Bible belters change their tune

For an example of the tension that still exists between the two genres, take the rock band Pillar. It was signed for a time to a mainstream label after an executive heard its song "Fireproof," based on the Old Testament story of the three men thrown in a fiery furnace. But the label then suggested the group tone down the religious language on its website when the band told fans that the choice to do the deal was God-directed.

Pillar lead singer Rob Beckley says the band won't turn its back on the Christian community, which was the first to take a chance on them. But the group does think about what it means to take a step further and reach even more people. The gospel category accounts for about 7 percent of overall music sales, "and for us to sell 300,000 records in that amount of people, then it's definitely motivating to think what could happen if we were in front of 100 percent of the listening population," he says in a phone interview.

Another factor contributing to Christian groups going mainstream is that secular music companies now own more Christian record labels. Rather than feeling threatened, suggests John Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association, some Christian labels are helping their talent with the transition. "People on the Christian side are the ones pushing this," says Mr. Styll. "These are not defections, necessarily ... as much as they are arrangements that are now made possible because of the alliances and ownership set up with these mainstream entertainment companies."

He points to one pop artist whose label helped promote her recently by working in conjunction with a sister secular label. "You had Stacie Orrico at ForeFront, which is owned by EMI, so boom, put her on Virgin and away they go.... To use a biblical metaphor, why keep the lamp under a bushel?"

Some bands are still figuring out how to successfully navigate in both markets. Evanescence, for example, initially agreed to have its "Fallen" album in Christian outlets, which seemed consistent with liner notes where one member thanks Jesus, and a song, "Tourniquet," on the album that refers to Christ. (My wounds cry for the grave/My soul cries for deliverance/Will I be denied Christ/Tourniquet/My Suicide.)

But in an interview in Entertainment Weekly last spring, the group foreshadowed their soon-to-be-announced flip-flop when they said they couldn't understand why they were being pushed in the Christian market. Evanescence declined to be interviewed for this article.

That was a classic "over reaction," says author Joseph, who is also president of MJM Entertainment Group in Los Angeles. He suggests the group should have simply indicated they didn't embrace being labeled "Christian" rock, but that they were grateful for any outlets that want to carry them.

For a better example of how to negotiate the two markets, he points to Switchfoot. "They've handled it with such class," he says, explaining that the band is doing the things rock groups do - going on tour, hiring a publicist that deals with rock stars - while continuing to produce albums that are still spiritual in nature. "It's creating a sense that you're part of a greater rock community and not off here in the corner," he says of the balancing act. "[And] at the same time, finding ways to assure people that do love you because of your faith, that you're still with them, that you haven't changed your belief."

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