x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music

Andrew Gill and Leah Payne

Rock That Doesn’t Roll looks at how Christian music shaped the world we"re living in now by telling individual stories from the peak era of the contemporary Christian music industry. In the 80s, 90s and early 2000s CCM grew into a billion dollar business that affected millions of evangelical young people. Through interviews with artists, industry players and average fans Dr. Leah Payne and Andrew Gill trace the long-lasting personal, cultural and political impact of sometimes cringe-worthy

music music history

All Episodes

01:10:46

Delirious vs Nirvana (ft. Gabriel Wilson)

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/10/29

The English worship band Delirious (technically Deliriou5?) certainly changed church music and probably influenced a young Chris Martin of Coldplay, but was their lasting impact on music bigger than Nirvana's? That's the case made in a social media video by our guest today, Gabriel Wilson. Wilson is a veteran of worship bands both as a musician and producer. He once toured with Delirious and has produced Delirious singer Martin Smith in the studio. He also has a deep respect for Nirvana

en-us

56:16

The CCM to Ska Pipeline (ft. Aaron Carnes)

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/10/22

Aaron Carnes is an expert on ska, but is self-aware enough that his book (and podcast) are called In Defense of Ska. Like Christian rock, when folks admit to liking ska they often brace for being mocked. Aaron knows something about both worlds since he was only allowed to listen to CCM growing up. This conversation is wide-ranging, covering the roots of ska (Madness didn't invent it), the waves of reinvention it has survived and how it was put to use by Christians to good effect (Five Iron

en-us

01:13:49

Music at the Charlie Kirk Memorial (ft. David Gate...

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/10/15

The Charlie Kirk Memorial in Arizona was a singular event that blended religion and politics in powerful ways. It featured a lot of Christian music. Brandon Lake, Chris Tomlin, Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe Carnes, Cody Carnes and Tiffany Hudson all led the 100,000 people in the stadium and estimated 20 million watching online in worship songs. To analyze what it means that these artists performed at this event and how their music functioned in the event, we're joined by Kelsey Kramer McGinnis

en-us

34:02

Live From The Trenches: Leah and Andrew Check In

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/10/08

After 15 weekly episodes in season 3, Leah and Andrew chat about what else they've been up to this fall, what episodes they've especially enjoyed this season, and what they're looking forward to in upcoming episodes.--Register for Theology Beer Camp with our promo code RTDR for $75 off.Do you have a Christian rock story to tell? Want to respond to this episode? Leave us a message at (629) 777-6336.If Rock That Doesn’t Roll is important to you, support us on Patreon.

en-us

59:18

The Discourse Meets Carman (ft. Chris DeVille)

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/10/01

Chris DeVille wrote the book on the indie rock boom (Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion), but before he became a self-confessed "indie snob" he was a willing listener of Christian rock. In this conversation we discuss the influence of Pitchfork on musical tastes and how specific signifiers could have an outsized impact on critical coverage in the blog era. Artists discussed include 4Him, Stavesacre, Sufjan Stevens, Pedro The Lion, Cameron Winter,

en-us

55:19

1985: The Critical Year of CCM (ft. Tim Dillinger)

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/09/24

In 1985 the Contemporary Christian Music industry reached a cultural height it would never regain. That's the basic case that Tim Dillinger has been making lately in his Substack, God's Music Is My Life. With artists like Amy Grant, Leslie Phillips, Sheila Walsh, Tramaine Hawkins and Rez Band pushing the boundaries of CCM from the inside, and mainstream acts like Maria Muldour and Mr. Mister pushing into CCM from the outside, 1985 was a year like no other, according to Tim. Would you

en-us

01:03:49

K-LOVE's Tradecraft (ft. Katie Thornton)

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/09/17

Katie Thornton loves radio. Her series The Divided Dial has delved into conservative talk radio and shortwave. It won a 2023 Peabody Award. And her piece for Rolling Stone, "Jesus Take The Dial" goes in depth on CCM radio giant K-LOVE's operations. We talk with Thornton about how K-LOVE's parent company has used its non-profit status to build a broadcasting behemoth and the downstream effects that has on American culture. We also discuss the Christian music she actually enjoys, her

en-us

43:24

Ozzy Osbourne, Christian Rocker (ft. Jason P Woodbury)

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/09/10

Ozzy Osbourne died in July. He was memorialized as the "Prince of Darkness" and was a key figure during the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. But our guest Jason P Woodbury points out that Osbourne's genius was in marrying heaven and hell- and if you listen closely, he's not as different from Christian rock as you might assume. Jason P Woodbury is an editor of Aquarium Drunkard and hosts their podcast, Transmissions. He also makes music as JPW.---Register for Theology Beer Camp with our promo

en-us

36:03

Larry Norman and Bob Dylan's Born Again Era Part 2...

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/09/03

Larry Norman thought another world was possible. Christians would make daring, artistic rock music. Mainstream musicians would make earnestly explore their spirituality in popular songs. He started a record label and an artist management company to make this a reality. And though he could see glimpses of this world, it was fully realized. Gregory Alan Thornbury is our guest this week- in an interview recorded in 2022. He's Norman's biographer and an "erstwhile theologian" as he puts it. His

en-us

52:06

Larry Norman, the Guru of Christian Rock Part 1 (ft....

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/08/27

Larry Norman is widely recognized as the first Christian rock star. Recording with mainstream studio musicians The Wrecking Crew and later sharing a label with The Velvet Underground, Norman began his career singing explicitly about the values of evangelical Christianity on mainstream releases that didn't exactly light up the charts. But when Christian music publishers licensed his albums to sell in bookstores, sales went through the roof and the Christian Contemporary Music market was

en-us

46:36

Yallidarity Explained (ft. Nathan Evans Fox)

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/08/20

Nathan Evans Fox is a country music artist, but he has a deep background with Christian music. In his viral hit single "Hillbilly Hymn" he brings the biblical concept of jubilee into the rural gas station. Find more of Nathan's music here and look for his podcast "Yallidarity Social Club" soon. ---Register for Theology Beer Camp with our promo code RTDR for $75 off.Do you have a Christian rock story to tell? Leave us a message at (629) 777-6336.If Rock That Doesn’t Roll is important to you,

en-us

59:21

The Prayer of Caedmon (ft. Derek Webb)

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/08/13

Derek Webb was part of a remarkable success story with Caedmon's Call in the late '90s. But the more success he witnessed, the less he could keep quiet. Now in his solo career he stands confidently alongside the marginalized, even attending the Dove Awards in a dress. Do you have a Christian rock story to tell? Leave us a message at (629) 777-6336.If Rock That Doesn’t Roll is important to you, support us on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/rtdr (join via the website, not the iOS app)Or make

en-us

53:30

Fire Acquired: Shiny Happy People (ft. Krispin Mayfield)

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/08/06

In season two of Shiny Happy People, the Amazon Prime Original docu-series turns its focus to Teen Mania Ministries, the organization that made Acquire The Fire stadium events. These events are described in the series as "youth group Coachella." But Christian music was just the tip of the iceberg with Teen Mania. To unpack the series, Andrew is joined by Krispin Mayfield, a fellow podcaster and licensed therapist who specializes in helping people with religious trauma. Learn more about

en-us

01:19:42

Cornerstone, Communes and Chicago Blues (ft. Glenn...

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/07/30

Glenn Kaiser has had a huge influence on Christian music as a musician, a festival co-founder and an outspoken thought leader. He was our top guest choice for our live taping in January of 2025 in Chicago.While Glenn Kaiser is a singular figure in the world of Christian music, we are aware that Jesus People USA is a triggering topic for some listeners. For a more thorough examination of Jesus People USA check out the book Grey Sabbath or for the perspective of abuse survivors from JPUSA,

en-us

52:17

The Deconstructed Memelord Theologian (ft. Mason...

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/07/23

Mason Mennenga is really good at social media. You've probably seen his posts about evangelical culture, Christian music or VeggieTales. But he does a lot more than just that. He hosts two podcasts: A People's Theology and The BlackSheep Podcast. He has a YouTube channel. He writes academic papers on music. And he works in the admissions office of a seminary. His social media bio was once "Skillet's Wario" and last year he interviewed the lead singer of Skillet. We were excited to talk with

en-us

01:27

Gone Fishin'

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/07/16

No new episode this week. Be back next Wednesday. Check our Patreon for some bonus content if you're interested. Do you have a Christian rock story to tell? Leave us a message at (629) 777-6336.If Rock That Doesn’t Roll is important to you, support us on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/rtdr (join via the website, not the iOS app)Or make a one-time donation: https://coff.ee/rtdrIf you can't afford a donation, please tell five friends about the show.You can connect with us on Instagram or by

en-us

52:38

Giving Up Your Band For God (ft. Josh Caterer of...

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/07/09

In 1998 it seemed like Josh Caterer had it made. His band, Smoking Popes, had three critically acclaimed albums out. They were signed to Capitol Records. He had married his high school sweetheart. But Josh had also just become a Christian and couldn't reconcile his rock band life with his new evangelical life. So he quit the band. On today's episode hosts Andrew Gill and Dr. Leah Payne talk with Josh Caterer about that decision, how the band got back together, their new album, Lovely Stuff,

en-us

48:14

Christian Music on the Hot 100

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/07/02

In mid-June NPR published a story with the headline "Christian music is experiencing a pop breakthrough." As podcasters covering the Christian music industry, we usually think it reached it's zenith of popularity in the early 2000s, so this article caught our attention. To dig deeper into the topic, we invited the article's author, Emma Madden, on the podcast. Our chat was wide ranging and gets into the influence of worship music on new Christian pop music, differences in religious culture

en-us

01:03:34

Russ Taff and Steve Taylor

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/06/25

This week on the show it's legends only: Russ Taff and Steve Taylor. They collaborated on Russ' new album, "Cover Story," but both have long and distinctive careers in the Christian music industry. Russ Taff became lead singer of The Imperials in 1976, started his solo career in 1983, earning two Grammys and many Dove awards. He was one of the industry's biggest solo male stars, but his most beloved songs are Pentecostal worship songs that connect all the way back to his childhood. Over the

en-us

01:16:05

Accountability for Michael Tait (DC Talk, Newsboys)...

Rock That Doesn"t Roll: The Story of Christian Music ·

2025/06/18

Michael Tait, most recently lead singer of The Newsboys and also well known as one third of DC Talk, confessed to accusations of sexual assault and drug abuse on June 10, 2025. This came after deeply reported investigations into his behavior were published first by The Roys Report and then by The Guardian. The day before this news broke, whistleblowers accused the worship leader best known for right wing political agitation, Sean Feucht, of financial misappropriation and spiritually

en-us

48 results

Similar Podcasts

Pasquale Maassen Soundcloud

Pasquale Maassen

Marian Klose

Marian Klose

sevenism

sevenism

Dean Delray"s LET THERE BE TALK

Cactus Radio Network

Word In Your Ear

Mark Ellen, David Hepworth and Alex Gold