All in all, May was a painfully soul-drenching month for contemporary Christian music. A total of 18 pages of self-criticism was poured on the industry from Christian artists and industry executives alike in this magazine and in Christianity Today. Then there was a forum during Gospel Music week in Nashville on "Christian Celebrities: The Dilemma of Balancing Fame and Ministry." The issues of celebrity worship, marketing and imaging, and profiteering were constantly brought up in these discussions amidst a barrage of questions for which there are no immediate answers. Stan Moser, former president of Word and former CEO of Star Song, in his Christianity Today interview, went as far as to rename the genre "commercial Christian music."

Repeatedly, the sell-out of major Christian labels to large mainstream conglomerates was pointed out as being misguided and a sign of serving the wrong master. Those who have been involved with Christian music the longest seem to be the ones most concerned. They have watched the cause of the music go from a mission to a market in 25 years, and they wonder about what has been lost in the process.

But there is another way to look at all this. There will always be new talent showing up with a deep conviction to honor God with their gifts. These are the young Larry Normans and Paul Clarks of today-with the same fire burning in their souls-who know very little of the history that brought us to this point in time. All they know is, they have talent, they want to use it for the Lord, and they want to influence their culture in some way for Christ and His kingdom. They don't really care how we got here, they just want to use whatever they can to move on. And what they have available to them are more resources than my generation ever dreamed of having 25 years ago.

A case in point came in the course of accompanying my 17-year-old son to three games in which he was competing as part of a weekend soccer tournament. Along the way, we listened to his favorite FM station, a major rock station in Los Angeles, and three times that day we heard the single "Flood" by Jars of Clay. Obviously, this means that this song has worked its way into top rotation on the play list of a very influential station in one of the three most important entertainment centers in the nation. This is no small potatoes for a make-no-bones-about-their-Christianity Christian group who came up through the ranks of the contemporary Christian music industry. This means that Jars of Clay has gotten a major push from a big record company, and it also means that I can go to the same store I would buy any current music and find a generous supply of Jars of Clay CDs waiting for me.

The point should be fairly clear. It was the buyouts of Christian companies by mainstream conglomerates-the same ones that were heavily criticized in the May articles-that opened up the marketing and distribution conduits for the "Flood" to reach this radio station. Questions still need to be raised and discussed, but this does mean that in spite of confusions and doubts, God can always do a new thing with His people. Is this not the triumph of grace? Hey, we don't always live our lives right, but God keeps miraculously showing up in spite of ourselves, doesn't He?

What's more, my son likes this song. Now that's even bigger potatoes because he is a very discriminating listener. He knows the Lord, but he is not what you would call a cultural Christian. My son knows about all the current groups, and he has a clear idea about who he likes and who he doesn't, and why. And he clearly likes this song. He liked it before he knew where it came from. The fact that it is done by a Christian group doesn't mean a whole lot to him. He likes the song. Now this is a switch. As a Christian, he got sucked in by the music on a mainstream station, and he's soon to find out, from the CD, and probably a host of articles and interviews that will undoubtedly follow its success, what these guys are up to with their lives and their faith.

There are many of us who have been with Christian music for over two decades now, who have hoped and prayed for something like this to happen. And there have been many others who have helped pave the way so that it could happen. Along the way there have been casualties as well as abusers of the system. There have been those who might be found guilty of selling out the message and those who may have compromised their faith or their values to get where they are. But through it all, liaisons were made and a stage was being set so that someone like Jars of Clay could come from out of nowhere and become known outside of just the Christian subculture. And in deference to all that has gone wrong, this is a good thing.

After wading through all 18 pages of self-evaluation, I thought Eddie DeGarmo had the most memorable statement: "The ministry comes for free, but the CDs will cost you $15.98." To me that says that ministry is not a given in Christian music. If it ever was, it isn't anymore. Music is the given-it's what you pay for-ministry is a bonus. It may or may not be there, but when it is-when my son gets excited about a group of Christians singing about the contemporary relevance of Noah's faith on a leading rock station in Los Angeles-then I think you can say it was all worth it. At least, even for reason of my son's faith alone, it was worth it to me.