Secular Mode, Sacred Message: How Contemporary Christian Musicians are called by God to Perform

Contemporary Christian music occupies nearly every genre of music today. Their styles range from country to heavy metal. Yet screaming into the microphone and making guttural noises doesn’t seem like it could possibly be a form of Christian worship. Or can it? The way in which Christian musicians have reinterpreted the acceptance of secular genres to promote a Christian message has changed dramatically over the course of Christian music history and most significantly within the last decade. Contemporary Christian worship leaders within the church are consciously challenging, reinterpreting, and renegotiating religion to theologically justify the use of secular modes to spread the Christian message. In this study I will analyze how contemporary Christian musicians justify the use of various modes of musical performance