist more than once. Of course, given their level of promotion and radio popularity, it comes as little surprise that readers went with Tenth Avenue North, easily the most visible of the new artists in 200Nevertheless, this was the closest contest in this year’s voting, with Addison Road and Children 18:3 closely following in second and third, respectively.
Lastly, we’d like to acknowledge the winners of our contest, randomly chosen among the participants to receive free music. Jackie McDonald of Pineville, Missouri was selected as our grand prize winner, receiving 10 free CDs of her choice from our friends at Christianbook.com. Additionally, Justin Eiginga from Grimsby, Ontario in Canada and Robert Ordway of Weslaco, Texas each won 2 CDs of their choice through Christianbook.com.
Some other lucky winners were selected to win our special bonus prize, thanks to the good people at Nettwerk Music Group. They provided copies of Christmas albums from Jars of Clay and Sixpence None the Richer for Tina Ulery of North Attleboro, Massachusetts, Sam Whitaker of Centerville, Iowa, and Tiffany Robbins of Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Congratulations to all our winners, both artists and participants. We appreciate everyone who took the time to let us know who your favorite Christian artists are!
Best Male Artist
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2. tobyMac3. Chris Tomlin4. Brandon Heath5. Jon Foreman |
Best Female Artist
 One simple question often determines how Americans view same-sex marriage: “Do you have gay or lesbian friends?” Those who do have such friends are twice as likely to say same-sex marriage should be legal as those who do not, according to a phone survey of 2,000 Americans from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. “When it comes to support for gay marriage, a lot of it depends on who you know,” said Ed Stetzer, LifeWay's executive director. The friendship factor affects evangelicals as well—but much more on legality than morality. On the question of whether same-sex marriage should be legal, only 20 percent of evangelicals who say they have no gay or lesbian friends agree. But among evangelicals who have such friends, agreement nearly doubles to 38 percent. Yet on the question of morality, the shift among evangelicals is much smaller. LifeWay found that 70 percent of evangelicals without gay or lesbian friends believe that “sex between people of the same gender is sinful, regardless of its legality,” while 62 percent of evangelicals with such friends still say likewise. Currently 37 states allow same-sex marriage (though ceremonies are on hold in some places, pending appeals). Later this month, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments that could make same-sex marriage legal nationwide. Researchers found that faith and friendship play a key role in how Americans view the issue. Overall, half of Americans agree with the statement, “I believe gay marriage should be legal.” That number rises to 6 in 10 among Americans who say they have gay or lesbian friends. Among Americans who say they have no gay or lesbian friends, only a third agree same-sex marriage should be legal. Few evangelicals—which LifeWay defines as those who identify as born again, evangelical, or fundamentalist Christians—support same-sex marriage. Less than a third (30 percent) say same-sex marriage should be legal. Recently a number of Christian groups, including the National Association of Evangelicals, filed a friend of the court brief, asking the Supreme Court to uphold same-sex marriage bans in Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio. Meanwhile, some evangelical writers, such as David Gushee and Matthew Vines, have argued that homosexuality is not sinful. And a handful of larger evangelical churches have decided to affirm LGBT members. But overall, two-thirds of evangelicals say sex between two people of the same gender remains sinful, whether it is legal or not. By contrast, only about a third (38%) of non-evangelicals agree. That leaves evangelicals at odds with American culture, says Stetzer, and in danger of being trapped in the culture war. Their task now, he said, is to clearly articulate Christian teaching on sexuality with grace to those who disagree. “You can’t reach people if you hate them,” he said. LifeWay's study confirmed that Americans remain polarized over the question of homosexuality. A third (36%) strongly agree that same-sex marriage should be legal. A third (35%) strongly disagree. Few (6%) are unsure. Researchers found similar responses to the statement, “I believe that sex between people of the same gender is sinful, regardless of its legality.” Less than half of Americans (46%) agree, while the same number disagree. Seven percent are unsure. For comparison, LifeWay also conducted an online survey, asking 2,252 Americans, “Do you believe homosexual behavior is a sin?” In 2014, 3 in 10 answered “yes.” More than half (54%) said “no.” By contrast, 37 percent said “yes" in a similar 2012 survey, as did 44 percent in 2011. About 4 in 10 (43%) said homosexual behavior is not a sin in the 2011 survey, along with 45 percent in 2012. Editor’s note: Bob Smietana, senior news editor for Christianity Today, is former senior writer for Facts & Trends magazine, published by LifeWay Christian Resources. [Image courtesy of Ted Eytan – Flickr] |
2. Krystal Meyers3. Rebecca St. James4. Amy Grant5. Bethany Dillon |
Best Group or Band
 Ted Eytan / Flickr |
2. Third Day3. Casting Crowns4. Children 18:35. Family Force 5 |
Best New Artist
 Billy Ray Hearn, a pioneer of contemporary Christian music (CCM), died Wednesday. Hearn, 85, launched the careers of Amy Grant, Keith Green, Steven Curtis Chapman, and BeBe and CeCe Winans. “He was the first true label A&R (artist and repertoire) guy who started the very first professional Christian record company,” his son, Bill Hearn, told The Tennessean. “He was a giant of a person; he had so much impact and influence on people in his life and his work. His legacy is going to continue to inspire people for years and years to come." Billy Ray Hearn (right) and his son Bill Hearn (left) celebrate Steven Curtis Chapman’s re-signing to Sparrow Records. Hearn, a Baylor University alumnus and a Korean War veteran, was a Baptist music minister before getting into the music business in the mid-1960s, according to the Tennessean. He signed Grant to Myrrh Records, a label he started, in 1977. He later started Sparrow Records in the mid-1980s, which became one of the most successful Christian music labels. By 1989, Sparrow had million in annual sales, reported the Los Angeles Times. By the mid-1990s, Christian music had become big business, and major record companies snatched up Christian labels, including Sparrow. Albums sales at Sparrow and other record labels jumped from 31 million in 1996 to 44 million in 2000. After Sparrow was sold to EMI in 1992, sales more than doubled and the company’s value grew from million to a reported 5 million in 2002. That growth prompted fears that the Christian message of CCM was being lost, reported CT under the headline, “CCM’s Growing Pains.” Hearn never lost his focus on the message of Jesus, said Michael Card, a former Sparrow artist. “He was a profoundly good man,” Card told CT. Card recalled first meeting Hearn while standing in line at a movie theater in the 1980s. At the time, Card was stuck in a contract dispute with another label and things weren’t going well. Hearn introduced himself to Card, and later help him get out of that situation. He later signed with Sparrow and stayed for 14 years. “Without him, I probably would have quit,” he said. Bill Hearn, president of Capitol Christian Music Group, told CT that his dad’s life was filled with stories like that. He loved artists and songwriters who made the music and wanted as many people as possible to hear it. That was his calling in life, said Hearn. “He believed in the power of music to share the gospel,” Hearn said. That belief was shaped during the years the elder Hearn spent as music minister in the South. Hundreds of young people sang in his choirs, his son said, and he saw how gospel music moved them. That inspired him to leave church ministry for the fledgling Christian music business in the 1970s. “He knew instinctively that they would respond to this music,” Bill Hearn said. In the beginning, Christian music was more about community than anything else, said Card. The elder Hearn had the gift of making friends and drew a number of musicians around him, such as Keith Green, John Michael Talbot, and Terry Talbot, among others. “The west coast hub of Christian music was Billy Ray’s house,” Card said. Hearn’s time in the music business earned him many long friendships, who paid tribute to him Thursday. “My mentor and spiritual father in Christian music, Billy Ray Hearn, went to Jesus today. We knew this was coming,” posted John Michael Talbot on Facebook. “Words cannot express my feelings. Joy and sorrow all at once. A treasure chest of memories from the beginning to the end.” “I am mourning the loss of the gracious mentor who gave me my start in music. Billy Ray Hearn was an American original,” said Steve Taylor on Twitter. “My family and I are saddened today by the loss of Billy Ray Hearn, a great pioneer and visionary, and a blessing to everyone in Christian Music, as well as all those who listen,” posted Twila Paris on Facebook. “Please join us in praying God's grace and peace for his family.” “In the ‘70s when Billy Ray launched his visionary label, Sparrow Records, he opened the door for me and every other Christian artist to record contemporary faith music,” Amy Grant told the Tennessean in a statement Thursday. Amid the business success, Hearn suffered family tragedy when his beloved first wife, Joan, died of cancer—a loss that pained him for years. “It was a shock when your wife says ‘I have cancer,’” Hearn told the Tennessean recently. After Joan’s death, Hearn became involved in charities that benefit those suffering from cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. He was honored for that work earlier this year. Last year, Hearn realized a lifelong dream at 84 when he and his son traveled to South Africa for a two-week safari. It was something his father always wanted to do, said Bill Hearn. “It was the first time we’d ever spent two weeks together and not done any work,” he said. “After all those years of working for other people, it was great to have that time together.” |
2. Addison Road3. Children 18:34. Worth Dying For5. Chris Sligh |
Best AlbumSkillet, Comatose Comes Alive |
2. Family Force 5, Dance or Die3. Third Day, Revelation4. Children 18:3, Children 18:35. Fireflight, Unbreakable |
To see how these picks compared with our favorites for the year, or to check out Reader’s Choice results from previous years, visit ourBest of List archives.
