Editing Christian rock (section)

===1990s–present===
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The 1990s saw an explosion of Christian rock.

Many of the popular 1990s Christian bands were initially identified as "Christian [[alternative rock]]", including [[Jars of Clay]].

[[File:Jars of Clay.jpg|thumb|[[Jars of Clay]] in concert, 2007.]]
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the success of acts like [[Skillet (band)|Skillet]], [[Thousand Foot Krutch]], [[Red (band)|Red]], [[Underoath]], [[P.O.D.]], [[Switchfoot]], and [[Relient K]] saw a shift toward mainstream exposure. Rock label [[Tooth & Nail Records]] would be credited for having "altered the course of the Christian rock industry by launching and legitimizing the careers of [[MxPx]], [[The O.C. Supertones]] and [[Underoath]]."<ref name=alternativechristianrock />

There are also some [[Roman Catholic]] bands such as [[Critical Mass (Catholic rock)|Critical Mass]]. Some [[Eastern Orthodox Christian]] rock groups, mostly from Russia and the former [[Soviet Union]], started performing in the late 1980s and 1990s such as [[Alisa (Russian band)|Alisa]].<ref>[[Newsweek]]. [http://www.newsweek.com/id/45534 A Russian Woodstock].<br />Once an anti-establishment rebel, Kinchev's most recent work includes Orthodox Christian rock and Russian patriotic songs.</ref> The Orthodox Christian lyrics of these bands often overlap with historical and patriotic songs about [[Kievan Rus']].

The musical genre that was once rejected by mainstream Christian churches is now considered by certain churches as one of the most important evangelism tools of their congregations. According to Terri McLean, author of New Harmonies, old-guard churches (United Methodist is given as an example) of the late 1990s were experiencing a rapid decline in membership and were under threat of disbandment within the next decade, a trend that has been going on since the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McLean |first=Terri |title=New Harmonies |publisher=Alban Institute |year=1998 |isbn=1-56699-206-0 |location=n.p. |page=109}}</ref> McLean, using numerous quotes from theologians, Christian apologists and professors, points to traditional music styles as the reason for the falling popularity of more traditionalist churches.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McLean |first=Terri |title=New Harmonies |publisher=Alban Institute |year=1998 |isbn=1-56699-206-0 |location=n.p. |page=110}}</ref> 

This element, the worship of God, is what was originally removed from or hidden within the lyrics of early, secular rock n' roll. Santino described one method of changing Christian lyrics as a process that transformed "lyrics that sang of the mystical love of God into lyrics that celebrated the earthly love of woman".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Howard |first1=Jay |title=Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music |last2=John M. Streck |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |year=1999 |isbn=0-8131-2105-1 |location=Lexington, Kentucky |pages=[https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/ qtd. 27] |url=https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/ }}</ref> Howard & Streck offer examples of this, comparing Ray Charles' "This Little Girl of Mine" to "This Little Light of Mine" and "Talking About You" to "Talking About Jesus". They claim that because of actions such as this, despite the liberal editing of the original hymns, "gospel 'showed rock how to sing'".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Howard |first1=Jay |title=Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music |last2=John M. Streck |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |year=1999 |isbn=0-8131-2105-1 |location=Lexington, Kentucky |page=[https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/27 27] |url=https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/27 }}</ref> Howard & Streck go on to describe how the conflict between music and religion, spearheaded by southern fundamentalists, was originally racially based, but how in the sixties this moved on to a clash over the perceived lifestyle of rock musicians.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Howard |first1=Jay |title=Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music |last2=John M. Streck |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |year=1999 |isbn=0-8131-2105-1 |location=Lexington, Kentucky |pages=[https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/27 27, 28] |url=https://archive.org/details/apostlesofrocksp0000howa/page/27 }}</ref>