2004 Readers’ Choice Christian Music Awards

Jeremy Camp, Rebecca St. James, tobyMac, Third Day and Casting Crowns are the big winners in our second annual Readers’ Choice Christian Music Awards.

The readers chose Camp as Best Male Artist, St. James as Best Female, tobyMac’s Welcome to Diverse City as Best Album, and Third Day as Best Group or Band. Casting Crowns, meanwhile, was chosen as Best New Artist, and their hit “Who Am I” was voted Song of the Year.

We received 2,012 votes, almost twice the response from last year’s inaugural survey. Forty-two percent of the voters were aged 13-19; another 19 percent were aged 20-24. And 62 percent of the voters were female. It’s also worth noting that several artists’ websites and e-newsletters encouraged their fans to vote in our poll, which can affect the outcome.

Meanwhile, thank you to ChristianBook.com, which generously offered 15 free CDs to one voter chosen at random as an incentive for taking part in our survey. Our winner was a teenage girl from Michigan.

Thank You To Everyone Who Voted In The Survey!

Best Male Artist Jeremy Camp En route to the international leadership conference he was hosting today, the Bahamas' best-known pastor, Myles Munroe, died with his wife and seven others in a plane crash Sunday. The 60-year-old founder and president of Bahamas Faith Ministries International was an alumnus of Oral Roberts University and a past speaker for Promise Keepers. He helped author more than 100 books, many of which were bestsellers in the Caribbean and Africa, according to NBC. CT noted how Munroe was the opening speaker for the 1996 National Religious Broadcasters conference. “It was an honor having Myles Munroe speak on our platform in the early 2000s,” Promise Keepers said in a Facebook post Monday. “We have peace knowing that he is with the Lord. Our prayers go out to his family and friends.” Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, noted on his Facebook page that Munroe “lived for the kingdom and helped us understand that we can change the world.” “I remember when he spoke to me and gave me a word so on point. He will be missed,” Rodriguez said on Facebook. He noted on Twitter that “Myles Munroe breathed, lived and died expanding the kingdom of God. His passion for Christ made him a true ambassador of grace and righteousness.” Financial guru Dave Ramsey noted on Twitter that Munroe’s “spirit was contagious.” The plane Munroe was in crashed on Grand Bahama Island after it hit a crane in the shipyard as it was attempting to land near Freeport, according to Bahamian newspaper Tribune 242. All nine people on board died, including Bahamas Faith Ministries International’s senior vice president and pastor, Richard Pinder, and Munroe’s wife, Ruth, according to CNN and ABC. “Whether in a leadership gathering with those in highest authority or in Bahamas as a caring shepherd in a community of believers, Myles was always the same," wrote ORU president William M. Wilson in a statement. "Upbeat, positive, loving, full of faith and searching for any way possible to make Jesus known in our generation.” The Washington Post described Munroe’s theology as “Christianity with the power of self-realization.” Munroe was a national icon and popular ambassador for Christian ministry in the Caribbean, said Bahamian prime minister Perry Christie. "He was indisputably one of the most globally recognizable religious figures our nation has ever produced,” RNS reports Christie as saying. “It is utterly impossible to measure the magnitude of Dr. Munroe’s loss to The Bahamas and to the world.” The Global Leadership Forum, a conference organized by Munroe’s ministry, was set to kick off today in the Bahamas and will continue as planned, according to a note on Munroe’s Facebook page stating, "This is what Dr. Munroe would have wanted." Other American evangelicals noting Munroe’s death include Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer and The Presidential Devotional author Joshua DuBois.

2. tobyMac 3. Steven Curtis Chapman 4. Michael W. Smith 5. Chris Tomlin 6. Mark Schultz 7. David Phelps 8. Bebo Norman 9. Todd Agnew 10 (tie). Chris Rice 10 (tie). Matthew West

Best Female Artist Rebecca St. James Instagram screenshot

2. Bethany Dillon 3. Stacie Orrico 4. Rachael Lampa 5. Nicole C. Mullen 6. Nichole Nordeman 7. Amy Grant 8. Jaci Velasquez 9. Jennifer Knapp 10 (tie). Sara Groves 10 (tie). Joy Williams

Best Group or Band Third Day [Updated with comments from Taylor University's Dennis Hensley] Bestselling novelist Jerry B. Jenkins has ended his formal effort to train the next generation of Christian writers. "Unfortunately, I’m not as happy as I look here, despite that my seven-year-old Thai grandson Max shot this picture of me," wrote Jenkins on his Christian Writers Guild (CWG) homepage, "because you’ve found my [website] just as I’m shutting down the Guild after 14 years of ministry." Publishers Weekly broke the story and offers more details. The guild, launched in the 1960s and purchased by Jenkins in 2001, "aims to train tomorrow’s professional Christian writers." Taylor University's director of professional writing, Dennis E. Hensley, told CT that CWG has offered "great service to developing writers." "[Jenkins] has invested millions of dollars into a venture that has been of marvelous benefit to thousands of Christian writers but of no commercial gain to himself," said Hensley. "Jerry has also poured time, creativity, and leadership into a long-term project that now culminates with dignity and proper closure as he continues his own book writing, trustee board work with Moody Bible Institute, spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren, and blogging and speaking on writing. "He does not engage in debates about who-did-what leading to his decision to close CWG," Hensley continued. "I assure any who seek my take on this that Jerry will always do the honorable thing, even to the detriment of his own finances or personal time. I have never known a better man." Earlier this month, CWG president Dave Sheets resigned. "It was an honor to have been a part of CWG which has served authors for 50 years, and I'm blessed to enjoy continued friendship with Jerry," he told CT. "We're both sad that CWG is closing. I am pleased, though, that we have an alternative to help authors." The recently rebranded TheBelieversGroup will offer educational efforts similar to CWG via its nonprofit arm, BelieversTrust, and publishing services via its for-profit arm, BelieversMedia. Sheets will run the for-profit services from Colorado Springs. Rebeca Seitz will run the nonprofit services from Naples, Florida. "Students who may have been exposed to CWG will find a familiar home at BelieversTrust, albeit an expanded one," Sheets told CT. "They'll also see familiar faces." (CWG marketing coordinator Julie Boynton will join BelieversTrust, as will some CWG mentors.) CT reported last year how Jenkins, known for his Left Behind series and many other titles, was frustrated that fewer CWG alumni were landing book contracts with established publishers. So he launched his own self-publishing company where ,000 would get writers mentoring, editing, and other services. In March 2013, Jenkins told CT he wanted to "help people realize their dream of publication without contributing to the spate low quality self-publishing." "I’m a bit melancholy, but I have a heart full of wonderful memories too," he wrote on the CWG homepage. "It’s been a great ride. I’ve been blessed to be able to give back to an industry that has been so good to me, and it’s been a privilege to help train thousands of writers and try to restock the pool of Christian authors." Guild members will still "get every last one of your benefits," wrote Jenkins, and students will "be able to see your course through all the way to the end." He promised to answer any emailed questions "personally and fast." Jenkins once offered CT readers his list of websites for writers and his pick for the best Christmas story not found in the Bible. A 2002 CT cover story offered "an insider's look at how Christian books are agented, acquired, packaged, branded, and sold in today's marketplace."

2. Switchfoot 3. MercyMe 4. Casting Crowns 5. Newsboys 6. Relient K 7. Audio Adrenaline 8. Point of Grace 9. Avalon 10. Building 429

Best New Artist Casting Crowns [Updated with comments from Taylor University's Dennis Hensley] Bestselling novelist Jerry B. Jenkins has ended his formal effort to train the next generation of Christian writers. "Unfortunately, I’m not as happy as I look here, despite that my seven-year-old Thai grandson Max shot this picture of me," wrote Jenkins on his Christian Writers Guild (CWG) homepage, "because you’ve found my [website] just as I’m shutting down the Guild after 14 years of ministry." Publishers Weekly broke the story and offers more details. The guild, launched in the 1960s and purchased by Jenkins in 2001, "aims to train tomorrow’s professional Christian writers." Taylor University's director of professional writing, Dennis E. Hensley, told CT that CWG has offered "great service to developing writers." "[Jenkins] has invested millions of dollars into a venture that has been of marvelous benefit to thousands of Christian writers but of no commercial gain to himself," said Hensley. "Jerry has also poured time, creativity, and leadership into a long-term project that now culminates with dignity and proper closure as he continues his own book writing, trustee board work with Moody Bible Institute, spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren, and blogging and speaking on writing. "He does not engage in debates about who-did-what leading to his decision to close CWG," Hensley continued. "I assure any who seek my take on this that Jerry will always do the honorable thing, even to the detriment of his own finances or personal time. I have never known a better man." Earlier this month, CWG president Dave Sheets resigned. "It was an honor to have been a part of CWG which has served authors for 50 years, and I'm blessed to enjoy continued friendship with Jerry," he told CT. "We're both sad that CWG is closing. I am pleased, though, that we have an alternative to help authors." The recently rebranded TheBelieversGroup will offer educational efforts similar to CWG via its nonprofit arm, BelieversTrust, and publishing services via its for-profit arm, BelieversMedia. Sheets will run the for-profit services from Colorado Springs. Rebeca Seitz will run the nonprofit services from Naples, Florida. "Students who may have been exposed to CWG will find a familiar home at BelieversTrust, albeit an expanded one," Sheets told CT. "They'll also see familiar faces." (CWG marketing coordinator Julie Boynton will join BelieversTrust, as will some CWG mentors.) CT reported last year how Jenkins, known for his Left Behind series and many other titles, was frustrated that fewer CWG alumni were landing book contracts with established publishers. So he launched his own self-publishing company where ,000 would get writers mentoring, editing, and other services. In March 2013, Jenkins told CT he wanted to "help people realize their dream of publication without contributing to the spate low quality self-publishing." "I’m a bit melancholy, but I have a heart full of wonderful memories too," he wrote on the CWG homepage. "It’s been a great ride. I’ve been blessed to be able to give back to an industry that has been so good to me, and it’s been a privilege to help train thousands of writers and try to restock the pool of Christian authors." Guild members will still "get every last one of your benefits," wrote Jenkins, and students will "be able to see your course through all the way to the end." He promised to answer any emailed questions "personally and fast." Jenkins once offered CT readers his list of websites for writers and his pick for the best Christmas story not found in the Bible. A 2002 CT cover story offered "an insider's look at how Christian books are agented, acquired, packaged, branded, and sold in today's marketplace."

2. Building 429 3. Bethany Dillon 4. BarlowGirl 5. Hawk Nelson 6. Falling Up 7. Shawn McDonald 8 (tie). Day of Fire 8 (tie). Mute Math 10. Matthew West

Nominees for Best New Artist had to release their deubt CD between 10/1/2003 and 11/2/2004.

Album of the Year tobyMacWelcome to Diverse City Jerry B. Jenkins

2. Third Day, Wire 3. Jeremy Camp, Carried Me 4. Steven Curtis Chapman, All Things New 5. Casting Crowns, Casting Crowns 6. Mercy Me, Undone 7 (tie). Building 429, Space in Between Us 7 (tie). Pillar, Where Do We Go from Here? 7 (tie). Point of Grace, I Choose You 10. Chris Tomlin, Arriving

Nominees for Album of the Year had to be releases between 10/1/2003 and 11/2/2004.

Song of the Year Casting Crowns”Who Am I” The Assemblies of God, one of America’s largest and fastest-growing denominations, celebrated its 100th birthday this year. Almost all of its growth has come from ethnic minorities, who compose more than 41 percent of its 3.1 million American adherents. But on many national survey reports of religious Americans, those nearly 1.3 million evangelicals are invisible because they are not white. Major survey organizations such as Pew Research Center, Gallup, and Public Religion Research Institute often split non-Catholic Christians into the historical categories of black Protestants, mainline Protestants, and white evangelicals. “It’s not uninteresting or incorrect to look at evangelicals as a whole,” said Greg Smith, Pew’s director of U.S. religion surveys. After all, he notes, two-thirds of “black Protestants” identify as evangelicals. “It’s a pragmatic decision. If you don’t separate out black and white evangelicals, you will miss the link between race, religion, and politics. On many important social and political issues, these are just very different groups.” The “black Protestants” category actually includes Christians of any ethnicity who attend historically black denominations. Such churches traditionally had radically different social missions than those in majority-white groups, and congregants typically engaged politics differently than their evangelical and mainline counterparts. Pew reported that in the 2012 presidential election, 95 percent of black Protestants voted for Obama, compared with 20 percent of white evangelicals. When classifying religious groups, surveys focus on adherence to a set of beliefs, a set of behaviors, or group membership (depending on the topic), according to Corwin Smidt, research fellow with the Henry Institute at Calvin College. Because a respondent’s race is often strongly linked to political and social behavior, it’s usually an important category for researchers. Since evangelicalism is still largely white in the United States, only very large surveys have enough respondents from each race for accurate analysis. However, treating race as a dividing demographic among Christians fosters misunderstanding, said Smidt. His recent research found that faith affiliation carries more weight than race or education level. He found that evangelicals from different demographic backgrounds—including race, education, and theological mindset—still share similar beliefs and religious behaviors. For instance, they go to church and pray at about the same frequency. Ethnic minorities are flocking to evangelical churches in growing numbers, said Michael Emerson, sociology professor at Rice University. In the past five years, the Assemblies’ non-white membership climbed by nearly 20 percent, while white membership grew by only about 2 percent. In the 15.8 million–member Southern Baptist Convention, “non-Anglo” churches now account for 20 percent of its nearly 50,500 congregations. “The default image that most people have in their heads is of politically conservative white evangelicals,” said Brian Steensland of Indiana University’s Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture. “That’s never been fully accurate, but it’s increasingly becoming less accurate.” Steensland has helped nuance the ways surveys measure evangelicals. But most of the time, researchers can’t divide their sample into more accurate groups because they become too small for statistical analysis. In addition, researchers like to compare results across time, and that means using the same categories. But as the evangelical world diversifies, the importance of measuring it accurately becomes more acute, says Emerson. “Measurement, though it seems dull, is of utmost importance because it shapes how we think about reality,” he said. “It shapes the categories that we think matter, and then we start looking at those categories and thinking they are real.”

2. tobyMac, “Gone” 3. Jeremy Camp, “Walk by Faith” 4. Third Day, “I Believe” 5. Building 429, “Glory Defined” 6. Steven Curtis Chapman, “All Things New” 7. Switchfoot, “Dare You to Move” 8. Switchfoot, “Meant to Live” 9. Chris Tomlin, “Indescribable” 9. BarlowGirl, “Never Alone”

Nominees for Song of the Year had to be releases between 10/1/2003 and 11/2/2004.

How did the results compare with the editors’ picks? Read our list of The Best Christian Albums of 2004 to find out.