Leah Payne | God Gave Rock And Roll To You | Steve Brown, Etc.

When it comes to Contemporary Christian Music, you may love the rock, but what role did culture, commerce, and politics play in its growth? This week, the Etcetera gang chats with Dr. Leah Payne about the past, present, and future of this history-shaping musical movement. Leah’s new book is called "God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music" (https://amzn.to/4ayx61l – @OUPAcademic ).

🗝️ Who is your all-time favorite CCM artist or band? What was your first CCM concert? Share your story in the Comments. 🗝️

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GUEST BIO
Dr. Leah Payne serves as Associate Professor of American Religious History at Portland Seminary. She is also a 2023–2024 Public Fellow at the Public Religion Research Institute. She holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University and her research explores the intersection of religion, politics, and popular culture. Her writing and research has appeared in The Washington Post, NBC News, Religion News Service, and Christianity Today. Leah’s latest book is called "God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music" (https://amzn.to/4ayx61l).

00:00 - Intro
03:27 - Meet Leah Payne
05:33 - The roots of Contemporary Christian Music go back to... the late 1800s?!
09:43 - Why early CCM was, in part, an effort to sell hymnbooks
12:47 - How Leah's research for this book started in her childhood
22:47 - Leah on moments when CCM was leveraged for social change
25:42 - The impact of the Jesus People movement on Christian music
30:20 - How praise and worship music gobbled up CCM
32:54 - The death of the Christian bookstore and how it impacted CCM
34:44 - What surprised Leah in writing this book
37:38 - Closing thoughts
39:10 - Next week's guest is...

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