A MUST READ! Here's why: (1) the author's clearly establish and document from both points of view that there is essentially no difference, as a musical genre, between the popular music of the last 50 years and what is being used in the bulk of Christian churches today. (2) It is also very obvious to the reader that from the secular performers perspective, they have no desire whatsoever to be associated with the religious crowd who claims to be Christian. What clearly struck me was, "Why in the world would... more info
The secular profanes the sacred:
I found Can We Rock the Gospel? to be a very readable and informative volume. Dan Lucarini's extensive background in music and John Blanchard's experience as an apologist are readily apparent. Together they make the case that rock music is something to be wary of. Those who believe there is nothing wrong with rock generally hold that there is no such thing as Christian tunes and, therefore, all instruments and tunes are amoral. The authors clearly show that rock music styles are blatantly worldly by both... more info
Challenging to both contemporaries and traditionalists:
When I decided to read "Can We Rock the Gospel?" I thought it would simply be a rehashing of other books on the subject of modern worship. I quickly learned that I was wrong. John Blanchard and Dan Lucarini (a former CCM musician himself) have done a wonderful job not only of discussing Christian rock but also of searching the Scriptures to see what the Bible teaches about music in general. In chapters 1-7 of their book, Blanchard and Lucarini discuss the way the modern church has been divided over... more info
Jesus Christ came to make dead men live:
50 years ago this book would not have been written. Why? because although there were many "dead" churches we had very few churches divided over musical style.
It makes me sad to think that the family of God has become divided because we have introduced a style of music aimed at teenagers, which has alienated many adults. I am a worship leader at one of the larger churches in Melbourne Australia. In 1959 we had a very significant series of meetings conducted by the Billy Graham organisation. The music... more info
